South West NRM would like to congratulate University of Western Australia Emerita Professor Lyn Abbott on her milestone achievement of 50 years in Soil Science at the university.
Friends, family, colleagues and students who have benefited from her work came together last month to celebrate Lyn’s remarkable career.
Lyn has been a pioneer for soil science and soil biology in WA. Her research has been pivotal to understanding mycorrhizal associations with plants and the effect of land management on microbe-plant relationships.
Lyn’s research has also explored the effectiveness of biological inoculums and amendments in agricultural and forestry settings.
She is recognised as a world-leading academic and science communicator and was named inaugural recipient of the prestigious General Jeffery Soil Health Award in 2021.
Lyn’s passion for educating others by engaging with farmers through workshops, trials and demonstrations has ensured her research findings haven’t stayed stuck in university laboratories, but have spilled out into the paddock, ensuring those who could benefit most from her work were able to access it.
Lyn is always quick to point out however, that while she was teaching farmers about soil biology, she was learning the most by listening to them.
Key learnings from Lyn
- Think about your farm’s limiting factors to production and then consider what amendments or management practices can help overcome those constraints;
- Trial different options on your land next to a control site to see if the amendment or management technique works.
In Lyn’s view, soil biology, chemistry and physical characteristics were so intricately connected, it was important for farmers to figure out what worked for them and their unique situation.
South West NRM is privileged to have worked with Lyn during her career.
Sustainable Agriculture Program Manager Peter Clifton said South West NRM funded a project in 2016 that looked at the impact of composted dairy manure on soil microbial communities.
She also reported on cropping trials that were funded to investigate different nutrition strategies on physical and biological soil properties.
In 2021, South West NRM also supported Lyn’s project to convert her knowledge into digital formats, including soil health animations that can be found on our YouTube Channel here.
“Lyn is always fantastic to work with,” Peter said.
“For someone of her standing, she is incredibly approachable, highly respected by farmers and natural resource managers and tireless in the way she gets around to so many events to talk about soil health.”
We thank Emerita Professor Lyn Abbott for her contribution to soil science in Western Australia.
For more resources on soil health and examples of our collaboration with Lyn over the years, visit the below sections of our website.
