Mervin St. Luce, Ph.D.

Research Scientist

My research program aims to enhance agricultural productivity through the development of sustainable and resilient cropping systems, development of best management practices to improve soil health and nutrient use efficiency, particularly nitrogen, and the development of science-based decision support tools.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

1 Airport Road, Swift Current, Saskatchewan

Current research and/or projects

Improving nitrogen use efficiency and soil sustainability in canola production across Canada.
Optimizing systems productivity, resilience and sustainability in the major Canadian ecozones.
Identifying agronomic and environmental benefits/drawbacks of diverse crops in cereal/canola/pulse crop rotations on the semi-arid Canadian prairies.
Use of legume crops to enhance N use efficiency, carbon sequestration, soil health and soil biodiversity in three ecoregions chosen to represent the different climatic conditions of Canada.
Old plots, new hypotheses: Toward a revitalized AAFC long-term agroecosystem (LTAE) network.
Diversified cropping systems strategies to improve sustainability and organic crop production in the Brown soil zone.
Understanding the role of the soil microbiome in promoting resilient and sustainable agroecosystems.
Inferring the influence of agricultural management and other human activities on soil constituents relevant to soil health and function.

Professional activities / interests

Scientific research

Education and awards

B.Sc. (Hons.) General Agriculture, The University of the West Indies, 2003
M.Phil. Soil Science, The University of the West Indies, 2010
Ph.D. Soil Science, McGill University, 2013

Additional links

ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mervin_St_Luce2

Google Scholar ‪Mervin St. Luce, Research Scientist‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬

