Professor Peter Kopittke
Professor

Peter Kopittke

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 69149

Background

Not only do soils provide humans with 98.8% of our food, they also provide humanity with a broad range of other services such as carbon storage and greenhouse gas regulation. Whilst soil takes hundreds or thousands of years to form, it can be destroyed in a matter of years if not managed correctly.

Peter's work aims to understand the hidden processes in soil that control how plants obtain nutrients, how carbon is stored, and how agricultural systems can remain productive while also protecting the environment. He has worked across highly diverse systems, both in Australia and developing countries. He has a demonstrated ability to lead outstanding research programs across a range of inter-connected themes, spanning in scale from fundamental research to landscape-scale projects, with this demonstrating a unique ability to link industry partners with high quality research.

Peter is Past President of Soil Science Australia (QLD), a former ARC Future Fellow, recipient of the JK Taylor Gold Medal in Soil Science (2018), and recipient of the CG Stephens Award in Soil Science (2005).

Availability

Professor Peter Kopittke is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Environmental Sciences Land capability and soil productivity Soil chemistry and soil carbon sequestration (excl. carbon sequestration science) Soil sciences

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
  • Postgraduate Diploma, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Behaviour of nutrients, fertilizers, and carbon in soils

    My research is providing important insights into the behaviour and cycling of nutrients in soils. This includes the behaviour of fertilizers upon their addition to soils, as well as the long-term effects of agricultural cropping on the cycling and loss of nutrients from soils. For example, my research is currently investigating how to increase farmer’s profitability when using deep-banded P fertilizers in soils of northern Australia. This research is utilizing novel approaches for understanding how P behaves following its addition to a range of soils, including synchrotron-based approaches that are allowing in situ analyses of the P within the soil. Research within my group is also investigating soil organic carbon, with the storage of carbon in soils is vital for maintaining soil fertility for food production. Indeed, soil carbon is the largest pool of terrestrial carbon (ca. 2,000 Gt). My research is combining advanced spectroscopic techniques with conventional approaches to understand the mechanisms influencing the sequestration and degradation of soil organic matter and the cycling of associated nutrients. My group is one of the first in the world to utilize high-flux synchrotron radiation to examine the speciation and distribution of carbon in soil micro-aggregates.

  • Plant growth in degraded soils

    Plant-ion interactions underlie many problems currently facing Australia’s environmental and agricultural systems. My research aims to improve our understanding of plant-ion interactions, including: (i) managing saline soils and acid soils, in which either salts or Al toxicity reduce agricultural yields, (ii) regulation and management of sites contaminated with trace metals at levels which are potentially toxic to plants, and (iii) improving nutrient use efficiency in order to reduce nutrient losses and water pollution. In addition, the beneficial of wastes (or potential wastes) can potentially result in improved environmental, agronomic, and social outcomes. However, the addition of these resources should not result in significant net change in the environment beyond acceptable limits. Thus, for waste-disposal systems, there is a need to identify how potentially limiting factors (such as excess salt or nutrients) impact upon the soil-plant-animal continuum and hence ecosystem functioning. My research is leading studies of the environmental sustainability of the land-disposal of a variety of wastes.

  • Leadership of the global development of advanced and novel methodologies for investigation of plants and soils

    My international leadership in the development of spectroscopic techniques has led to important advances in the study of various elements in soils and plants. Indeed, I have led the development of novel and technically-advanced methods to examine ion distribution and speciation within plants and soils, including synchrotron-based techniques, NanoSIMS, and analytical electron microscopy. My leadership in this area is internationally-recognised, with this being evident from the international synchrotron facilities that I have utilised, being in the USA, Canada, France, Italy, and Thailand. Collaborating with Prof Enzo Lombi (University of South Australia), we were the first in the world to obtain a tomogram showing metal distribution in fresh, hydrated plant roots. We were also the first in the world to obtain laterally-resolved speciation of metal(loid)s in situ within hydrated plant tissues. These approaches have facilitated several important discoveries, including the identification of an underlying mechanism which accounts for the toxicities of a range of trace metals. I was the first to conclusively demonstrate the primary lesion of toxic Al – this being the primary limiting factor in the 40% of worldwide arable soils that are acidic. Our data showed that Al reduces root growth within 5 min by binding to the cell wall and inhibiting loosening in the elongation zone. I was also one of the first to use NanoSIMS for the investigation of soil organic carbon (SOC) in soil systems, with this providing novel insights into how C and N are stabilized within soils.

