Dr. Tiequan Zhang

Image Tiequan Zhang
Research Scientist

Dr. Zhang is a Soil Fertility and Water Quality Scientist who conducts research on soil and nutrient management in soil-plant-water agro-ecosystems for maximized crop production profitability with minimized adverse impacts on environmental quality  

Current research and/or projects

  • Innovative management practices for efficient use of nutrients and water and for increase in crop resilience to climate change
  • Legacy soil phosphorus management for improved crop production profitability and soil health with reduced phosphorus loading to Lake Erie
  • Resilient crop-livestock systems – unravelling C and N stabilization and restitution mechanisms in manured soils
  • Validation and delivery of P risk assessment tools at the field and national scale

Research and/or project statements

  • Phosphorus and other nutrients transformations in and transportation from agri-eco-systems
  • Risk assessment of soil phosphorus loss from agricultural lands
  • Efficient use of nutrients from chemical fertilizers and manures/composts for profitable crop production with improved soil health and resilience to climate change and minimized impacts on environmental quality (water & air)

Professional activities / interests

  • National Nutrient Recovery and Reuse Steering Committee (Canada), 2017-present
  • Advisory Board for Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance In North America, 2017-2019
  • P-RCN, Global Phosphorus Research Network, 2012-2018
  • Associate Editor, Frontiers in Environmental Science (2021 - present)
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Environmental Quality (2012-2014, 2015-2017) 
  • Associate Editor, Canadian Journal of Plant Science (2008-2012)
  • Guest Editor, Canadian Journal of Soil Science (special issue, 2009-2010)

Education and awards

Ph.D., Soil Chemistry and Fertility, McGill University, 1996

Fellow, Soil Science Society of America, 2019

Fellow, American Society of Agronomy, 2017

Key publications

  1. Norris, C.E., Gorzelak, M., Arcand, M., Bruhjell, D., Carlyle, C.N., Dyck, M., Ellert, B., Entz, M., Geddes, C.M., Hao, X., Janovicek, K., Larney, F., May, W., Luce, M.S., Van Eerd, L.L., Zhang, T., Beck, R., Cowen, T., Liptzin, D., Morgan, C.L.S. (2023). The story of long-term research sites and soil health in Canadian agriculture. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, [online] 103(1), 164-190. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2021-0174

    2023 - View publication details

  2. Wang, Y.T., Zhang, T.Q., Zhao, Y.C., Ciborowski, J.H.H., Zhao, Y.M., O'Halloran, I.P., Qi, Z.M., Tan, C.S. (2021). Characterization of sedimentary phosphorus in Lake Erie and on-site quantification of internal phosphorus loading. Water Research, [online] 188 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2020.116525

    2021 - View publication details

  3. Abbasi, N.A., Madramootoo, C.A., Zhang, T., Tan, C.S. (2020). Nitrous oxide emissions as affected by fertilizer and water table management under a corn-soybean rotation. Geoderma, [online] 375 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114473

    2020 - View publication details

  4. Mahdy, A.M., Elkhatib, E., Zhang, T., Fathi, N.O., Lin, Z.Q. (2020). Nano-scale drinkingwater treatment residuals affect arsenic fractionation and speciation in biosolids-amended agricultural soil. Applied Sciences (Switzerland), [online] 10(16), http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app10165633

    2020 - View publication details

  5. Jiang, Q., Qi, Z., Lu, C., Tan, C.S., Zhang, T., Prasher, S.O. (2020). Evaluating RZ-SHAW model for simulating surface runoff and subsurface tile drainage under regular and controlled drainage with subirrigation in southern Ontario. Agricultural Water Management, [online] 237 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106179

    2020 - View publication details

  6. Zhang, T.Q., Zheng, Z.M., Drury, C.F., Hu, Q.C., Tan, C.S. (2020). Legacy Phosphorus After 45 Years With Consistent Cropping Systems and Fertilization Compared to Native Soils. Frontiers in Earth Science, [online] 8 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.00183

    2020 - View publication details

  7. Zhang, T., Wang, Y., Tan, C.S., Welacky, T. (2020). An 11-Year Agronomic, Economic, and Phosphorus Loss Potential Evaluation of Legacy Phosphorus Utilization in a Clay Loam Soil of the Lake Erie Basin. Frontiers in Earth Science, [online] 8 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.00115