Key publications

https://agbio.usask.ca/soilsncrops/
2024 - View publication details
2022. Kubota, H., Liu, K., Tedla, H.A., Curtis, T., Entz, M., Khakbazan, M., Larney, F., Lemke, R., Lupwayi, N., Kapiniak, A., Peng, G., Ramirez, G.H., Semach, G., St.Luce, M., Strydhorst, S., Tidemann, B., Gan, Y. Evaluating cropping systems for productivity, sustainability, and resilience in Northern Alberta. 2022 Beaverlodge Research Farm Spring Seminars held using MS Teams on April 1, 2022, and organized by J. Otani at Beaverlodge, Alberta.
2022 - View publication details
2022. Kubota, H., Liu, K., Tedla, H.A., Curtis, T., Entz, M., Khakbazan, M., Larney, F., Lemke, R., Lupwayi, N., Kapiniak, A., Peng, G., Ramirez, G.H., Semach, G., St.Luce, M., Strydhorst, S., Tidemann, B., Gan, Y. Balancing sustainability and profitability: the role of crop varieties and crop rotations. 2022 Mackenzie Applied Research Association Seminars held using Zoom on February 17, 2022.
2022 - View publication details
Kröbel, R., Stephens, E.C., Gorzelak, M.A., Thivierge, M.N., Akhter, F., Nyiraneza, J., Singer, S.D., Geddes, C.M., Glenn, A.J., Devillers, N., Alemu, A.W., St. Luce, M., Giardetti, D. (2021). Making farming more sustainable by helping farmers to decide rather than telling them what to do. Environmental Research Letters, [online] 16(5), http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abef30
2021 - View publication details
Fan, J., McConkey, B.G., St. Luce, M., Brandt, K. (2020). Rotational benefit of pulse crop with no-till increase over time in a semiarid climate. European Journal of Agronomy, [online] 121 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2020.126155
2020 - View publication details
Smith, W., Grant, B., Qi, Z., He, W., Qian, B., Jing, Q., VanderZaag, A., Drury, C.F., St. Luce, M., Wagner-Riddle, C. (2020). Towards an improved methodology for modelling climate change impacts on cropping systems in cool climates. Science of the Total Environment, [online] 728 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138845
2020 - View publication details
Smith, W., B. Grant, Z. Qi, W. He, B. Qian, Q. Jing, A. VanderZaag, C.F. Drury, M. St Luce, and Claudia Wagner-Riddlee. Towards an improved methodology for modelling climate change impacts on cropping systems. The 54th Congress of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS), Virtual session, May 27, 2020.
2020 - View publication details
St. Luce, M., Lemke, R., Gan, Y., McConkey, B., May, W., Campbell, C., Zentner, R., Wang, H., Kroebel, R., Fernandez, M., Brandt, K. (2020). Diversifying cropping systems enhances productivity, stability, and nitrogen use efficiency. Agronomy Journal, [online] 112(3), 1517-1536. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20162
2020 - View publication details
Wood, S., Seguin, P., Tremblay, G.F., Bélanger, G., Lajeunesse, J., Martel, H., Berthiaume, R., St. Luce, M., Claessens, A. (2019). Predicting pre-harvest forage nutritive value of spring and summer growth of alfalfa–grass mixtures. Agronomy Journal, [online] 111(6), 3172-3181. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj2019.03.0199
2019 - View publication details
Maillard, É., McConkey, B.G., St. Luce, M., Angers, D.A., Fan, J. (2018). Crop rotation, tillage system, and precipitation regime effects on soil carbon stocks over 1 to 30 years in Saskatchewan, Canada. Soil & Tillage Research, [online] 177 97-104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2017.12.001
2018 - View publication details
Khakbazan, M., Grant, C.A., Huang, J., Zhong, C., Smith, E.G., O’Donovan, J.T., Mohz, R.M., Blackshaw, R.E., Harker, K.N., Lafond, G.P., Johnson, E.N., May, W.E., Turkington, T.K., Gan, Y., Lupwayi, N.Z., St. Luce, M. (2018). Economic impact of residual Nitrogen and preceding crops on wheat and canola. Agronomy Journal, [online] 110(1), 339-348. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj2017.08.0489
2018 - View publication details
St. Luce, M., Ziadi, N., Gagnon, B., Lévesque, V. (2017). Prediction of total carbon, total nitrogen, and pH of organic materials using visible near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, [online] 98(1), 175-179. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2017-0109
2017 - View publication details
St. Luce, M., Gouveia, G.G., Eudoxie, G.D. (2017). Comparative effects of food processing liquid slurry and inorganic fertilizers on tanner grass (Brachiaria arrecta) pasture: grass yield, crude protein and P levels and residual soil N and P. Grass and Forage Science, [online] 72(3), 401-413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gfs.12240
2017 - View publication details
St. Luce, M., Ziadi, N., Gagnon, B., Karam, A. (2017). Visible near infrared reflectance spectroscopy prediction of soil heavy metal concentrations in paper mill biosolid- and liming by-product-amended agricultural soils. Geoderma, [online] 288 23-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.10.037
2017 - View publication details
Grant, C.A., O'Donovan, J.T., Blackshaw, R.E., Harker, K.N., Johnson, E.N., Gan, Y., Lafond, G.P., May, W.E., Turkington, T.K., Lupwayi, N.Z., McLaren, D.L., Zebarth, B., Khakbazan, M., St. Luce, M., Ramnarine, R. (2016). Residual effects of preceding crops and nitrogen fertilizer on yield and crop and soil N dynamics of spring wheat and canola in varying environments on the Canadian prairies. Field Crops Research, [online] 192 86-102. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2016.04.019
2016 - View publication details
St. Luce, M., Grant, C.A., Ziadi, N., Zebarth, B.J., O'Donovan, J.T., Blackshaw, R.E., Harker, K.N., Johnson, E.N., Gan, Y., Lafond, G.P., May, W.E., Malhi, S.S., Turkington, T.K., Lupwayi, N.Z., McLaren, D.L. (2016). Preceding crops and nitrogen fertilization influence soil nitrogen cycling in no-till canola and wheat cropping systems. Field Crops Research, [online] 191 20-32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2016.02.014
2016 - View publication details
St. Luce, M., Whalen, J.K., Ziadi, N., Zebarth, B.J. (2016). Net nitrogen mineralization enhanced with the addition of nitrogen-rich particulate organic matter. Geoderma, [online] 262 112-118. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2015.08.017
2016 - View publication details
Cambouris, A.N., St. Luce, M., Zebarth, B.J., Ziadi, N., Grant, C.A., Perron, I. (2016). Potato response to nitrogen sources and rates in an irrigated sandy soil. Agronomy Journal, [online] 108(1), 391-401. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj2015.0351
2016 - View publication details
St. Luce, M., Grant, C.A., Zebarth, B.J., Ziadi, N., O'Donovan, J.T., Blackshaw, R.E., Harker, K.N., Johnson, E.N., Gan, Y., Lafond, G.P., May, W.E., Khakbazan, M., Smith, E.G. (2015). Legumes can reduce economic optimum nitrogen rates and increase yields in a wheat-canola cropping sequence in western canada. Field Crops Research, [online] 179 12-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2015.04.003
2015 - View publication details
Cambouris, A.N., St. Luce, M., Ziadi, N., Zebarth, B.J. (2014). Soil– and plant-based indices in potato production in response to polymer–coated urea. Agronomy Journal, [online] 106(6), 2125-2136. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj14.0041
2014 - View publication details