Research interests

• Acid soil management
• Grazing management
• Crop and pasture agronomy
• Pasture species evaluation and improvement

Background

Dr Guangdi Li joined the NSW Department of Agriculture* in 1997. He has extensive research experience in Australia, China and New Zealand. Over the last 10 years, he published over 60 journal papers conference papers across a wide range of research areas in acid soil management, pasture and crop agronomy, grazing management, animal production, tillage management and soil conservation. He was the senior editor of a special issue on Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture (2008, Vol 48, Issue 4).

He is leading and involved in a number of research projects, including ACIAR funded project in Gansu, China. The long-term experiment he is running, known as MASTER (Managing Acid Soil Through Efficient Rotations), is the benchmark for managing acid soils in high rainfall regions in southern Australia. The key results from MASTER have been incorporated into several training courses, such as “Healthy Soils, Healthy Landscapes” and “Benchmarking Soil Chemistry”, “Landscan” and “Prograze” and are available as a number of Soil acidity publications. He has been actively involved in pasture species evaluation and improvement research in the CRC Salinity and CRC Future Farm Industries.

*NSW Department of Primary Industries was formed on July 1, 2004 through an amalgamation of NSW Agriculture, NSW Fisheries, State Forests of NSW and the NSW Department of Mineral Resources

Qualifications

• B.Sc. (Agric) – Gansu Agricultural University (China) 1982
• M.Sc. (Agric) – Gansu Agricultural University (China) 1985
• Ph.D Plant Science – Massey University (New Zealand) 1997

Current projects

• Developing the role for perennials in mixed-farming systems - Uniform rainfall region (Southern NSW/Northern Victoria)
• Improved perennial grass cultivars for the inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range
• Managing Acid Soils Through Efficient Rotations (long-term experiment) 
• Increasing soil carbon sequestration of NSW agricultural soils by better managing pastures

Recent Publications

Chen G, Li GD, Conyers MK, Cullis BC (2009) Long-term liming regime increases prime lamb production on acid soils. Experimental Agriculture 45, 221-234.

Li GD, Li F, Conyers M (2009) The principles and guidelines for designing long-term agronomic experiments. Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions 1, 91-97.

Niu Y, Li GD, Li L, Chan KY, Oates A (2009) Sheep camping influences soil properties and pasture production in an acidic soil of New South Wales, Australia. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 89, 235-244.

Wakelin SA, Gregg AL, Simpson RJ, Li GD, Riley IT, McKay AC (2009) Pasture management clearly affects soil microbial community structure and N-cycling bacteria. Pedobiologia 52, 237-251.

Huang GB, Zhang RZ, Li GD, Li LL, Chan KY, Heenan DP, Chen W, Unkovich MJ, Robertson MJ, Cullis BR, Bellotti WD (2008) Productivity and sustainability of a spring wheat-field pea rotation in a semi-arid environment under conventional and conservation tillage systems. Field Crops Research 107, 43-55.

Li GD, Lodge GM, Moore GA, Craig AD, Dear BS, Boschma SP, Albertsen TO, Miller SM, Harden S, Hayes RC, Hughes SJ, Snowball R, Smith AB, Cullis BC (2008) Evaluation of perennial pasture legumes and herbs to identify species with high herbage production and persistence in mixed farming zones in southern Australia. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 48, 449-466.

Zhang GS, Chan KY, Li GD, Huang GB (2008) Effect of straw and plastic film management under contrasting tillage practices on the physical properties of an erodible loess soil. Soil and Tillage Research 98, 113-119.

Dear BS, Li GD, Hayes RC, Hughes SJ, Charman N, Ballard RA (2007) Cullen australasicum (syn. Psoralea australasica): a review and some preliminary studies related to its potential as a low rainfall perennial pasture legume. The Rangeland Journal 29, 121-132.

Li FR, Li GD, Kang LF, Huang ZG, Wang Q, Liu JL (2007) Effects of a nurse shrub on seed deposition and seedling recruitment of the annual Agriophyllum squarrosum. Web Ecology 7, 94-105.

Li GD, Helyar KR, Conyers MK, Castleman LJC, Fisher RP, Poile GJ, Lisle CJ, Cullis BR, Cregan PD (2006) Pasture and sheep responses to lime application in a grazing experiment in a high-rainfall area, south-eastern Australia. II. Liveweight gain and wool production. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 57, 1057-1066.

Li GD, Helyar KR, Welham SJ, Conyers MK, Castleman LJC, Fisher RP, Evans CM, Cullis BR, Cregan PD (2006) Pasture and sheep responses to lime application in a grazing experiment in a high-rainfall area, south-eastern Australia. I. Pasture production. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 57, 1045-1055.

Li FR, Zhao LY, Zhao XY, Zhang TH, Li GD (2005) The relative importance of pre- and post-germination determinants for recruitment of an annual plant community on moving sandy land. Annals of Botany 96, 1215-1223.

Li GD, Kemp, PD (2005) Forage chicory (Cichorium intybus L.): A review of its agronomy and animal production. Advances in Agronomy 88, 187-222.

Professional associations and activities

• Adjunct Professor – Gansu Agricultural University (China)
• Adjunct Senior Lecturer - Charles Sturt University
• Australian Society of Soil Science
• American Society of Agronomy
• Grassland Society of NSW

Fields of Research

• 070302 Agronomy
• 070203 Animal Management

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

Keyword/phrase list of research interests

• Farming systems
• Acid soil management
• Crop and pasture agronomy
• Grazing management

Contact details