Search Professor Peter Kopittke’s works on UQ eSpace

360 works between 2004 and 2026
All (360) Book (2) Journal Article (252) Other Outputs (39) Conference Publication (57) Book Chapter (10)

1 - 20 of 360 works

Featured

2025

Journal Article

Soil degradation: an integrated model of the causes and drivers

Kopittke, Peter M., Harper, Stephen M., Asio, Luz G., Asio, Victor B., Batalon, Juanito T., Batuigas, April Mae T., Gonzaga, Apolinario B., Gonzaga, Nelda R., de Guzman, Maria Teresa L., Lumanao, Deejay M., McKenna, Brigid A., Soyon, Gennie B., Vergara, Joana Rose M. and Sanchez, Pearl B. (2025). Soil degradation: an integrated model of the causes and drivers. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 13 (4), 744-755. doi: 10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.07.010

Soil degradation: an integrated model of the causes and drivers

Featured

2025

Journal Article

Spatially-resolved characterisation of phosphate fertiliser reaction zones for sustainable soil management

McKenna, Brigid A., Lombi, Enzo, McLaren, Timothy I., Doolette, Casey L., Raymond, Nelly S. and Kopittke, Peter M. (2025). Spatially-resolved characterisation of phosphate fertiliser reaction zones for sustainable soil management. Geoderma, 463 117564, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117564

Spatially-resolved characterisation of phosphate fertiliser reaction zones for sustainable soil management

Featured

2025

Journal Article

The balance between microbial arsenic methylation and demethylation in paddy soils underpins global arsenic risk and straighthead disease in rice

Dai, Jun, Chen, Chuan, Zhai, Zhi-Qiang, Gao, A-Xiang, Johnson, David R., Kopittke, Peter M., Zhao, Fang-Jie and Wang, Peng (2025). The balance between microbial arsenic methylation and demethylation in paddy soils underpins global arsenic risk and straighthead disease in rice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122 (38) e2508311122, 1-12. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2508311122

The balance between microbial arsenic methylation and demethylation in paddy soils underpins global arsenic risk and straighthead disease in rice

Featured

2024

Journal Article

Soil is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and climate change

Kopittke, Peter M., Dalal, Ram C., McKenna, Brigid A., Smith, Pete, Wang, Peng, Weng, Zhe, van der Bom, Frederik J. T. and Menzies, Neal W. (2024). Soil is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Soil, 10 (2), 873-885. doi: 10.5194/soil-10-873-2024

Soil is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and climate change

Featured

2024

Journal Article

Physicochemical protection is more important than chemical functional composition in controlling soil organic carbon retention following long-term land-use change

Barnard, Meghan, Dalal, Ram C., Weng, Zhe H., Schweizer, Steffen A. and Kopittke, Peter M. (2024). Physicochemical protection is more important than chemical functional composition in controlling soil organic carbon retention following long-term land-use change. Geoderma, 452 117098, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117098

Physicochemical protection is more important than chemical functional composition in controlling soil organic carbon retention following long-term land-use change

Featured

2021

Journal Article

The role of soil in defining planetary boundaries and the safe operating space for humanity

Kopittke, Peter M., Menzies, Neal W., Dalal, Ram C., McKenna, Brigid A., Husted, Søren, Wang, Peng and Lombi, Enzo (2021). The role of soil in defining planetary boundaries and the safe operating space for humanity. Environment International, 146 106245, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106245

The role of soil in defining planetary boundaries and the safe operating space for humanity

Featured

2019

Journal Article

Soil and the intensification of agriculture for global food security

Kopittke, Peter M., Menzies, Neal W., Wang, Peng, McKenna, Brigid A. and Lombi, Enzo (2019). Soil and the intensification of agriculture for global food security. Environment International, 132 105078, 105078. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105078

Soil and the intensification of agriculture for global food security

2026

Journal Article

Developing a Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) technique for large-scale and high-resolution mapping of labile potassium in soil

