Research interests

• Biochar as a soil amendment for multiple environmental benefits
• Soil greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation  
• Soil carbon sequestration and dynamics
  
• Partitioning of root and soil microbial respiration 

Background

Dr Bhupinderpal Singh (known as BP among colleagues in Australia) is a Senior Research Scientist at the NSW Department of Primary Industries. Dr Singh works in the New Forests group. This group quantifies environmental services from planted forests, particularly in the areas of carbon sequestration, salinity mitigation and land rehabilitation. Dr Singh's research focuses on quantifying: (i) biochar-carbon stability and greenhouse mitigation benefits of biochar application to soil; (ii) tree and soil respiration and their responses to climate change factors (such as elevated CO2, water availability); and (iii) in-situ non-CO2 (N2O, CH4) greenhouse gas emissions and their drivers, as well as soil C stock changes, during the transition from pasture to plantation forests in Australia. He is particularly interested in application of isotopes (especially ¹³C, ¹⁵N) to gain insights into soil organic C and N dynamics and belowground C cycling processes in Australian terrestrial ecosystems.

Qualification

• MSc Soil Science - Punjab Agricultural University, India (1991)
• PhD Soil Science - Massey University, New Zealand (2001)

Current projects

• Biochar carbon sequestration in Australian soils
• Land use change (pasture to pine plantation) impacts on soil carbon sequestration 
• Biochar application and nitrous oxide emissions from Australian soils     
• Quantifying tree and soil microbial respiration and their responses to land use change and climate change
  

Selected Publications

Scholarly books

Singh BP, Cowie AL, Chan KY (2011) (Eds). Soil Health and Climate Change. Soil Biology Series, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg. 403p.

Scholarly book chapters 

Singh BP, de Courcelles VdeR, Adams M (2011). Soil respiration in future climate change scenarios. In: (Singh BP, Cowie AL, Chan KY, eds.), “Soil Health and Climate Change.” Soil Biology Series, pp. 131-153, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Allen DE, Singh BP, Dalal RC (2011) Soil health indicators under climate change – a review of current knowledge. In: (Singh BP, Cowie AL, Chan KY, eds.), “Soil Health and Climate Change.” Soil Biology Series, pp. 25-45, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Waters D, Van Zwieten L, Singh BP, Downie A, Cowie AL, Lehmann J (2011). Biochars in soil for climate change mitigation and adaptation. In: (Singh BP, Cowie AL, Chan KY, eds.), “Soil Health and Climate Change.” Soil Biology Series, pp. 345-368, Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

Dalal RC, Allen DE, Chan KY, Singh BP (2011). Soil organic matter, soil health and climate change. In: (Singh BP, Cowie AL, Chan KY, eds.), “Soil Health and Climate Change.” Soil Biology Series, pp. 87-106, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Murphy BW, Packer I, Cowie AL, Singh BP (2011) Tillage and crop stubble management and soil health in a changing climate. In: (Singh BP, Cowie AL, Chan KY, eds.), “Soil Health and Climate Change.” Soil Biology Series, pp. 181-206, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg. 

Van Zwieten L, Bhupinderpal-Singh, Joseph S, Kimber S, Cowie A, Chan Y (2009). Biochar and emissions of non-CO2 greenhouse gases from soil. In: (Lehmann J, Joseph S, eds.), Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology. Earthscan UK.

Bhupinderpal-Singh, Rengel Z (2007). The Role of Crop Residues in Improving Soil Fertility. In: Nutrient Cycling in Terrestrial Ecosystems (Eds. Marschner P, Rengel Z), (Soil Biology series, Vol. 10), pp. 183214. Springer Verlag, Berlin.

Högberg P, Ekblad A, Nordgren A, Ohlsson KEA, Bhupinderpal-Singh, Högberg MN (2005). Factors determining the 13C abundance of soil respired CO2 in boreal forests. In: Stable Isotopes and Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions: Processes and Biological Controls (Eds Flanagan LB, Ehleringer JR, Pataki DE). Elsevier Academic Press (Series Physiological Ecology). p. 4768.

Högberg P, Nordgren A, Högberg MN, Ottosson-Löfvenius M, Bhupinderpal-Singh, Olsson P, Linder S (2005). Fractional contributions by autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration to soil-surface CO2 efflux in boreal forests. In: The Carbon Balance of Forest Biomes (Eds. Griffiths H, Jarvis PG), Taylor & Francis, Oxford, pp. 251-267.

