Dr. Zhenglin Zhang
Bio
Zhang is a climate-smart agronomist whose work contributes to increasing crop productivity with reduced environmental impact. During his PhD at UC Davis, Zhang focused on the impact that year-long fallows had on carbon-nitrogen cycling in California rice. Using robust field research, Zhang’s results contributed to the development of sustainable nitrogen fertilizer guidelines and complete year-round greenhouse gas inventories for regional emissions estimations. In addition to empirical work, Zhang has also conducted multiple systematic reviews. The most notable was the development of a new framework for carbon balance accounting in rice systems, integrating key components such as greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon change. Currently, Zhang is exploring scalable technical options to suppress methane emissions and reduce carbon footprint through alternating soil chemical conditions and atmospheric carbon capture. Together with that, he is also exploring the use of laser-based technologies for field-scale level methane flux measurements. “Feeding the world” was the promise he made at the start of his scientific journey – and one that he hopes to keep by testing bold ideas with great rigour.
Publications:
- Zhang, Z., Olk, D. C., & Linquist, B. A. (2025). Introduction of a Fallow Year to Continuous Rice Systems Enhances Crop Soil Nitrogen Uptake. European Journal of Soil Science, 76(1), e70046. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70046
- Zhang, Z., Macedo, I., Linquist, B. A., Sander, B. O., & Pittelkow, C. M. (2024). Opportunities for mitigating net system greenhouse gas emissions in Southeast Asian rice production: A systematic review. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 361, 108812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2023.108812
- Zhang, Z., & Galvin, L. (2023). Native grasses’ potential of providing ecological weed suppression in rangeland and natural areas: A scoping review. Outlook on Agriculture, 52(4), 391–398. https://doi.org/10.1177/00307270231180902