
Associate Professor Matthew Denton
Associate Prof/Reader
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I am an Associate Professor of Agronomy. In my group we ask questions related to how plants interact with nutrients and microbes in soils and how we can optimise these interactions to create productive crops and improve food security. I lead multi-disciplinary, multi-country research projects. My major research investigates plant-soil-microbe interactions to improve productivity in farming systems. I have a particular focus on legume crops and pastures but have broad interests in improving farming systems productivity in both developed and developing countries. In addition to my research, I am a Postgraduate Coordinator and am passionate about educating the next generation of agricultural scientists.
- My Research
- Career
- Publications
- Grants and Funding
- Teaching
- Supervision
- Professional Activities
- Contact
Research
I lead several multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional projects related to enhancing farming systems productivity through improving crop, soil and microbial interactions. I am Director of the China-Australia Joint Laboratory for Soil Ecological Health and Remediation, supported by Shandong Academy of Sciences, Qilu University of Technology, the Department of Trade, Tourism and Investment of the South Australian Government, and The University of Adelaide, which enhances agricultural productivity through improved plant microbial management. I am a Chief Investigator of the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Research Hub 'Legumes for Sustainable Agriculture' which improves legume abiotic stress and nitrogen fixation, a project co-funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). I lead an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) project 'Management Practices for Profitable Crop-Livestock Systems in Cambodia and Lao PDR' which improves the integration of crop and livestock systems for some of the poorest farmers in SE Asia. I lead Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) projects to enhance legume productivity through improved inoculants and to provide farmers with improved management of nitrogen fertilisers. I have previously led projects in Myanmar and the Middle East.
Collaborations
In these projects I collaborate broadly with SARDI, CSIRO, University of Sydney, Murdoch University, University of Western Australia, Australian National University, University of Melbourne, DPIRD and others. Internationally, I collaborate with University of California Davis (UCD), Wageningen University and Research (WUR), Shandong Academy of Sciences, Qilu University of Technology (China), Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Royal University of Agriculture (Cambodia), National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (Laos).
Current projects include:
- China-Australia Joint Laboratory for Soil Ecological Health and Remediation, funded through Shandong Academy of Sciences, Qilu University of Technology, The the Department of Trade, Tourism and Investment of the South Australian Government, and The University of Adelaide
- Australian Research Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation Research Hub on Improving nitrogen fixation in legumes by understanding interactions among legumes, rhizobia and the soil microbiome, co-funded by GRDC - see http://www.legumehub.com/
- Improving nitrogen fertiliser decision-making by Australian farmers (GRDC) https://grdc.com.au/a-nitrogen-reference-manual-for-the-southern-cropping-region
- Enhancing profits of small-holder farmers in Cambodia and Laos through increased crop / livestock integration (ACIAR) - see https://www.aciar.gov.au/project/SMCN-2012-075 and previously https://www.aciar.gov.au/project/SMCN-2014-014
- Increasing productivity in legume-based farming systems in Myanmar (ACIAR) - see https://www.aciar.gov.au/project/SMCN-2011-047
- Improved farmer knowledge of nitrogen fixation by legume crops and pastures in Australia (GRDC) - resources on nodulation of legumes
PhD Scholarships
Domestic
University scholarships for Australian students are known as Australian Postgraduate Awards (APA). These scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and in designated areas of research strength within the University. If a student does not secure an APA, then the School of Physical Sciences considers the option of divisional scholarships (based on academic merit and budget limits). The University also offers a range of Scholarships for international students.
Application involves filling in the "application form for admission/scholarship".
