Zed Rengel
Professor
The University of Western Australia
Australia
Biography
I completed his degree with MSc Zagreb, PhD Louisiana State . I am co Editor-in-Chief of Crop & Pasture Science (Australia) and Associate Editor of Crop Science (USA).and I have edited 7 books and 6 special issues of the journal Plant and Soil and published more than 300 papers in the referred international journals. My h-index is 46 (ISI Thomson) and 55 (Google Scholar). My work has been recognised by 30 research and 3 teaching awards from Australia, USA, UK, Germany, France, Austria, Japan, etc. I was Visiting Professor in Japan (Okayama University), Denmark (KVL) and USA (USDA/Cornell University). I received Humboldt Lifetime Research Award and Fulbright Senior Scholar Award. I was elected a foreign fellow of Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Research Interest
My research interests are in nutrient uptake and ion toxicity in the soil-plant-water-microbe continuum. I have been working on natural and managed ecosystems in the field as well as studying specific mechanisms and relationships in the glasshouse and the lab. Among nutrients, I have been working on nitrate, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium as well as micronutrients (zinc, copper and manganese). Among toxic ions, aluminium, arsenic, zinc and sodium feature prominently. The approaches and techniques used range from ion imaging using confocal laser microscopy, to ion-specific microelectrodes, to enzyme assays and radioisotope tracking, to fiddling with bacteria and fungi in the rhizosphere, to chemical analysis of root exudates, to optimising fertilisation of crop and pasture plants, to computer modelling of root growth and nutrient uptake, and digging pits and holes in the field to access soil, roots and groundwater.