    2020 - View publication details

  8. Jiang, Q., Qi, Z., Madramootoo, C.A., Smith, W., Abbasi, N.A., Zhang, T.Q. (2020). Comparison of Rzwqm2 and Dndc Models to Simulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions under Combined Inorganic/Organic Fertilization in A Subsurface-Drained Field. Transactions of the ASABE, [online] 63(4), 771-787. http://dx.doi.org/10.13031/TRANS.13668

    2020 - View publication details

  9. Sadhukhan, D., Qi, Z., Zhang, T., Tan, C.S., Ma, L., Andales, A.A. (2019). Development and evaluation of a phosphorus (P) module in RZWQM2 for phosphorus management in agricultural fields. Environmental Modelling and Software, [online] 113 48-58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2018.12.007

    2019 - View publication details

  10. Sadhukhan, D., Qi, Z., Zhang, T.Q., Tan, C.S., Ma, L. (2019). Modeling and mitigating phosphorus losses from a tile-drained and manured field using RZWQM2-P. Journal of Environmental Quality, [online] 48(4), 995-1005. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/jeq2018.12.0424

    2019 - View publication details

  11. Wang, Z., Zhang, T.Q., Tan, C.S., Wang, X., Taylor, R.A.J., Qi, Z.M., Yang, J.W. (2019). Modeling the impacts of manure on phosphorus loss in surface runoff and subsurface drainage. Journal of Environmental Quality, [online] 48(1), 39-46. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/jeq2018.06.0240

    2019 - View publication details

  12. Hao, X.J., Zhang, T.Q., Wang, Y.T., Tan, C.S., Qi, Z.M., Welacky, T., Hong, J.P. (2018). Soil test phosphorus and phosphorus availability of swine manures with long-term application. Agronomy Journal, [online] 110(5), 1943-1950. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj2017.07.0412

    2018 - View publication details

  13. Wang, Z., Zhang, T.Q., Tan, C.S., Taylor, R.A.J., Wang, X., Qi, Z.M., Welacky, T. (2018). Simulating crop yield, surface runoff, tile drainage and phosphorus loss in a clay loam soil of the Lake Erie region using EPIC. Agricultural Water Management, [online] 204 212-221. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2018.04.021

    2018 - View publication details

  14. Eslamian, F., Qi, Z., Tate, M.J., Zhang, T., Prasher, S.O. (2018). Phosphorus Loss Mitigation in Leachate and Surface Runoff from Clay Loam Soil Using Four Lime-Based Materials. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, [online] 229(3), http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11270-018-3750-0

    2018 - View publication details

  15. Zhang, T.Q., Zheng, Z.M., Lal, R., Lin, Z.Q., Sharpley, A.N., Shober, A.L., Smith, D., Tan, C.S., Van Cappellen, P. (2018). Environmental indicator principium with case references to agricultural soil, water, and air quality and model-derived indicators. Journal of Environmental Quality, [online] 47(2), 191-202. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/jeq2017.10.0398

    2018 - View publication details

  16. Wang, Y.T., Zhang, T.Q., Tan, C.S., Qi, Z.M., Welacky, T. (2018). Solid cattle manure less prone to phosphorus loss in tile drainage water. Journal of Environmental Quality, [online] 47(2), 318-325. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/jeq2017.06.0230

    2018 - View publication details

  17. Zhang, T.Q., Tan, C.S., Wang, Y.T., Ma, B.L., Welacky, T. (2017). Soil phosphorus loss in tile drainage water from long-term conventional- and non-tillage soils of Ontario with and without compost addition. Science of the Total Environment, [online] 580 9-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.12.019

    2017 - View publication details

  18. Wang, Y.T., Zhang, T.Q., O'Halloran, I.P., Tan, C.S., Hu, Q.C. (2016). A phosphorus sorption index and its use to estimate leaching of dissolved phosphorus from agricultural soils in Ontario. Geoderma, [online] 274 79-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.04.002

    2016 - View publication details

  19. Reynolds, W.D., Drury, C.F., Parkin, G.W., Lauzon, J.D., Saso, J.K., Zhang, T.Q., Liu, K., Welacky, T.W., Yang, X.M., Tan, C.S., Calder, W., Oloya, T.O., Reid, D.K. (2016). Solute dynamics and the Ontario nitrogen index: I. Chloride leaching. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, [online] 96(2), 105-121. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2015-0069

    2016 - View publication details

  20. Wang, Y.T., Zhang, T.Q., O'halloran, I.P., Tan, C.S., Hu, Q.C. (2016). Predicting environmental soil phosphorus limits for dissolved reactive phosphorus loss. Soil Use and Management, [online] 32(1), 60-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sum.12238

    2016 - View publication details