Huang, Jianyin, McKenna, Brigid A., Bartlett, Kathryn, Zheng, Yunyun, Doolette, Casey L., Kopittke, Peter M. and Lombi, Enzo (2026). Developing a Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) technique for large-scale and high-resolution mapping of labile potassium in soil. Talanta, 309 130003, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2026.130003

Developing a Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) technique for large-scale and high-resolution mapping of labile potassium in soil

2026

Journal Article

A comparative study of methods to quantify wheat yield penalty attributable to soil sodicity across north-eastern Australia

Lai, Yunru, Pringle, Matthew J., Kopittke, Peter M., Menzies, Neal W., Orton, Thomas G. and Dang, Yash P. (2026). A comparative study of methods to quantify wheat yield penalty attributable to soil sodicity across north-eastern Australia. Soil and Tillage Research, 262 107209, 1-20. doi: 10.1016/j.still.2026.107209

A comparative study of methods to quantify wheat yield penalty attributable to soil sodicity across north-eastern Australia

2026

Journal Article

Chicken manure matches mineral P fertiliser in crop response and soil phosphorus dynamics in a wheat–canola–wheat system

Shome, Swarna, Kopittke, Peter M., Bell, Michael J., Leite, Mauricio Cunha Almeida, Awale, Rakesh, Street, Maurie, O’Brien, Benjamin and McLaren, Timothy I. (2026). Chicken manure matches mineral P fertiliser in crop response and soil phosphorus dynamics in a wheat–canola–wheat system. Geoderma, 472 117957, 117957. doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117957

Chicken manure matches mineral P fertiliser in crop response and soil phosphorus dynamics in a wheat–canola–wheat system

2026

Journal Article

Fraction-specific pathways of sulfur cycling in agroecosystems with highly weathered soils

Zhou, Wenxiang, McKenna, Brigid A., McLaren, Timothy I., Dalal, Ram C., Bennett-Jones, Joshua and Kopittke, Peter M. (2026). Fraction-specific pathways of sulfur cycling in agroecosystems with highly weathered soils. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 405 110365, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2026.110365

Fraction-specific pathways of sulfur cycling in agroecosystems with highly weathered soils

2026

Journal Article

The chemical composition of phosphorus in a diversity of animal manures using solution 31P NMR and P K-edge XANES spectroscopy

Shome, Swarna, Kopittke, Peter M., Awale, Rakesh, Almeida Leite, Mauricio Cunha, McKenna, Brigid A., Zhou, Wenxiang and McLaren, Timothy I. (2026). The chemical composition of phosphorus in a diversity of animal manures using solution 31P NMR and P K-edge XANES spectroscopy. Geoderma, 472 117913, 117913-472. doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117913

The chemical composition of phosphorus in a diversity of animal manures using solution 31P NMR and P K-edge XANES spectroscopy

2026

Journal Article

Soil organic carbon loss in subtropical Vertisols is driven by reduced mineral association rather than changes in carbon forms

WENG, Zhe H., DALAL, Ram C., REID, Brian J., ZHU, Yongguan, MCLAREN, Timothy I., MCKENNA, Brigid A., BARNARD, Meghan, DOOLETTE, Casey L., LOMBI, Enzo, FRIEDL, Johannes and KOPITTKE, Peter M. (2026). Soil organic carbon loss in subtropical Vertisols is driven by reduced mineral association rather than changes in carbon forms. Pedosphere. doi: 10.1016/j.pedsph.2026.05.002

Soil organic carbon loss in subtropical Vertisols is driven by reduced mineral association rather than changes in carbon forms

2026

Journal Article

Gene-diet interaction amplifies toxic cadmium and lead burdens in Asian populations

Gu, Yi, Zhai, Zhi-Qiang, Kopittke, Peter M., Zhao, Fang-Jie and Wang, Peng (2026). Gene-diet interaction amplifies toxic cadmium and lead burdens in Asian populations. The Innovation 101437, 1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2026.101437

Gene-diet interaction amplifies toxic cadmium and lead burdens in Asian populations

2026

Journal Article

The hidden costs of soil degradation: Threats to global food security and planetary health

