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ORGILL Susan
Research interests
- Effect of management and land use on organic matter cycling and soil carbon
- Soil constraints to permanent and phase pastures
- Practical aspects of managing rhizobia and legumes and their relationships with soils
- Effect of grazing management on soil organic carbon and soil condition in the rangelands
- Monitoring soil condition in the rangelands
Background
Dr Susan Orgill has been working for NSW Department of Primary Industries as a Professional Officer (Soils) since 2005 and in her current role as a Research Officer (Soil Carbon) since 2012. Susan’s field of research relates to improved organic carbon accumulation and storage and nutrient cycling in agricultural soil, and management practices that contribute to increased economic and environmental outcomes for NSW. She completed her PhD (2016) through Charles Sturt University in which she investigated the effect of perennial pasture management on carbon accumulation in soil in southern NSW.
Susan is based at the Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute and is a motivated and enthusiastic soil researcher, with a passion for delivering industry and farm-ready research. Susan has conceived, led and collaborated on R&D projects with scientists from a range of disciplines and in a variety of agricultural systems. She regularly communicates her research findings to a diverse range of scientific, policy and practitioner audiences, and provides expert advice in forums such as the Australian Governments Soil Carbon Technical Working Group. Susan is a full member of the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation at Charles Sturt University, Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, member of the Monaro Farming Systems Technical Committee and has recently been invited to participate in an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) project in Vietnam.
Susan’s research is contributing to increases in productivity, improved resilience and sustainable use of natural resources. She is currently the Project Leader (Soils component) for the ‘Maximising access to the ERF - Rangelands Research Project’ (2016-18), and a collaborator on a number of other projects relating to soil constraints, to crop diversification and to nitrogen (N) fixation in pasture and grain legumes.
Qualifications
- B Sc. Hons – Australian National University, 2003
- PhD Soil Science – Charles Sturt University, 2016
Current projects
- Maximising access to the ERF - Rangelands Research Project
- Farm management to increase organic carbon in agricultural soil
- Practical aspects of managing rhizobia and legumes and their relationships with soils
- Crop diversification challenges in the changing environment of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam Project
Recent publications
- Orgill, S.E., Condon, J.R., Conyers, M.K., Morris, S.G., Murphy, B.W. and Greene, R.S.B. (2017). Parent material and climate influence soil organic carbon fractions under pastures in south eastern Australia. Soil Research (Online) DOI 10.1071/SR16305.
- Orgill, S.E., Condon, J.R., Kirkby, C.A., Orchard, B.A., Conyers, M.K., Greene, R.S.B. and Murphy, B.W. (2017). Soil with high organic carbon concentration continues to sequester carbon with increasing carbon inputs. Geoderma 285, 151–163.
- Orgill, S.E., Waters, C. M., Melville, G., Toole, I., Alemseged, Y. and Smith, W. (2017). Sensitivity of soil organic carbon to grazing management in the semi-arid rangelands of south-eastern Australia. The Rangeland Journal. (Online) DOI 10.1071/RJ16020.
- Orgill, S.E., Condon, J.R., Conyers, M.K., Morris, S.G., Murphy, B.W. and Greene, R.S.B. (2016). Removing grazing pressure from a native pasture decreases soil organic carbon in southern New South Wales, Australia. Land Degradation & Development. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2560
- Waters, C.M., Orgill, S.E., Melville, G.J., Toole, I.D. and Smith, W.J. (2016). Management of grazing intensity in the semi-arid rangelands of southern Australia. Effects on soil and biodiversity. Land Degradation & Development. DOI:10.1002/ldr.2602.
- Conyers, M., Liu, D. L., Kirkegaard, J., Orgill, S., Oates, A., Li, G., Poile, G. & Kirkby, C. (2015). A review of organic carbon accumulation in soils within the agricultural context of southern New South Wales, Australia. Field Crops Research, 184, 177-182.
- Waters, C.M., Melville, G.J., Orgill, S.E. and Alemseged, Y. (2015). The relationship between soil organic carbon and soil surface characteristics in the semi-arid rangelands of southern Australia. The Rangeland Journal 37(3), 297-307.
- Orgill, S.E., Condon, J.R., Conyers, M.K., Greene, R.S.B., Morris, S.G. and Murphy, B.W. (2014). Sensitivity of soil carbon to management and environmental factors within Australian perennial pasture systems. Geoderma 214–215, 70-79.
Professional associations and activities
- Australian Society of Soil Science
- National Soil Carbon Technical Working Group
- Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation at Charles Sturt University
- Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University
Fields of research
- 050304 Soil Chemistry
- 050301 Carbon Sequestration Science
- 050399 Soil Sciences not elsewhere classified
- 050209 Natural Resource Management
Keyword/phrase list of research interests
- Soil carbon
- Nutrient cycling
- Nitrogen fixation, rhizobia and legumes
- Soil acidity
- Rangelands soil health
- Soil erosion
Contact
Email: susan.orgill@dpi.nsw.gov.au