When applying for domestic scholarships please remember to tick both the APA and Divisional box. After the closing date, the Graduate Centre will forward your application to the School to consider. If an APA is not awarded then the school will consider offering a divisional scholarship. Further details can be found at the scholarship websites http://www.adelaide.edu.au/scholarships/
International
International scholarships at the University of Adelaide are very competitive. Prospective PhD students who are highly motivated and have recognised English language skills (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/graduatecentre/forms/admission/docs/hdr-english-language-requirements-2017-2018.pdf), previous research experience and publications in internationally refereed journals should contact me to ensure that there are overlapping interests and availability for supervision. Further information on international PhD scholarships can be found here: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/graduatecentre/scholarships/research-international/opportunities/
Postdoctoral Positions
For general postdoctoral scholarship applications see: Australian Research Council (ARC) http://www.arc.gov.au/
China - http://www.csc.edu.cn
Germany - http://www.daad.de
USA - http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5179&org=OISE&from=fund
EU residents - http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/fp6/mariecurie-actions/action/fellow_en.html
Japan - http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-pd/ab.htm
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2018 - ongoing Associate Professor University of Adelaide 2018 - ongoing Director, China Australia Joint Laboratory for Soil Ecological Health and Remediation Shandong Academy of Sciences 2017 - ongoing Visiting Professor Shandong Academy of Sciences 2014 - 2018 Senior Lecturer University of Adelaide 2010 - 2014 Lecturer University of Adelaide 2006 - 2010 Senior Research Scientist Department of Primary Industries, Victoria 2002 - 2006 Postdoctoral Scientist and Lecturer University of Western Australia 2000 - 2002 Postdoctoral Scientist University of Minnesota -
Postgraduate Training
Date Title Institution Country PhD University of Adelaide Australia Graduate Certificate in Education (Higher Education) The University of Adelaide Australia -
Research Interests
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Journals
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Books
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Book Chapters
Year Citation 1999 Denton, M. D., ganf, G., & atwell, B. (1999). Plants in Action. In B. J. Atwell, P. E. Kriedemann, & C. G. N. Turnbull (Eds.), Plants in Action (pp. 664 pages). Macmillan Education AU. 1994 Denton, M. D., & ganf, G. (1994). Plants and Processes in Wetlands. In M. A. Brock, P. I. Boon, & A. Grant (Eds.), Plants and Processes in Wetlands (pp. 196 pages). CSIRO Publishing. -
Conference Papers
Year Citation 2019 Zhou, Y., Denton, M., Coventry, D., & Vadakattu, G. (2019). Development of the rhizosphere microbiome is dependent on root age and the preceding detritusphere. In Rhizosphere 5. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. 2014 Denton, M. D., & Ryder, M. (2014). A national survey of farmers in Australia to understand rhizobial inoculant use for pulse and pasture legumes. In International Food Legume Research Conference and Interantional Conference on Legume Genomics and Genetics. Saskatoon, Canada. 2014 Zhou, Y., & Denton, M. D. (2014). Root distortion and development of wheat under different cropping systems. In 7th International Symposium on Root Development. Germany. 2014 Peoples, M., Watson, L., Swan, T., Hunt, J., Hayes, R., Li, G., . . . Midwood, J. (2014). Comparative inputs of fixed N by different crop and pasture legumes in south-eastern Australia. In 17th Australian Nitrogen Fixation Conference. Adelaide. 2014 Ryder, M., Seymour, N., Ballard, N., Denton, M. D., & Ballard, R. (2014). A national survey of legume growers: current knowledge and Rhizobium