Kopittke, Peter M., McKenna, Brigid A., Sanchez, Pearl B., Gonzaga, Nelda R., Asio, Victor B., Aguila, Darryl Nelo S., Gonzaga, Apolinario B., Asio, Luz G., Timbas, Nicola Louise, Colipano, Maria Cristina L., Lina, Suzette B., Wang, Peng, Lombi, Enzo and Harper, Stephen M. (2026). The hidden costs of soil degradation: Threats to global food security and planetary health. ACS Environmental Au, 6 (4), 539-552. doi: 10.1021/acsenvironau.6c00058

The hidden costs of soil degradation: Threats to global food security and planetary health

2026

Journal Article

Reactive minerals and physicochemical protection drive soil organic carbon accumulation along a rainforest toposequence

Bennett-Jones, Joshua T., Kopittke, Peter M., Zhou, Wenxiang, Thomsen, Lars, Owen, Nicholas D. and McLaren, Timothy I. (2026). Reactive minerals and physicochemical protection drive soil organic carbon accumulation along a rainforest toposequence. Geoderma, 469 117820, 117820. doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117820

Reactive minerals and physicochemical protection drive soil organic carbon accumulation along a rainforest toposequence

2026

Journal Article

Dietary selenium from soil micronutrients and risk of incident type 2 diabetes

Wang, Fang-Fang, Sang, Miao-Miao, Lü, Qi-Xin, Gu, Yi, Wu, Tong-Zhi, Tang, Zhu, Xie, Wan-Ying, Qiu, Shan-Hu, Yuan, Yang, Zhou, Xiao-Ying, Schomburg, Lutz, Kopittke, Peter M., Shi, Xiao-Ming, Zhao, Fang-Jie, Sun, Zi-Lin and Wang, Peng (2026). Dietary selenium from soil micronutrients and risk of incident type 2 diabetes. Nature Health, 1 (5), 472-486. doi: 10.1038/s44360-026-00075-4

Dietary selenium from soil micronutrients and risk of incident type 2 diabetes

2026

Journal Article

Mapping the fertosphere's phosphorus availability distribution in a field trial using a novel diffusive gradients in thin-films (fDGT) technique

Doolette, Casey L., Smith, Euan, Tavakkoli, Ehsan, van Zwieten, Lukas, McKenna, Brigid A., Kopittke, Peter M. and Lombi, Enzo (2026). Mapping the fertosphere's phosphorus availability distribution in a field trial using a novel diffusive gradients in thin-films (fDGT) technique. SOIL, 12 (1), 253-261. doi: 10.5194/soil-12-253-2026

Mapping the fertosphere's phosphorus availability distribution in a field trial using a novel diffusive gradients in thin-films (fDGT) technique

2026

Other Outputs

Chemical speciation of SOM in Brigalow Catchment Study

Zhou, Wenxiang and Kopittke, Peter (2026). Chemical speciation of SOM in Brigalow Catchment Study. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/917e757

Chemical speciation of SOM in Brigalow Catchment Study

2025

Journal Article

Functional group composition of soil organic carbon varies between soil organic matter fractions but not with long-term cropping or soil depth

Zhou, Wenxiang, McKenna, Brigid A., Bennett-Jones, Joshua, McLaren, Timothy I., Dalal, Ram C. and Kopittke, Peter M. (2025). Functional group composition of soil organic carbon varies between soil organic matter fractions but not with long-term cropping or soil depth. Pedosphere. doi: 10.1016/j.pedsph.2025.12.006

Functional group composition of soil organic carbon varies between soil organic matter fractions but not with long-term cropping or soil depth

