Rakesh Awale

Dr Awale is a post-doctoral fellow in the University of Queensland since 2023 and has been investigating N and P cycling and management in cotton and wheat cropping systems using chemical fertilisers and animal manures (poultry, beef-feedlot, and swine). He received a PhD degree in Soil Science in 2015 from North Dakota State University, USA with primary research focus on soil N cycling with different fertiliser N application rates, timings, and sources including enhanced efficiency N products (urease inhibitor, nitrification inhibitor, urease plus nitrification inhibitors, and polymer-coated urea) and water management practices (subsurface tile-drained vs non-drained) in poorly-drained soils under broadacre cropping systems. Between 2015 to 2018, he worked as a post-doctoral scholar at the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Centre (Oregon State University, USA), where he looked into SOM dynamics, soil health, soil acidification and fertility, and crop productivity responses to tillage and residue management, crop rotation and intensification, cover cropping, mineral fertiliser application, and biochar, animal manure and crop residue amendments in dryland cropping systems. Dr Awale moved to Australia and joined the Centre for Regional and Rural Futures of Deakin University as a post-doctoral research fellow in 2020. At Deakin, he investigated the effectiveness of poultry litter amendments in improving soil health, fertility, cotton nutrition (N, P, S, Zn) and production in constrained soils of southern NSW.