Konstantin Shishkin

Project Title: Enhancing soil moisture monitoring and modelling using the novel Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensor technique

Overview: Konstantin is working on a new quantitative, real-time and spatial model for soil moisture prediction using data from Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensors (CRNS) located throughout the Republic of Ireland.  The created model will significantly improve the calculation of optimal doses of applied fertilizers, as well as allow to assess the risks of erosion and flooding more accurately. Soil moisture is a key factor to be considered in the planning of any agricultural or engineering activity. Therefore, accurate data on soil moisture are needed to reduce agricultural and engineering costs and to reduce human impact on the environment.

Konstantin mastered various methods of modelling of different chemical and physical soil properties, its water and thermal regimes and behaviour of pesticides, fertilizers and various pollutants in soil during his studies in School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin and Faculty of Soil Science of Moscow State University and personal working experience. He also has extensive skills in handling big data, which is now a major part of his PhD project.

Programme Area: Environment, Soils and Land Use

Supervisors: Prof Owen Fenton, Dr Paul Murphy, Dr Tamara Hochstrasser, and Dr Klara Finkele

Location: Teagasc Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford

Funding Source: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Met Eireann, and Teagasc