inoculation practice. In Proceedings of the 17th Australian Nitrogen Fixation Conference (pp. 88-89). Adelaide, Australia.2013 Ballard, R., Drew, L., Denton, M. D., Ryder, M., Deaker, R., Jones, S., . . . Herridge, D. (2013). Optimising legume N2-fixation: an overview of the Australian Nitrogen Fixation Program. In Pulse Breeding Australia Conference. Adelaide. 2012 Peoples, M., swan, T., Watson, L., Hunt, J., Kirkegaard, J., Pearce, D., . . . Breust, P. (2012). Break crops – New focus leading to better crop sequences. In GRDC updates. Ballarat and Narrandera. 2010 Denton, M., & Peoples, M. (2010). The importance of inoculant type or application rate for nitrogen fixation by grain legumes in cropping systems of south-eastern Australia. In Proceedings of the 15th Australian Agronomy Conference (pp. 1-6). Online: Australian Society of Agronomy. 2009 Humphries, A., Ballard, R., Charman, N., Venkatanagappa, S., Denton, M., Marshall, E., . . . Auricht, G. (2009). Developing lucerne and rhizobia with improved tolerance to acidic soils: a novel approach. In Australasian Plant Breeding Conference / SABRAO Conference (pp. 0 pages). Cairns, Australia. 2008 Ryan, M., Bennett, R., Denton, M., Hughes, S., Mitchell, M., Carmody, B., . . . Snowball, R. (2008). Searching for native perennial legumes with pasture potential. In Proceedings of the 14th Australian Agronomy Conference (pp. 1-6). Online: Australian Society of Agronomy. -
Report for External Bodies
Year Citation 2014 Ryder, M., & Denton, M. D. (2014). Maximising the nitrogen benefits from legumes through better inoculation with rhizobia. 2014 Ryder, M., Denton, M. D., & Ballard, R. (2014). Maximising the nitrogen (N) benefits from rhizobial inoculation. 2012 Drew, E., Herridge, D., Ballard, R., O'Hara, G., Deaker, R., Denton, M. D., . . . Ballard, N. (2012). Inoculating legumes: a practical guide. Grains Research and Development Corporation. 2012 Peoples, M., Swan, T., Watson, L., Pearce, D., Phillips, L., & Denton, M. D. (2012). Rhizobial inoculation can boost crop performance.
Source |
Project |
Chief Investigators |
Period |
Funding |
Crawford |
Rhizobiology training workshop in Yezin, Myanmar |
Denton, Gemell, Hartley |
2017 |
$12,000 |
Crawford |
Training extension agents and researchers in evaluation of agricultural innovations in Laos and Cambodia |
Denton, Monjardino, Kuehne, Philp |
2016 |
$12,000 |
ARC |
Kaiser, Trethowan, Mathesius, Colmer, Day, Denton, Adams, Barbour, Smith, Merchant, Bramley, Deaker, Young, Sutton, Bird, Ogbonnaya |
2016 - 2021 |
$14,015,267 |
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ACIAR |
Management Practices for Profitable Crop-Livestock Systems in Cambodia and Lao PDR |
Denton, Bell, Phimphachanhvongsod, Sengxua, Sihathep, Vang, Seng |
2016 - 2020 |
$1,900,000 |
GRDC |
Managing legume and fertiliser nitrogen for the southern region |
Denton, Unkovich, Herridge, Long, Zhou, McDonald, McNeill |
2016 - 2018 |
$329,366 |
ACIAR |
Denton, Bell |
2014 |
$85,525 |
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ACIAR |
Increasing productivity of legume-based farming systems in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar |
Herridge, Denton, Gaur, Guppy, Birchall, Oo, Yi, Myint |
2011 - 2018 |
$2,500,000 |
G08/DAAD |
Nitrogen fixation efficiency in the Medicago truncatula – Sinorhizobium symbiosis |
Denton |
2013 - 2014 |
$13,500 |
ACIAR |
Development of conservation cropping systems in the drylands of northern Iraq |
Loss, Siddique, Denton, Saliem, Rijabo, AlTak, Jasm |
2013 - 2015 |
$10,947,484 |
GRDC |
Extension of the Nitrogen Fixation Program |
Denton, Ballard |
2012 - 2017 |
$750,000 |
GRDC |
Optimising Nitrogen Fixation in Pulse Systems |
Ballard, Denton |
2012 - 2017 |
$350,000 |
I teach into courses within the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine and the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. I am a passionate teacher and aim to provide students with a solid basis in agricultural sciences. I hold a graduate certificate in Education (Higher Education).
Some of the courses that I currently teach into are:
Agricultural Systems 1: lecturing and tutorials and practicals.
