Prof. Adrian Unc

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Agronomist, soil scientist and environmental microbiologist, Professor at the Memorial University of Newfoundland and affiliated with the McGill University. His early research, integrating microbiology with soil physics (University of Guelph, Prof. MJ Goss, and University of Ottawa, Prof. S. Sattar), was on microbial environmental quality in farming systems (crops and dairies), the transport of microbes, including putative pathogens, through soils. At the New Mexico State University (NMSU), as co-PI for NAABB , he developed a line of research on technical and decision support tools that facilitate integration of wastes of various sources to support the economical production of microalgal biomass under various conditions and for various bio-products. As founding Associate Editor for the ensuing Algal Research, he supported the journal from inception to its current Q1 status (edited >500 articles in this period). Also at NMSU, he established a soil-plant relationship program for arid land soils and crops, work with which he is still involved in the US Southwest and Middle East. This research, among others, has shown that soil and plant microbiomes are essential for plant resilience to climate stresses. More recently he established the first Canadian graduate program focused on northern agriculture (Boreal Ecosystems and Agricultural Sciences, BEAS; initially an MSc program, now expanded to add a PhD option). Currently he works on issues relevant to the fertility of northern soils, and the development of an integrated circumboreal research capacity to address the impact of climate change on northern agriculture and food security.

Research interests:

  • Northern agriculture under climate change
  • Soil and environmental health and quality
  • Re-cycling and re-valorization of organic wastes for food security and carbon sequestration
  • Microbiological drivers of soil fertility
  • Pathogens in the environment
  • Cultivation of algae for biomass and bio-products

Education:

  • BSc in Agronomy/Agricultural Engineering, Timisoara, Romania
  • MSc and PhD in Soil Science, University of Guelph
  • PDF, Centre for Research in Environmental Microbiology, University of Ottawa, Medicine

Academic history

  • Associate and Full Professor at the Memorial University of Newfoundland (2013-cont.)
  • Visiting Professor and Research Affiliate, McGill University (2017-cont.)
  • Assistant and Associate Professor, New Mexico University (2007-2013)
  • Visiting Professor at AzCATI, Arizona State University (2018)
  • Senior Cheney Fellow (School of Earth and Environment, 2014) and Visiting Researcher (School of Geography, 2015) at University of Leeds
  • Invited Associate Professor at Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (currently The King Michael the 1st University of Life Sciences), Faculty of Horticulture and Forestry, Romania (2014-2015)
  • Lecturer, University of Guelph, Kemptville Campus (2004)
  • Research Scientist, Centre for Research in Environmental Microbiology, University of Ottawa, Medicine (2003-2007)

Publications

Loops profile

Google scholar

 

Blog

07/12/2023

Pye Farm After Action Report

In the end, it took two weeks exactly to finish up the sampling at Pye Farm. The first day was scary, as I thought that I was expected to sample…

21/09/2019

Pye Farm: Sample Archive and Notes on Farm

At Pye farm, samples were taken in five blocks, four large ones (λ, θ, Π, Φ) and one small (Ω). As I sampled, I took notes on the farm fields,…

23/08/2019

Interview with Mrs. Pye, August 22, 2019

Below is an interview I had with Mrs. Pye (the surviving partner who farmed the land of Pye Farm prior to its acquisition by MUN), which gives some useful contextualization…

13/08/2019

Pye Farm: Preliminary Hypotheses and Thoughts:

Below are my initial hypotheses for the work at Pye Farm, which gives some useful contextualization for the soil sampling.

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BioSoil North

In search of food security in the boreal regions of Canada land use conversion (LUC) is used to expand agriculture into boreal forests or natural lands. LUC is strongly supported…

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Carbon in Global Boreal and Alpine Soils Under Climate Change-Driven Land Use

Hugh C. Morris Experiential Fellowship (Kimberley Foundation) The Hugh C. Morris Experiential Fellowship sends a student away from the complacency of their home institution (classroom and laboratory) to study at…

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Initial assessment of a new research farm: Pye Farm, Labrador

Labrador (the mainland portion of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador) is a sparsely populated but actively growing region of Canada. Like Yukon and northern Ontario, Labrador offers a snapshot…

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Influence of Crushed Rock on Soil Suitability for Crop Production

A fast online search for information leads to numerous non-scientific articles that tout rock and rock dust as effective soil amendments for improving soil quality, enhancing its carbon storage capacity,…

