Matthias Salomon

Dr Matthias Salomon

ARC Grant-Funded Researcher (A)

School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.


I am a post-doctoral researcher working on the optimization of agave production for the Australian agricultural landscape. Agaves are amazing plants as they follow an almost exponential growth trajectory over their lifespan. They can achieve high yields, even on marginal locations, which makes it an ideal candidate for Australia’s environment. Agave may be best known as a raw material for tequila, however, this plant has over 25 different commercial uses. As we learn more about agave, I hope that we can see it being grown on a larger scale throughout Australia.

I was admitted to the degree of doctor in philosophy by the University of Adelaide, after commencing my PhD in soil ecology in 2017. My thesis focuses on soil health in urban agriculture with an emphasis on beneficial microorganisms, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Recent events highlighted the susceptibility of our metropolitan centres and their reliance on external commodities. Urban agriculture is one promising method to align food production with population density and to increase urban sustainability and community resilience. My work provided quantitative data about the soil health in urban agriculture system which can be used to quantify its potential for food production. I also investigated how this production method can be optimized through incorporating arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi as a “bio-fertilizer”.

My research focuses on applied outcomes which can help tackle global issues. I truly believe that agriculture should not be part of the problem, but part of the solution.

  • Journals

    Year Citation
    2023 Bicharanloo, B., Salomon, M. J., Cavagnaro, T. R., Keitel, C., Brien, C., Jewell, N., . . . Dijkstra, F. A. (2023). Arbuscular mycorrhizae are important for phosphorus uptake and root biomass, and exudation for nitrogen uptake in tomato plants grown under variable water conditions. Plant and Soil.
    DOI
    2022 Salomon, M. J., Demarmels, R., Watts-Williams, S. J., McLaughlin, M. J., Kafle, A., Ketelsen, C., . . . van der Heijden, M. G. A. (2022). Global evaluation of commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculants under greenhouse and field conditions. Applied Soil Ecology, 169, 11 pages.
    DOI Scopus31 WoS29
    2022 Salomon, M. J., Watts-Williams, S. J., McLaughlin, M. J., & Cavagnaro, T. R. (2022). Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil health in urban agriculture. Science of the Total Environment, 805, 12 pages.
    DOI Scopus1 WoS1
    2022 Salomon, M. J., & Cavagnaro, T. R. (2022). Healthy soils: The backbone of productive, safe and sustainable urban agriculture. Journal of Cleaner Production, 341, 12 pages.
    DOI Scopus8 WoS9
    2022 Salomon, M. J., Watts-Williams, S. J., McLaughlin, M. J., Bücking, H., Singh, B. K., Hutter, I., . . . van der Heijden, M. G. A. (2022). Establishing a quality management framework for commercial inoculants containing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. iScience, 25(7), 11 pages.
    DOI Scopus5 WoS2 Europe PMC2
    2021 Salomon, M. J., Watts-Williams, S. J., McLaughlin, M. J., Brien, C. J., Jewell, N., Berger, B., & Cavagnaro, T. R. (2021). Evaluation of commercial composts and potting mixes and their ability to support arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi with maize (Zea mays) as host plant.. Waste Manag, 134, 187-196.
    DOI Scopus3 WoS2 Europe PMC1
    2020 Salomon, M. J., Watts-Williams, S. J., McLaughlin, M. J., & Cavagnaro, T. R. (2020). Urban soil health: A city-wide survey of chemical and biological properties of urban agriculture soils. Journal of Cleaner Production, 275, 11 pages.
    DOI Scopus17 WoS15 Europe PMC1
    2016 Rombach, M., Bitsch, V., Nellen, A., & Salomon, M. (2016). Dumpster diving in Germany. Acta Horticulturae, 1132(1132), 167-174.
    DOI Scopus2
  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2022 Co-Supervisor Sustainable Agriculture at Scale: biotechnology, carbon sequestration and nature capital Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Alexander Robert George Mason
  • Other Supervision Activities

    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2022 - ongoing Co-Supervisor Biotechnology for soil carbon sequestration and sustainable agriculture. University of Adelaide - Doctorate - Alexander Mason
  • Position: ARC Grant-Funded Researcher (A)
  • Phone: 83136530
  • Email: matthias.salomon@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: Waite
  • Building: Taylor (CSIRO), floor 1
  • Org Unit: Agricultural Science

Connect With Me
External Profiles