Refereed journal articles

Keith A, Singh B, Singh BP (2011) Interactive priming of biochar and labile organic matter mineralization in a smectite-rich soil. Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI: 10.1021/es202186j (Accepted: 28 Sep 2011)

Singh BP, Hatton BJ, Singh B, Cowie AL, Kathuria A (2010). Influence of biochars on nitrous oxide emission and nitrogen leaching from two contrasting soils. Journal of Environmental Quality 39: 1224–1235.

Singh B, Singh BP, Cowie AL (2010). Characterisation and evaluation of biochars for their application as a soil amendment. Australian Journal of Soil Research 48: 516–525.

Namgay T, Singh B, Singh BP (2010) Influence of biochar on the availability of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn to maize (Zea mays L.). Australian Journal of Soil Research 48: 638-647.

Joseph SD, Camps-Arbestain M, Lin Y, Munroe P, Chia CH, Hook J, van Zwieten L, Kimber S, Cowie A, Singh BP, Lehmann J, Foidl N, Smernik RJ, Amonette JE (2010) An investigation into the reactions of biochar in soil. Australian Journal of Soil Research 48: 501–515.

Shi X, Li X, Long R, Singh BP, Li F (2010) Dynamics of soil organic carbon and nitrogen associated with physically-separated fractions in a grassland-cultivation sequence in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Biology and Fertility of Soils 46: 103–111.

Allen DE, Mendham DS, Bhupinderpal-Singh, Cowie A, Wang W, Dalal RC, Raison RJ (2009). Nitrous oxide and methane emissions from soil are reduced following afforestation of pasture lands in three contrasting climatic zones. Australian Journal of Soil Research 47: 443-458.

Bhupinderpal-Singh, Rengel Z, Bowden JW (2009). A quantitative size–density separation method to recover and characterise decomposing crop residues added to soil. Biology and Fertility of Soils 45: 423-434.

Högberg P, Bhupinderpal-Singh, Löfvenius MO, Nordgren A (2009). Partitioning of soil respiration into its autotrophic and heterotrophic components by means of tree-girdling in old boreal spruce forest. Forest Ecology and Management 257: 1764–1767.

Li X, Li F, Bhupinderpal-Singh, Rengel Z, Zhan Z (2007). Soil management changes organic carbon pools in alpine pastureland soils. Soil and Tillage Research 93: 186-196.

Li X, Li F, Rengel Z, Zhan Z, Bhupinderpal-Singh (2007). Soil physical properties and their relations to organic carbon pools as affected by land use in an alpine pastureland. Geoderma 139: 98-105.

Li X, Rengel Z, Mapfumo E, Bhupinderpal-Singh (2007). Increase in pH stimulates mineralization of ‘native’ organic carbon and nitrogen in naturally salt-affected sandy soils. Plant and Soil 290: 269-282.

Li X, Li F, Bhupinderpal-Singh, Cui Z, Rengel Z (2006). Decomposition of maize straw in saline soil. Biology and Fertility of Soils 42: 366–370.

Li X, Li F, Rengel Z, Bhupinderpal-Singh, Wang Z (2006). Cultivation effects on temporal changes of organic carbon and aggregate stability in desert soils of Hexi Corridor region in China. Soil and Tillage Research 91: 22–29.

Bhupinderpal-Singh, Rengel Z, Bowden JW (2006). Carbon, nitrogen and sulphur cycling following incorporation of canola residue of different sizes into a nutrient-poor sandy soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 38: 32–42.

Bhupinderpal-Singh, Hedley MJ, Saggar S (2005). In situ dynamics of recently allocated 14C in pasture soil and soil solution collected with Rhizon Soil Moisture Samplers. Australian Journal of Soil Science 43: 659-666.

Ohlsson KEA, Bhupinderpal-Singh, Holm S, Nordgren A, Lövdahl L, Högberg P (2005). Uncertainty in static closed chamber measurements of the carbon isotopic ratio of soil-respired CO2. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 37: 2273-2276.

Bhupinderpal-Singh, Hedley MJ, Saggar S (2005). Characterisation of recent root and root-released carbon by soil organic matter fractionation. European Journal of Soil Science 56: 329-341. 

Conference proceedings 

Singh BP, Blake J. Hatton, Singh B, Cowie AL (2010). The role of biochar in reducing nitrous oxide emissions and nitrogen leaching from soil. In: 19th World Congress of Soil Science, August 1-6, 2010, Brisbane, Australia.