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Composting, vermicomposting

coming soon

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Environmental and Soil Health, Phosphorus Dynamics in the Soil

Phosphorus Dynamics in Boreal Podzols Converted from Forest to Agriculture Phosphorus (P) stands as a non-renewable, essential element crucial for sustaining all life forms, particularly in agriculture, where it ranks…

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Canadian Soil Biodiversity Observatory - Atlantic Provinces

AAFC has funded two projects to characterize soil biodiversity and its relationships with soil physico-chemical parameters and land use. The Atlantic provinces project is led by Dr. Louis-Pierre Comeau and…

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Biochar and Fish Waste for Soil Fertility

Farms in the northern cold-climate regions of Canada are: (1) small (<100ac) and thus not amenable to large scale farming protocols; (2) are established either on less fertile soils that…

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Soil carbon in the boreal region under climate and land use change

Vallotton, JD, Unc A. 2024. Soil Use and Management, 40, e13108. https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.13108 Abstract Carbon cycling in boreal regions is controlled naturally by fire disturbance, climate, hydrology, snowmelt, soil heterogeneity, acidity, low nitrogen and…

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Socio-ecological dynamics of diverse global permafrost-agroecosystems under environmental change

Melissa Ward Jones, Joachim Otto Habeck, Mathias Ulrich, Susan Crate, Glenna Gannon, Tobias Schwoerer, Benjamin Jones, Mikhail Kanevskiy, Prashant Baral, Amina Maharjan, Jakob Steiner, Andrew Spring, Mindy Jewell Price, David…

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Corrigendum to “A review of nematodes as biological indicators of sustainable functioning for northern soils undergoing land-use conversion” [Appl. Soil Ecol. 195 (2023) 104762]

Young EH, Unc A. 2024. Applied Soil Ecology, Pages 105208, Volume 195, March 2024, 105208 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2023.105208

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The rate dependent efficacy of biochar for crop yield and nutrition on Podzols newly converted from boreal forests

Abedin J, Unc A, 2023. Field Crops Research, 303: 109121 Context Under climate change and local and global food security pressures conversion to agricultural lands on Podzols developed under boreal forests is accelerating across the global north. After…

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Soil community catabolic profiles for a semiarid reclaimed surface coalmine

M. E. Tahtamouni, S. e. Khresat, M. Lucero, J. Sigala and A. Unc, International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment 2023 Vol. 37 Issue 5 Pages 338-354, https://doi.org/10.1080/17480930.2023.2185438 Recovery of…

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A review of nematodes as biological indicators of sustainable functioning for northern soils undergoing land-use conversion. 

Young EH, Unc A. 2023. Applied Soil Ecology, 183: 104762, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104762 Highlights Abstract Food webs and the functional status of soils are governed primarily by microbial carbon and nitrogen fluxes as determined by ecosystem…

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Microbial denitrification

M. J. Goss, S. Blagodatsky and A. Unc, In: Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment (Second Edition), edited by M. J. Goss and M. Oliver, Volume 1, 2023, Pages 261-269, Academic…

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Microbial mobility and transport in soils

M. R. Mosaddeghi, A. Unc, A. A. Mahboubi and A. Safadoust, In: Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment (Second Edition), edited by M. J. Goss and M. Oliver, Volume 1, 2023,…

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Soil respiration

J. D. Vallotton, S. Blagodatsky and A. Unc, In: Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment (Second Edition), edited by M. J. Goss and M. Oliver, Volume 1, 2023, Pages 369-378, Academic…

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Septic systems and municipal waste disposal on land

C. P. Gerba, M. J. Goss and A. Unc, In: Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment (Second Edition), edited by M. J. Goss and M. Oliver, Volume 1, 2023, Pages 567-577,…

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Impact of fertilizer source on the dynamics of carbon and nutrients in a podzol designated for land-use conversion. 

