Research interests

• Impacts of recycled organics in agricultural soils
• Improving nitrogen use efficiency in agricultural systems
• Cycling of nitrogen and carbon in agricultural soils
• Relating soil morphology to soil function in agricultural soils

Background

Simon has 20 years experience in the application of soil science to a broad range of issues including soil conservation and erosion control, dryland salinity, soil structure decline, catchment planning, soil / land resource assessment, acid sulfate soils, environmental monitoring / assessment, soil acidity and soil fertility. Simon joined the department in his current position in 2002, and since then has focused on researching the beneficial use of recycled organic wastes in agriculture, as well as carrying out assessments of the environmental impacts of land applications of recycled organic wastes (effluent and solid waste) on agricultural land.  Current research is focusing on the decomposition of organic matter in land applied recycled organic wastes and the cycling of nitrogen and carbon in these amended soils. The aim of this research is to develop better methods of matching and synchronising the supply of plant available nitrogen with crop need for optimum agronomic and environmental outcomes.

Qualifications

• B.Sc. – University of Wollongong (1988)
• M.App.Sc.– University of Canberra (1997)
• Currently studying PhD (P/T) at Griffith University, Qld.

Current projects

• Plant available N from land applied RO waste
• Predicting the nitrogen supply from land applied RO waste-stage 1.
• Environmental and agronomic impacts of surface applications of granulated biosolids

Recent Publications

Eldridge SM, Chan KY, Xu ZH, Chen CR, Barchia I (2008) Plant available nitrogen supply from granulated biosolids: implications for land application guidelines. Aust. J. Soil. Res. 46, no.5 (in press).

Eldridge SM, Chan KY, Barchia I, Katupituya S, and Davis J (2007) Environmental and Agronomic impacts of surface applications of granulated biosolids to turf. Sydney Water Project No. 10008071 (Final report). 151pp.

Lawrie R and Eldridge SM (2007) The influence of soils and land use on Water Quality on the Shoalhaven Floodplain. In RJ Morrison et al. (ed) Water Quality in the Illawarra – South Coast Region of NSW. Proceedings of a Symposium held at the University of Wollongong, 7-8 June 2007.  GeoQuEST Research Centre, University of Wollongong. 205-218.

Lawrie RA and Eldridge SM (2004) The response of some New South Wales coastal floodplain soils to irrigation of high strength organic wastewaters. SuperSoil 2004, 3rd Australian New Zealand Soils Conference, Dec 5-9, 2004, University of Sydney (Proceedings CD-ROM: ISBN 1 920842 26 8)

Eldridge SM (2003) Sugar Soils: A guide to characterising Australian Sugarcane Soils. A CRC Sugar Technical Publication, CRC for Sustainable Sugar Production, Townsville, 169pp. (ISBN – 1 876679 31 X)

Professional associations and activities

• Australian Soil Science Society
• Soil Science Society of America

Fields of Research

• 050209 Natural Resource Management
• 050304 Soil chemistry 
• 050301 Carbon sequestration
• 050303 Soil biology
• 050399 Soil sciences not elsewhere classified

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

Keyword/phrase list of research interests

• Nitrogen mineralisation
• Recycled organics
• Soil organic matter
• Soil morphology
• Soil and water quality