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

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. Geoderma, [online] 232-234 449-458. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2014.05.023
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. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, [online] 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. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, [online] 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. Soil Science Society of America Journal, [online] 76(4), 1454-1461. http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2011.0443
2012 - View publication details