Agricultural Production 1: Coordination and lecturing, tutorials and practicals.
Crop and Pasture Production II: lecturing, tutorials and practicals.
Foundations in Plant Science II: lecturing
Livestock Production Science II: lecturing and practicals.
Soil and Plant Nutrition III: tutorial and practical.
Farming Systems in Developing Countries (MSc coursework): Coordination and tutorials.
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Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name 2022 Principal Supervisor Sustainable Intensification Options in Climate-Smart Maize Legume Cropping Systems Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Donald Siyeni 2022 Co-Supervisor The ecophysiology of faba bean adaptation and yield determination Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr James Benjamin Manson 2022 Co-Supervisor Soil Microbiome Diversity in Agricultural Environments with Different Cropping Managements Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Miss Chang Xu 2019 Principal Supervisor Nutrient Dynamics in Intercropping Systems Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Alyce Hayes Dowling 2019 Principal Supervisor Effect of Acetolactate Synthase Inhibiting Herbicide Residues on Soil Microbial Communities Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Bernard Brian Dzoma 2019 Principal Supervisor Genetic Control and Environmental Modulation of Nitrogen Fixation in Chickpea Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Nasir Iqbal 2018 Principal Supervisor Engaging youth in agricultural entrepreneurship in Laos Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Manithaythip Thephavanh 2017 Principal Supervisor The Adaptation of Tropical Perennial Grasses to Abiotic Constraints in Sandy Soils Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Chanthy Huot 2017 Principal Supervisor Physiological and Genetic Characterization of Chickpea Rhizobia Isolated from Australian and Myanmar Soils Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Myint Zaw -
Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name 2017 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Enhancing the chickpea-Mesorhizobium symbiosis using beneficial rhizobacteria Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time APrf Anteneh Argaw Alemneh 2017 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Farmers’ Motivation and Biophysical Impact of using Cordia africana and Albizia coriaria on Coffee-Bean Intercrops in the Mt Elgon Region (Uganda) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Joel Buyinza 2014 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Mechanisms contributing to wheat and maize yield under no-till, stubble retention and nitrogen fertilization in contrasting environments Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Onesmus Musembi Kitonyo 2014 - 2016 Principal Supervisor The Influence of Temperature on Emissions of Nitrous Oxide and Dinitrogen from Soils Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Thang Viet Lai 2013 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Investigating the potential for bradyrhizobia and phosphate solubilising microorganisms to improve soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) production in acid soils in Ethiopia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Daniel Muleta Fana
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Board Memberships
Date Role Board name Institution name Country 2017 - ongoing Board Member Board of the AW Howard Memorial Trust AW Howard Memorial Trust Australia 2017 - ongoing Board Member Management Committee of the AW Howard Memorial Trust AW Howard Memorial Trust Incorporated Australia -
Committee Memberships
Date Role Committee Institution Country 2012 - ongoing Member Postgraduate Committee The University of Adelaide Australia 2012 - ongoing Member Health, Safety and wellbeing The University of Adelaide Australia -
Memberships
Date Role Membership Country 2007 - ongoing Member American Society of Agronomy United States 2007 - ongoing Member Soil Science Society of America United States 1996 - ongoing Chair Australian Society for Nitrogen Fixation Australia 1996 - ongoing Member Australian Society of Agronomy Australia -
Consulting/Advisories
Date Institution Department Organisation Type Country 2016 - ongoing Steering Committee Chair, ACIAR forage options project Scientific research Australia 2015 - ongoing ARC Legumes for Sustainable Agriculture Advisory panel Scientific research Australia 2011 - 2014 ICARDA advisory board for ACIAR Conservation Agriculture project Scientific research Jordan 2006 - ongoing National Rhizobium Steering Committee - Scientific research Australia -
Editorial Boards
Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country 2017 - ongoing Associate Editor Crop and Pasture Science Australia 2017 - ongoing Consulting Editor Plant and Soil Netherlands
Connect With Me
External Profiles