Tegan Darch

Tegan is a soil and water scientist, with an interest in phosphorus cycling in both temperate agricultural and tropical forest ecosystems. Her technical and analytical skills include spectrophotometric, enzymatic and 31P-NMR analysis of samples for phosphorus, and method development of the former two procedures, as well as general soil, water and biomass analyses. She has experience at a range of experimental scales, from the laboratory and greenhouse, for example conducting plant growth trials, at the mesocosm scale, for instance conducting lysimeter experiments, to field and catchment scale research. Areas of research have included the development of techniques to measure organic P and plant available P, testing the effectiveness of a novel fertiliser for micronutrient uptake by plants, and the hydrology and nutrient flows of river catchments. Her most recent research involves increasing phosphorus use efficiency in low phosphate soils through the intercropping of plants. Specifically, trials have looked at the effect of plant phenotypes and soil phosphorus level on intercropping effectiveness, the requirement for intermingling of plant roots, and the spatial and temporal release of plant exudates.