Tingskou, R., &  Unc, A. (2023).  Soil Use and Management,  39,  1491–1503. https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12906 Boreal lands have long been considered unsuitable for agriculture. Climate change projections support a shift towards increased agricultural production in boreal ecosystems via…

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Soil nematode trophic structure and biochar addition in recently converted boreal lands

E. H. Young, J. Abedin and A. Unc, Soil Research 2023 Vol. 61 Issue 5 Pages 456-467 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR22228 Context: Climate change facilitated expansion of agriculture into northern regions increases the…

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Comparison of agri-environmental phosphorus tests for boreal agricultural and natural Podzols

A. J. Kedir, D. B. McKenzie, N. Ziadi and A. Unc, Canadian Journal of Soil Science 2022 Vol. 103 Issue 1 Pages 234-248, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2022-0037 Over a dozen soil phosphorus (P)…

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Utility of wood ash, paper sludge and biochar for the mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions from acid boreal soils

A. O. Medaiyese, J. Wu and A. Unc, Journal of Environmental Management 2023 Vol. 330 Pages 117202 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117202 Land-use change in the boreal forest region leads to agriculture to be…

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A review of nematodes as biological indicators of sustainable functioning for northern soils undergoing land-use conversion

E. H. Young and A. Unc, Applied Soil Ecology 2023 Vol. 183 Pages 104762, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104762 Food webs and the functional status of soils are governed primarily by microbial carbon and…

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Ex situ soil respiration assessment using minimally disturbed microcosms and dried–sieved soils; comparison of methods to assess soil health

L.-P. Comeau, K. MacKinley, A. Unc and J. Vallotton, Canadian Journal of Soil Science 2022 Vol. 103 Issue 1 Pages 143-151, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2021-0143 Soil respiration measurements are commonly used as soil…

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The impacts of rock pulverization on soil quality and functional soil nematode and respiration properties of boreal lands converted from forest to agricultural use

E. H. Young, J. D. Vallotton, A. J. Kedir, A. O. Medaiyese, C. Goyer, L.-P. Comeau and A. Unc, Canadian Journal of Soil Science 2022 Vol. 102 Issue 4 Pages…

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Phosphorus Sorption Capacity and Its Relationships With Soil Properties Under Podzolic Soils of Atlantic Canada

Kedir AJ, Nyiraneza J, Hawboldt KA, McKenzie DB and Unc A (2022)  Front. Soil Sci. 2:931266. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoil.2022.931266 Repetitive long-term fertilizer application leads to phosphorus (P) accumulation in agricultural soils. This can…

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Editorial: Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture in the Boreal and Arctic Regions.

Unc A, Adamczyk B, Borchard N. 2022. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems; Volume 6 – 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.816726 Expansion and intensification of agriculture into the boreal and Arctic regions, while supporting diversification…

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Orchard floor management effect on soil free-living nematode communities

G. Eshel, A. Unc, R. Egozi, E. Shakartchy, T. Doniger and Y. Steinberger, Soil Research 2022 Vol. 60 Issue 3 Pages 310-319, https://doi.org/10.1071/SR21196 Context: Although both plant cover and mulch…

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Expansion of Agriculture in Northern Cold-Climate Regions: A Cross-Sectoral Perspective on Opportunities and Challenges

Unc A, Altdorff D, Abakumov E, Adl S, Baldursson S, Bechtold M, Cattani DJ, Firbank LG, Grand S, Guðjónsdóttir M, Kallenbach C, Kedir AJ, Li P, McKenzie DB, Misra D, Nagano H,…

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The utility of biochar for increasing the fertility of new agricultural lands converted from boreal forests

J. Abedin and A. Unc, Canadian Journal of Soil Science 2021 Vol. 102 Issue 1 Pages 165-176, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2021-0002 The agricultural soils of the Happy Valley-Goose Bay (HV-GB) region of Newfoundland…

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Phosphate removal from landfill leachate using ferric iron bioremediation under anaerobic condition

M. B. Farhangi, Z. Ghasemzadeh, N. Ghorbanzadeh, M. Khalilirad and A. Unc, Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management 2021 Vol. 23 Issue 4 Pages 1576-1587 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-021-01239-y Landfill leachates contain…

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Understanding soil fertility status in Newfoundland from standard farm soil tests

Kedir AJ, Mingchu Z, Unc A. 2021. Canadian Journal of Soil Science. 101(3): 517-531 https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2020-0108 Farm soil tests are common decision support tools employed by regulatory agencies and farmers to manage nutrients in…

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Effect of the biogenic precipitation of calcium carbonate on bacterial transport in sand columns

N. Ghorbanzadeh, R. Shokati, M. B. Farhangi, M. Shabanpour and A. Unc, Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology 2021 Vol. 21 Issue 2 Pages 280-291, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecohyd.2021.01.001 Prediction of bacteria transport to riparian shallow…

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Phosphorus adsorption characteristics in forested and managed podzolic soils

A. J. Kedir, J. Nyiraneza, L. Galagedara, M. Cheema, K. A. Hawboldt, D. B. McKenzie and A. Unc, Soil Science Society of America Journal 2021 Vol. 85 Issue 2 Pages…

