Applied Research and Method Development

The strategic objective of the Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition (SWMCN) Subprogramme is to develop and promote the adoption of nuclear-based technologies for optimising soil, water and nutrient management practices to enhance sustainable agricultural production and to conserve natural resources in Member States. To achieve this strategic objective, the SWMCN Subprogramme places a major emphasis on applied research and method development activities through the implementation of coordinated research projects and the provision of training, research and supportive services at the Soil Science Laboratory of the Soil Science Unit.

Coordinated Research Projects

The SWMCN Subprogramme involves in the development, formulation and coordination of Co-ordinated Research Projects (CRPs), which bring together more than 150 research institutes in both developing and developed Member States to collaborate on research topics of common interests. Each CRP is a network of 10-15 national research institutes from developing (contract holders) and developed Member States including the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR Centres) as agreement holders. On average, there are 5 CRPs in the SWMCN Subprogramme per year. Each CRP commonly lasts for five to six years, during which normally four Research Coordination Meetings (RCMs) are held to evaluate the progress made and to coordinate future research activities.

Nuclear-based techniques (stable and radioactive isotopes, neutron moisture and gamma density probes) are used in these CRPs. They provide unique and quantitative data on nutrient and water dynamics in the soil-plant system, and therefore, essential or value-added information for (i) identifying major constraints in soil fertility, soil quality, land productivity, crop water productivity and water use efficiency and (ii) assessing the value of the interventions (improved land and water management practices) to alleviate these constraints with the ultimate goal of sustainable agriculture.

Results of research activities within each CRP are disseminated to all Member States through national, international and IAEA and FAO scientific and technical publications. The CRPs are complementary to the Agency's Technical Cooperation Projects (TCPs), with the knowledge gained via CRPs used to enhance the quality of TCPs.

Information on the IAEA Coordinated Research Programme and how to apply to research contracts and research agreements can be found at http://www-crp.iaea.org/.

Information of current and previous CRPs can be found: here.

Soil Science Laboratory

The Soil Science Unit (SSU) of the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, which is located at Seibersdorf, 35 km south of Vienna, plays a key role in the implementation of the Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition Subprogramme. The SSU assists in the development and transfer of nuclear techniques to Member States with the main objective of adopting these techniques for optimising soil, water and nutrient management practices in agricultural production systems.

The SSU provides a broad range of following services:

Soil Science Laboratory Link