Claudia grew up in Brazil and developed an interest in soil and climate after a frost destroyed many of the coffee plantations in her region. The plantations were replaced with annual crops such as soybeans and corn, and that brought with it a lot of soil erosion. Her first summer job as a student working with a researcher on no-till and cover crops furthered her interest in soil and ways of managing it. The experience also sparked an interest in agriculture. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she took a research position in Germany looking at soil erosion, which inspired her to eventually pursue graduate research. Today, she is a world-renowned environmental science researcher focusing on the mitigation of greenhouse gases emitted by agricultural production systems.


Claudia Wagner-Riddle
Projects:
The Soil Microbiome: Linking Soil Biodiversity to Soil Health and Ecosystem Services
Understanding the microbial world in the soil is key to finding sustainable agricultural practices that work to protect the environment. Using a unique approach that combines the disciplines of soil science and molecular biology, we are able to quantif …
ACTIVE
Publications:
Crop rotations differ in soil carbon stabilization efficiency, but the response to quality of structural plant inputs is ambiguous
This study set out to evaluate crop rotation diversity, perenniality, carbon inputs, and carbon input quality as predictors of soil organic carbon concentration and aggregate size.
Tracing crop residue N into subsequent crops: Insight from long-term crop rotations that vary in diversity
News:
Nitrogen inhibitors reduced N2O emissions without permanently changing soil microbial communities
Mica Tosi, Shannon Brown, Pedro Ferrari Machado, Claudia Wagner-Riddle, and Kari Dunfield. 2020. Short-term response of soil N-cycling genes and …
Focus on continuous living cover, not adding more crops to rotation, to see soil carbon gains
Alison King, Katelyn Congreves, Bill Deen, Kari Dunfield, Myna Simpson, Paul Voroney, and Claudia Wagner-Riddle. 2020. Crop rotations differ in …
- cwagnerr@uoguelph.ca
- https://claudiawagnerriddle.uoguelph.ca/
- UoGAgMet
An impressive collection of influential climate researchers – congratulations to Claudia for making the list! https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/climate-change-scientists-list/
#Soil is already doing a lot for us and growing our food is at the top of the list. But on @UofGuelphOAC’s The Why & How Podcast, researchers @UoGAgMet and Kean Gao explain how soil also plays a role in climate change mitigation.
🎙 https://soundcloud.com/why-and-how-podcast/episode-12-how-does-soil #CdnSoilWeek21