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Agriculture in boreal and Arctic regions requires an integrated global approach for research and policy

Altdorff D, Borchard N, Young EH, Galagedara L, Quideau S, Unc A. 2021. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 41:23. doi:10.1007/s13593-021-00676-1 (link to article) Under food security concerns and accelerated global warming, northern regions are becoming new…

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Growing Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) in seawater supplemented with digestate: Trade-offs between increased salinity, nutrient and light availability

G. Markou, A. Diamantis, D. Arapoglou, D. Mitrogiannis, C. González-Fernández and A. Unc, Biochemical Engineering Journal 2021 Vol. 165 Pages 107815, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2020.107815 Utilization of digestate as a source of nutrients…

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Vineyard soil microbial community under conventional, sustainable and organic management practices in a Mediterranean climate

A. Unc, G. Eshel, G. A. Unc, T. Doniger, C. Sherman, M. Leikin and Y. Steinberger, Soil Research, 2021 Vol. 59 Issue 3 Pages 253-265, https://doi.org/10.1071/SR20152 Conventional, sustainable or organic…

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Depth Sensitivity of Apparent Magnetic Susceptibility Measurements using Multi-coil and Multi-frequency Electromagnetic Induction

K. Sadatcharam, D. Altdorff, A. Unc, M. Krishnapillai and L. Galagedara, Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics, 2020 Vol. 25 Issue 3 Pages 301-314 https://doi.org/10.32389/JEEG20-001 Apparent magnetic susceptibility (MSa) as…

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Addition of biochar to acidic boreal podzolic soils enhances micronutrient availability and crop productivity

J. Abedin and A. Unc, Open Agriculture, vol. 5, no. 1, 2020, pp. 188-201, https://doi.org/10.1515/opag-2020-0021 Results of a recent multiyear experiment conducted on an agricultural plot that was recently converted…

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Comparison of Multi-Frequency and Multi-Coil Electromagnetic Induction (EMI) for Mapping Properties in Shallow Podsolic Soils

D. Altdorff, K. Sadatcharam, A. Unc, M. Krishnapillai and L. Galagedara Sensors 2020 Vol. 20 Issue 8  DOI: 10.3390/s20082330 Electromagnetic induction (EMI) technique is an established method to measure the…

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Cultivation of Microalgae on Anaerobically Digested Agro-industrial Wastes and By-Products

G. Markou, L. Wang, J. Ye and A. Unc, In: Application of Microalgae in Wastewater Treatment: Volume 2: Biorefinery Approaches of Wastewater Treatment, edited by S. K. Gupta and F.…

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Identifying learning outcomes for a Canadian pedology field school: addressing the gap between new graduates’ skills and the needs of the current job market

J. Masse, T. Yates, M. Krzic, A. Unc, Z. C. Chen, S. Quideau, K. Hodgson, J. Warren, Canadian Journal of Soil Science 2019 Vol. 99 Issue 4 Pages 458-471, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2019-0040…

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Effect of Biochar Application Rates on the Hydraulic Properties of an Agricultural-Use Boreal Podzol

D. Altdorff, L. Galagedara, J. Abedin and A. Unc, Soil Systems 2019 Vol. 3 Issue 3, https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3030053 Boreal agriculture struggles with soils of lower agronomic value, most of which are…

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Temporal stability of soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) in managed podzols

E. Badewa, A. Unc, M. Cheema and L. Galagedara, Acta Geophysica 2019 Vol. 67 Issue 4 Pages 1107-1118, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-019-00306-1 The spatial variability in soil physical and hydraulic properties for a…

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Soil bacterial community associated with the dioecious Acanthosicyos horridus in the Namib Desert

A. Unc, G. Maggs-Kölling, E. Marais, C. Sherman, T. Doniger and Y. Steinberger, Biology and Fertility of Soils 2019 Vol. 55 Issue 4 Pages 393-403, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-019-01358-7 Plant clusters govern soil…

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Nutrient-driven algal-bacterial dynamics in semi-continuous, pilot-scale photobioreactor cultivation of Nannochloropsis salina CCMP1776 with municipal wastewater nutrients

M. Seger, A. Unc, S. R. Starkenburg, F. O. Holguin and P. J. Lammers, Algal Research 2019 Vol. 39 Pages 101457, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2019.101457 Algal cultures at production scales are de-facto xenic…