Current funding

  • 2026
    A century-long decrease in essential mineral nutrients in staple crops: Investigating the causes and solutions
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2026
    Sulfur cycling in a climosequence of chronosequences in Australia
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2025 - 2030
    The use of polyhalite to alleviate soil constraints and supply nutrients to crops as assessed with nuclear techniques
    International Atomic Energy Agency - Austria
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2027
    Role of nitrogen-rich compounds for increasing carbon sequestration in soil
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2028
    Enhancing soil health and climate resilience in the Northern Territory
    Climate-Smart Agriculture Program - Capacity Building
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2028
    Enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilisers in the grains industry: an opportunity to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions and increase Nitrogen Use Efficiency (GRDC funded project led by UoM)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2027
    Understanding crop development and yield responses to mitigate high soil strength in Australian soils
    GRDC - PROC-9176764 - Understanding crop development and yield responses to mitigate high soil strength in Australian soils.
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2027
    Managing heavy metals and soil contaminants in vegetable production to ensure food safety and environmental health in the Philippines
    Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2027
    Quantifying fertiliser phosphorus use efficiency in Vertosols across the Northern Region
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2026
    Using multi-element fertilisers to increase potassium availability in soil by decreasing fixation
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2026
    Investigating Phosphorus and Sulphur Speciation in a Space-for-Time Study of Land Use Change in Tropical Soils
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2026
    Temporal changes in soil organic carbon speciation following conversion from rainforest to long-term cropping in tropical climates
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2025
    Examining root distribution along fertiliser bands with co-application of potassium and phosphorus
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2025
    Factors controlling soil sulfur speciation in tropical Australia
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2025
    Improving Potassium Fertiliser Efficiency in Australian Soils
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2025
    The influence of land use on the role of phosphorus and sulfur in soil organic carbon stabilisation and persistence in a subtropical Ferrosol
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2025
    Interaction of P-S-C in soil organic matter
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2025
    Exploring the impacts of land use change on phosphorus speciation of soil organic matter fractions in sub-tropical Vertosols
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2024
    Identifying the sulfur species in the peat and humus soils of the Australian Alps
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2024
    Uni Queensland - preferred access MCT
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2024
    Sulphur speciation in rainforest, grassland, sugarcane, and banana soils from the Wet Tropics
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2024
    Effect of long-term land use management strategies on sulfur speciation in semi-arid, subtropical Australian soils
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2024
    Medicinal and culinary properties of sulfur compounds in garlic and other allium species
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2023
    Linking fertiliser phosphorus transformations to plastic plant root responses
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2023
    Linking plastic root responses to fertiliser phosphorus transformations
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2023
    Phosphorus speciation within subtropical soils with concentrated fertilizer bands
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2023
    Profiling garlic sulfur compounds in a range of cultivars and agricultural practices
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2025
    Proximal and remote sensing for low-cost soil carbon stock estimation
    Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
    Open grant
  • 2022
    Re-engineering hostile soils: legacy effect of subsoil amelioration on the persistence of soil organic carbon
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2022
    Shedding new light on chemical interactions of minerals and soil carbon from the oldest, continuous, scientific experiments in the world using synchrotron macro ATR-FTIR microspectroscopy
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2025
    Phosphorus in soil used for long-term agriculture: Increasing efficiency and food production
    Soil Science Challenge
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2024
    Accelerated tailings remediation with plant and microbial biotechnologies (ARC Linkage Project led by University of Western Australia)
    University of Western Australia
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2024
    Improving the drought resilience of Queensland cropping soils by removing barriers to the identification and management of soil constraints
    Future Drought Fund: Drought Resilient Soils and Landscapes Grants
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2023
    Resolving the effect of land use change on soil organic matter: How microscale processes contribute to improving soil health and mitigating climate change
    Universities Australia - Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2021
    Soft X-ray probing of soil organic carbon persistence in Australia
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2023
    Carbon ID: A remote sensing decision support tool to identify the impact of agricultural land management on soil carbon stock
    Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
    Open grant
  • 2021
    Shedding light on the molecular scale mechanisms of building soil carbon from the oldest, continuous agronomic experiments in the world
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2021
    Translocation of foliar Zn fertilizer: Zn speciation from leaf to seed in soybean (Glycine max)
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2021
    Discovering fundamental relationships governing soil carbon persistence on a national scale using synchrotron-based SXR-IRM
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2020
    Root distribution as influenced by soil properties and fertilisers
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2020
    Mechanism of depleted uranium migration in soils
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program (ANSTO)
    Open grant
  • 2020
    Shining a light on soil carbon functionality under long-term elevated CO2
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2024
    Contributing to grain profitability through developing capacity to use synchrotron analysis of crops and soils to overcome soil and nutritional constraints - Postdoc 3
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2019
    Examining root distribution in lare soil cores
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2025
    Soil - root interactions using intact field soil cores - Synchrotron Postdoc 1
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2019
    Cadmium distribution in rice grains: Understanding its bioavailability in human diets
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2019
    Combination of X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) and genome-wide association (GWA) mapping: Identifying genetic loci/genees responsible for spatial distribution elementals in seeds
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2019
    Trialling Cadmium XANES at XFM
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2022
    Post-doctoral Fellowship: Understanding P dynamics and bioavailability in alkaline clay soils aligned to UQ00082
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2019
    Transformation of the phosphorus fertilizers applied as highly concentrated bands in agricultural soils
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2021
    Identifying Eastern Gangetic Plains Soil Constraints
    Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
    Open grant
  • 2018
    X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (u-XRF): A high-throughput approach to screen Arabidopsis mutant libraries
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program (ANSTO)
    Open grant
  • 2018
    Understanding the pathway of Zn fertilizer movement across leaf surfaces
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2018
    Understanding the speciation of Zn in sweetcorn kernels for improving human nutrition
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2018
    The immobilisation of zinc in hardpan as an environmental remediation strategy for sulphidic zinc bearing mine tailings
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2018
    Changes in cadmium solubility and speciation induced by redox dynamics and Mn oxides in paddy soils
