Garima Lakhanpal

Project Title: Connecting Nutrient Surpluses from Different Dairy Systems with Groundwater Nutrient Status in contrasting soils

Overview: Garima is looking at connecting nutrient surpluses from intensive dairy farms with groundwater nutrient status in varying soil types. Intensive fertilizer usage in farming along with other nutrient inputs from animals and plants is expanding the N storage in the soil which is likely to transport to groundwater in other forms. This leads to degrading water quality over long periods of time and is critical to assess various N attenuation measures adopted by farmers for nitrogen use efficiency. The goal of this study is to help policy makers with better information for water management decision to meet the water quality targets. Garima is gaining experience in modelling and is working with multiple integrated Nitrogen use efficiency and N surplus models on farm scale with ground water quality assessment in various N mitigation scenarios.

Programme Area: Crops, Environment and Land Use Programme

Supervisors: Prof. Owen Fenton and Prof. Nandita Basu

Location: University of Waterloo / Tegasc- Johnstown Castle, Wexford

Funding Source: Teagasc