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The effect of human trampling activity on a soil microbial community at the Oulanka Natural Reserve, Finland

C. Sherman, A. Unc, T. Doniger, R. Ehrlich and Y. Steinberger, Applied Soil Ecology 2019 Vol. 135 Pages 104-112, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2018.11.013 Functional and taxonomic diversities of microbial communities in Arctic soils…

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Nontuberculous mycobacteria in the environment of Hranice Abyss, the world’s deepest flooded cave (Hranice karst, Czech Republic)

I. Pavlik, M. Gersl, M. Bartos, V. Ulmann, P. Kaucka, J. Caha, et al., Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2018 Vol. 25 Issue 24 Pages 23712-23724, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2450-z Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)…

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Improving water management in organic crop cultivation

Goss MJ, Unc A, Ehlers W. 2019. Ch. 9, In Improving organic crop cultivation, Ulrich Köpke (Ed.), Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing. (ISBN-13: 9781786761842) [link] Managing water for crop production requires capture and storage…

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Soil Moisture Mapping Using Multi-Frequency and Multi-Coil Electromagnetic Induction Sensors on Managed Podzols

E. Badewa, A. Unc, M. Cheema, V. Kavanagh and L. Galagedara, Agronomy 2018 Vol. 8 Issue 10, https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy8100224 Precision agriculture (PA) involves the management of agricultural fields including spatial information…

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Using agro-industrial wastes for the cultivation of microalgae and duckweeds: Contamination risks and biomass safety concerns

G. Markou, L. Wang, J. Ye and A. Unc, Biotechnology Advances 2018 Vol. 36 Issue 4 Pages 1238-1254, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.04.003 Aquatic organisms, such as microalgae (Chlorella, Arthrospira (Spirulina), Tetrasselmis, Dunalliela etc.)…

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Northward shift of the agricultural climate zone under 21st-century global climate change

King M, Altdorff D, Li P, Galagedara L, Holden J, Unc A. 2018. Scientific Reports 8: 7904, doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26321-8 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-26321-8 As agricultural regions are threatened by climate change, warming of high latitude regions and increasing food…

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Effect of agronomic treatments on the accuracy of soil moisture mapping by electromagnetic induction

D. Altdorff, L. Galagedara, M. Nadeem, M. Cheema and A. Unc, CATENA 2018 Vol. 164 Pages 96-106, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2017.12.036 Electromagnetic induction (EMI) is an established method for mapping field-scale soil water…

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Impact of projected land conversion on water balance of boreal soils in western Newfoundland

D. Altdorff, L. Galagedara and A. Unc, Journal of Water and Climate Change 2017 Vol. 8 Issue 4 Pages 613-626, https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2017.016 Conversion of boreal forest into agricultural land is likely…

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The influence of flint stones on a soil microbial community in the northern Negev Desert

Wasserstrom H, Ben-Ezra VE, Sherman C, Unc A, Steinberger Y. AIMS Microbiol. 2017 Jul 10;3(3):580-595. doi: 10.3934/microbiol.2017.3.580 In the Negev Desert ecosystems, flint-stone cover on slopes acts as a barrier…

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Note to Editor: Microalgae cultivation for wastewater treatment and biofuel production: a bibliographic overview of past and current trends

A. Unc, E. Monfet, A. Potter, M. A. Camargo-Valero and S. R. Smith, Algal Research 2017 Vol. 24 Pages A2-A7, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2017.05.005 Utilization of microalgae for bioremediation of wastewaters with the…

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Organic Waste in Newfoundland and Labrador: A Review of Available Agriculture, Fishery, Forestry and Municipal Waste Literature.

Butler, Lesley, Altdorff, Daniel, Young, Erika, Galagedara, Lakshman, Hawboldt, Kelly, Helleur, Robert J., Unc, Adrian (2017)  Research Report. Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador; https://www.mun.ca/harriscentre/media/production/memorial/administrative/the-harris-centre/media-library/reports/UNC_WASTE_15-16.pdf Re-­utilisation of organic waste is globally widely employed to maximize…

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Using microbial community interactions within plant microbiomes to advance an evergreen agricultural revolution

M.E. Lucero, S. DeBolt, A. Unc, A. Ruiz-Font, L.V. Reyes, R.L. McCulley, S.C. Alderman, R.D. Dinkins, J.R. Barrow and D.A. Samac. 2014. In Sustainable agroecosystems in climate change mitigation, M. Oelbermann…