Namgay T, Singh B, Singh BP (2010). Plant availability of arsenic and cadmium as influenced by biochar application to soil. In: 19th World Congress of Soil Science, August 1-6, 2010, Brisbane, Australia.

Singh BP, Cowie AL (2010). The mean turnover time of biochar in soil varies depending on biomass source and pyrolysis temperature. In: 19th World Congress of Soil Science, August 1-6, 2010, Brisbane, Australia.

Jindaluang W, Kheoruenromne I, Suddhiprakarn A, Singh BP, Singh B (2010). Relationships between Mineralogical Properties and Carbon and Nitrogen Retention in Upland Soils of Thailand. In: 19th World Congress of Soil Science, August 1-6, 2010, Brisbane, Australia.

Vivien de Rémy de Courcelles, Bhupinderpal-Singh, Mark Adams (2009). The influence of climate change on soil respiration from eucalyptus saligna plantation. In: Forestry: a climate of change, Thistlethwaithe, R., Lamb, D. and Haines, R. (eds). pp. 271-279. Proc. IFA Conf., Caloundra, Queensland, Australia, 6 - 10 September 2009.

Bhupinderpal-Singh, Cowie AL (2008) A novel approach, using ¹³C natural abundance, for measuring decomposition of biochars in soil. In: (Eds. LD Currie and LJ Yates) Carbon and Nutrient Management in Agriculture, Fertilizer and Lime Research Centre Workshop Proceedings, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Occas. Report no. 21, (p. 549).

Other publications

Chan KY, Cowie A, Kelly G, Singh BP, Slavich P (2008) Scoping Paper: Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Potential for Agriculture in NSW. NSW DPI Science & Research Technical paper. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/research/areas/resources-research/soils-recycled-organics/scientific-outputs/2008/soil_organic

Conference presentations  

Singh BP, Cowie AL (2011). The mean residence time of biochar carbon in soil depends on feedstock source and pyrolysis temperature. The CCRSPI Conference, Melbourne, Australia, February 15-17, 2011 (Oral presentation)

Singh BP, Poon LF, Quilty J, Matta P, Cowie A, Singh B, Adams M (2011) Quantifying the impact of conversion of pasture land to Pinus radiata plantation on soil carbon stocks and dynamics. The CCRSPI Conference, Melbourne, Australia, February 15-17, 2011 (Poster presentation).

Singh BP, Cowie AL (2011). Biochar stability and priming effect on ‘native’ soil carbon: implications for long-term soil carbon sequestration Rural Climate Change Solutions Symposium, University of New England, Armidale, May 3-4, 2011 (Oral presentation).

Quilty J, Singh BP, Matta P, Singh B, Cowie A (2011). Pinus radiata afforestation impact on soil carbon sequestration and dynamics. Rural Climate Change Solutions Symposium, University of New England, Armidale, May 3-4, 2011 (Oral presentation).

Singh BP, Cowie AL, Smernik RJ (2011) A novel 13C natural abundance approach for measuring biochar’s stability and priming effect on ‘native’ soil carbon. In: 11th Australasian Environmental Isotope and 4th Australasian Hydrogeology Research Conference, Cairns, July 12-14, 2011 (Oral presentation)

Fang YY, Singh B, Singh BP (2011) Application of depleted-13C labelling approach for quantifying biochar carbon stability in contrasting soils. In: 11th Australasian Environmental Isotope and 4th Australasian Hydrogeology Research Conference, Cairns, July 12-14, 2011 (Oral presentation)

Singh B, Singh BP, Keith, A (2011) Application of d13C technique to determine the interactive priming of biochar and labile organic matter in a clayey soil. In: 11th Australasian Environmental Isotope and 4th Australasian Hydrogeology Research Conference, Cairns, July 12-14, 2011 (Oral presentation)

Professional associations and activities

• Member of Australian Society of Soil Science
• Member of International Biochar Initiative
  
• Member of New Zealand Society of Soil Science

Fields of Research

• 050303 Soil Biology 
• 050304 Soil Chemistry 
• 070504 Forestry Management and Environment  
• 060208 Terrestrial Ecology  
• 069902 Global Change Biology

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

Keyword/phrase list of research interests

• Biochar
  
• Soil carbon
  
• Climate Change 
  
• Land use change
  
• Greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation 
• Belowground carbon cycling in forest ecosystems