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

Key publications

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
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, 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, 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, 98(1), 175-179. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2017-0109
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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 179 12-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2015.04.003
2015 - View publication details
St. Luce, M., Ziadi, N., Zebarth, B.J., Grant, C.A., Tremblay, G.F., Gregorich, E.G. (2014). Rapid determination of soil organic matter quality indicators using visible near infrared reflectance spectroscopy, 232-234 449-458. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2014.05.023
2014 - 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, 106(6), 2125-2136. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj14.0041
2014 - View publication details
St. Luce, M., Whalen, J.K., Ziadi, N., Zebarth, B.J., Chantigny, M.H. (2014). Labile organic nitrogen transformations in clay and sandy-loam soils amended with 15N-labelled faba bean and wheat residues, 68 208-218. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.09.033
2014 - View publication details
St. Luce, M., Ziadi, N., Zebarth, B.J., Whalen, J.K., Grant, C.A., Gregorich, E.G., Lafond, G.P., Blackshaw, R.E., Johnson, E.N., O'Donovan, J.T., Harker, K.N. (2013). Particulate organic matter and soil mineral nitrogen concentrations are good predictors of the soil nitrogen supply to canola following legume and non-legume crops in western Canada, 93(5), 607-620. http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/CJSS2013-005
2013 - View publication details
St. Luce, M., Ziadi, N., Nyiraneza, J., Tremblay, G.F., Zebarth, B.J., Whalen, J.K., Laterrière, M. (2012). Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy prediction of soil nitrogen supply in humid temperate regions of Canada, 76(4), 1454-1461. http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2011.0443
2012 - View publication details