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program (ANSTO)
    Open grant
  • 2018
    Understanding manganese toxicity in plants - interactions between iron and manganese in leaf tissues
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program (ANSTO)
    Open grant
  • 2018
    Develop a high-throughput method to screen plant mutant libraries using synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (ì-XRF)
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program (ANSTO)
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    Economics of ameliorating soil constraints in the Northern Region: Spatial soil constraint diagnoses in the northern region (Project A)
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2019
    Advanced micro-X-ray Fluorescence facility for biological, medical, materials science and geochemistry
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2018
    Characterisation of lithium processing tailings
    Technological Resources Pty Limited
    Open grant
  • 2017
    Understanding the distribution of Zn in sweetcorn kernels for improving human nutrition
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program (ANSTO)
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2018
    The stability of sliver sulfide nanoparticles in soils: long-term transformation and effects of chloride
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program (ANSTO)
    Open grant
  • 2017
    Analysis of the distribution and translocation of foliar-applied Zn in leaf tissues
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2021
    Fertiliser form and soil interactions when applied in high concentration bands
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2017
    Understanding the mechanisms rice roots use to tolerate toxic aluminium
    International Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2017
    Salinity reduces Cd translocation in halophyte species Carpobrotus rossi
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2017
    Changes in speciation of vanadium (V) in roots and shoots of wheat and common bean during uptake and translocation
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program (ANSTO)
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Understanding the development of Mn toxicity and genotypic differences in tolerance
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program (ANSTO)
    Open grant
  • 2016
    An in situ approach to localize the uptake zones of mineral nutrients and inorganic contaminants on plant roots
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program (ANSTO)
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Understanding the speciation of aluminium in plant roots: The key to improving crop yield in acid soils
    International Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Silicon-induced alleviation of aluminium and manganese toxicity in plants - Improving productivity in acidic soils
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Sodium chloride salinity reduces Cd uptake and translocation in halophyte species Carpobrotus rossii
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Understanding the mechanisms plants use to tolerate toxic aluminium
    International Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2017
    Effects of coal seam water irrigation on soil properties
    Santos Qld Upstream Developments Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Iron (Fe) speciation in plants: improving understanding of Fe toxicity and detoxification
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2015
    The stability of silver sulfide nanoparticles in soil: Effects of redox processes, pH, and chloride
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Distribution and speciation of silver (Ag) in plants: Understanding the uptake and toxicity of silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag2S-NPs)
    International Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Alleviation of manganese toxicity in plants - Improving productivity in acidic soils (XAS)
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Transformation and stability of environmentally relevant forms of silver nanoparticles in soil over time when applied with biosolids
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    Costs of edaphic stress to the Australian grains industry
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2019
    Fate and behaviour of nanomaterials in terrestial ecosystems and ecosystem health
    CSIRO
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Alleviation of manganese toxicity in plants: Improving productivity in acidic soils
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Speciation of cadmium (Cd) in hyperaccumulators: Understanding the role of supplied nitrogen forms in Cd accumulation and transformation
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Beyond genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes: high throughput analysis of gene and protein expression and function
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2016
    GRDC soil constraints - Management of sodic and magnesic soils
    Queensland Government Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2016
    Assessing adsorption of fluoride from soil properties
    Santos Qld Upstream Developments Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    Improved management of saline and alkaline water by determining the limits for its use in overhead irrigation systems
    Santos Qld Upstream Developments Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Carbon speciation and distribution in soil micro-aggregates -Assessing the impact of land management on carbon turnover for soil microenvironments
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2014
    XANES imaging for spatially-resolved speciation of mercury in mercury-selenium contaminated soils
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Distribution of manganese in plant tissues - Elucidating tolerance mechanisms
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    Rapid assessment of the potential impacts of the overhead irrigation of saline and alkaline water on plant foliage
    Santos Qld Upstream Developments Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    Study of leaching irrigation in intact soil cores
    Santos Qld Upstream Developments Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Investigation of the potential use of bioindicators as proxy's for changes in climate and nutrient regimes in South East Queensland
    Queensland Government Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Distribution of aluminium in plant roots: Understanding its toxicity
    International Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Carbon speciation in soils - Effects on carbon turnover and carbon sequestration
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Spatially-resolved speciation of arsenic in contaminated soils: The role of Fe and organic matter in the transformation and fate of arsenic
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2018
    Tailoring physiologically-based nanomaterial fertilisers for the biofortification of Zn in broadacre crops (ARC Linkage Project administered by University of South Australia)
    University of South Australia
    Open grant
  • 2013
    Speciation and transformation of silver (Ag) in plants
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2013
    Transformation and fate of nanoparticle ZnO and ZnSe in plants
    Australian Synchrotron Access Program
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2016
    Understanding why aluminium and other trace metals are toxic to plants: The key to improving crop yield in degraded soils
    ARC Future Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Soil structural stability in a saline-sodic rainfall-irrigation system
    Santos Limited
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2015
    Understanding the movement of fluoride from soils into the broader ecosystem
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2012
    Retention of foliar-applied fluoride in forage plants - A preliminary study
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2016
    Revegetation of Moonie evaporation ponds
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2012
    Adsorption of CSG-fluoride by soils in repacked columns
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    Scanning electron microscope to house 3-Dimensional Sectioning Facility
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2015
    Feasibility study into the use of intact soil cores to investigate soil-irrigation of CSG associated water
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Feasibility into the amendment of Associated Water within soil
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2012
    Influence of salinity and sodicity on reuse of waste materials
    CRC Care Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2009
    Advanced analytical methods for measuring uptake and movement of trace metals in plant roots
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2009
    Elucidating the role of auxin in the toxicity of Al (and other metals) to plant roots
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2009
    Development of a phytotoxicity guidance document
    CRC Care Pty Ltd
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Peter Kopittke is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Phosphorus in soils: Understanding changes in speciation and availability

