Arkansas Soil Scientist Receives Prestigious IPNI Science Award

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Andrew N. Sharpley, professor of crop, soil and environmental sciences

FAYETEVILLE, Ark. – The International Plant Nutrition Institute recently announced that it has named professor Andrew N. Sharpley as the winner of the 2010 IPNI Science Award.

Sharpley is a professor of crop, soil and environmental sciences in the statewide University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. He received a monetary award of $5,000.

“Dr. Sharpley provides international leadership in determining the fate and transport of phosphorus in agricultural systems and its environmental impact. He led development and refinement of a phosphorus index to identify agricultural fields at greatest risk for nutrient loss and needing remediation,” said Terry L. Roberts, president of International Plant Nutrition Institute.

“His distinguished career has been dedicated to improved nutrient management with the goal of sustaining ecologically intensive cropping while protecting water quality,” Roberts said.

Sharpley is co-director of the Division of Agriculture’s Watershed Research and Education Center in Fayetteville and co-chair of the Division’s statewide Environmental Task Force.

The phosphorus index facilitates interactions between farm planners and farmers, elucidates the water quality implications of management decisions and helps identify alternative management options for farmers, Roberts said. His research demonstrated that effective strategies of fertilizer, manure and tillage use can achieve production goals and protect water quality, Roberts added.

Born in Manchester, England, Sharpley received his bachelor's degree from the University of North Wales in 1973. He went on to earn his doctorate in soil science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, in 1977.

Sharpley joined the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture in 2006. From 1995 to 2006, he was a soil scientist with U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service at University Park, Penn., and adjunct professor at Pennsylvania State University. From 1985 to 1995, he was a soil scientist with USDA-ARS at Durant, Okla.

Sharpley is a 2008 inductee of the USDA-ARS Hall of Fame, “For pioneering nutrient research leading to the development of agricultural management practices and strategies that are used nationally and internationally to protect water quality.” He is also a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America.

More information on the 2011 IPNI Science Award are online: http://www.ipni.net/awards.