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Akinson Tumbure

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow – Beyond Peat Project

Research Interests

My research interests are guided by the desire to propel commercial agriculture towards more environmentally sustainable and organic based technologies. I am intrigued with chemical, microbiological and physical processes that affect plant nutrition and how these processes can be sustainably utilised for crop growth in soil and peat free growth media. Over the years I have done research on

  1. Alternative phosphorus fertilisers which include biochar composites (made from agro-wastes and rock phosphate) and struvites (made from municipal and food processing wastewater).
  2. Beneficial microbial-plant interactions as alternative sources of nitrogen for legume crops.

Current Projects

Beyond Peat Project: https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/horticulture/beyond-peat/

Education

  • DPhil Soil Science from Massey University, New Zealand
  • MPhil Soil Fertility from University of Zimbabwe
  • BSc Hons Agriculture (Soil Science) from University of Zimbabwe

Professional Membership

New Zealand Soil Science Society

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Akinson-Tumbure

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7438-4113

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=EnHVG40AAAAJ

  1. Tumbure A., Dube S. & Tauro T.P. (2023). Insights of microbial inoculants in complementing organic soil fertility management in African smallholder farming systems. In: M. Fanadzo et al. (eds.), Towards Sustainable Food Production in Africa: Best Management Practices and Technologies. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2427-1_4
  2. Tumbure A., Pisa C. & Muchaonyerwa P. (2023). Co-application of vermicompost with other amendments for the improvement of infertile/degraded soils. In: Mupambwa, H.A., Horn, L.N., Mnkeni, P.N.S. (eds) Vermicomposting for Sustainable Food Systems in Africa. Sustainability Sciences in Asia and Africa. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8080-0_14
  3. Bystrzycki E., Decombel A., Tardy E., Verleden I, Dybvik K., Tumbure A. and Schmalenberger A. (2023). Protocol on the practical RDF application for horticultural sector (greenhouse trials). https://www.biorefine.eu/publications/renu2farm-cap-d-t4-1-2-protocol-on-the-practical-rdf-application-for-horticultural-sector-greenhouse-trials/
  4. Tumbure A., J. Dera, T. C. Kunjeku & J. Nyamangara (2022) Contextualising smallholder organic agriculture in Zimbabwe and other sub-Saharan African countries: a review of challenges and opportunities, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science, 72:1, 1020-1035. https://doi.org/10.1080/09064710.2022.2142657
  5. Tumbure, A., Bretherton, M. R., Bishop, P. & Hedley, M. J., (2022) Phosphorus recovery from an igneous phosphate rock using organic acids and pyrolysis condensate. Scientific African. 15, e01098: 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2022.e01098
  6. Tumbure, A., Bishop, P., Hedley, M. J. & Bretherton, M. R. (2021) Increasing phosphorus solubility by sintering igneous Dorowa phosphate rock with recycled glass. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry. 145:3019–3030. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-020-10078-2
  7. Tumbure, A., Bishop, P, Bretherton, M. and Hedley M. (2020). Co-pyrolysis of maize stover and igneous phosphate rock to produce potential biochar-based phosphate fertiliser with improved carbon retention and liming value. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 8 (10): 4178–4184. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b06958
  8. Tumbure, A., Bretherton, M. R., Bishop, P. & Hedley, M. J. (2019). Updated Characterization of Dorowa Phosphate Rock Mined in Zimbabwe. Natural Resources Research. 29: 1561–1570. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-019-09567-5
  9. Koala, S., Woomer, P., Karanja, N., Dashiell, K., Bala, A., Abaidoo, R., Ngokho, P.O., Murwira, M.S., Tumbure, A., Mukungurutse, C.S., de Wolf, J.J. (2019) Advanced technical skills in rhizobiology. https://gatesopenresearch.org/documents/3-703   
  10. Tumbure, A., Bretherton, M., Bishop, P. and Hedley, M.J., (2018) Planning low-cost technologies to enhance the agronomic effectiveness and use of low grade Dorowa phosphate rock. In: Farm environmental planning – Science, policy and practice. (Eds L. D. Currie and C. L. Christensen). Occasional Report No. 31. Fertiliser and Lime Research Centre, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. http://flrc.massey.ac.nz/publications.html