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Brigid McKenna, Dr Leslie Huang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding the mechanisms of general disease suppressiveness in organic fields

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Adjunct Professor Ram Dalal AM

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Exploring the influence of long-term land use change on the chemical speciation of C, S and P in SOM fractions isolated using density and physical fractionation

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Brigid McKenna, Adjunct Professor Ram Dalal AM, Honorary Professor Paul Bertsch

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The chemical composition and dynamics of organic amendments to supply phosphorus for improved crop production

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding fertiliser interactions with soil

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Brigid McKenna, Dr Leslie Huang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Mechanisms driving the persistence of soil organic matter

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Brigid McKenna, Adjunct Professor Ram Dalal AM, Dr Seweryn Bialasiewicz

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Using recycled phosphorus fertilisers to increasefarming profitability, resilience, P use efficiency, and sustainability

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Brigid McKenna, Dr Mauricio Leite

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A mechanistic view of how carbon and sulfur are sequestered in soil organic matter

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Impact of metal ions on acidic vegetable production soils.

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Stephen Harper

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Quantifying fertiliser phosphorus use efficiency in Vertosols across the Northern Region

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Mauricio Leite, Dr Vilim Filipović, Professor Michael Bell

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Optimizing Irrigation Strategies for Climate-Resilient Shallot and garlic Production

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Stephen Harper

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Relationship between Copper and Molybdenum status on vegetable production in acidic soils

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Stephen Harper

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Peter Kopittke directly for media enquiries about:

  • Acid soils
  • Agricultural food production
  • Plant nutrition
  • Soil chemistry
  • Soil Science

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au