Ph D. Graduate Student
- M.S. in Soil Science & Plant Nutrition at the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, 2008
Dissertation: Corn productivity and phosphorus loss potential in Argisol fertilized with poultry litter. - B.S. in Agronomy at the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, 2006
Undergraduate research: Mechanisms and responses of Eucalypt plants to phosphate acquisition from phosphate sources of varying reactivity rates and poultry litter.
- Given the unprecedented need for food in a world of continuing expansion, the human innate ability to agriculture finds itself in check to work out the finite resources wisely. Therefore, as a matter of fact, the modern terrestrial nutrients cycle, dictated by agriculture and human activity, is highly dependent upon fine knowledge to fulfill soil and water quality maintenance. In highly weathered soils, the understanding of the phosphate chemistry is of pivotal importance as P is one of the most limiting factors for soil fertility and, ultimately, for food production. Much has been done with this regard but more precise knowledge of the P reactions, such as sorption and desorption reactions at the molecular level, in soils is of utmost importance, though. The comprehension of the extent of these chemical reactions, e.g., its onset and perhaps the equilibrium attained, draws profound impact on soil management. Real-time kinetics coupled with spectroscopic studies can provide insightful information on what chemically happens at the atomic/molecular level of a chemical reaction and thus, be of great importance to accurately keep track of P behavior in soils. My research is committed with the understanding of the real-time sorption/desorption kinetics of phosphate on mineral oxides and to address the attenuating and enhancing effects of organic matter on these processes by using in-situ ATR FT-IR and X-ray absorption spectroscopic techniques.
ABDALA, Dalton Belchior ; SILVA, Ivo Ribeiro da ; LOURENÇO, G. F. ; NOVAIS, Roberto Ferreira de ; ALVAREZ V., V. H. . Phosphorus Sorption Isotherms in a Highly Weathered Soil as Affected by Repeated Applications of Poultry Litter. In: Fertbio 2008 - Desafios para o Uso do Solo com Eficiencia e Qualidade Ambiental, 2008, Londrina. Annals of Fertbio 2008, 2008.
LOURENÇO, G. F. ; SILVA, Ivo Ribeiro da ; ABDALA, Dalton Belchior ; NOVAIS, Roberto Ferreira de ; ALVAREZ V., V. H. . Short-Term Effects of Consecutive Poultry Litter Application on Corn Yield, Soil Chemistry and Potential Phosphorus Loss. In: Fertbio 2008 - Desafios para o Uso do Solo com Eficiencia e Qualidade Ambiental, 2008, Londrina. Annals of Fertbio 2008, 2008.
ABDALA, Dalton Belchior ; SILVA, Ivo Ribeiro da ; NOVAIS, Roberto Ferreira de ; NUNES, F. N. . Phosphorus Mobility Potential in a Highly Weathered Soil Fertilized with Poultry Litter Under Field Conditions. In: XXXl Congresso Brasileiro de CIencia do Solo, 2007, Gramado. Annals of the XXXl Brazilian Congress of Soil Science, 2007.
ABDALA, Dalton Belchior ; SILVA, Ivo Ribeiro da ; JESUS, Guilherme Luiz de ; NOVAIS, Roberto Ferreira de ; BARROS, Nairam Félix de . Biological Coefficient Utilization of Calcium and Phosphorus by Eucalypt Plants as Influenced by Rates and Reactivity of Phosphates Sources and Poultry Litter. In: XXXl Congresso Brasileiro de Ciencia do Solo, 2007, Gramado. Annals of the XXXl Brazilian Congress of Soil Science, 2007.
Academic Fellowships and Scholarships
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CCZR fellowship: Ph D. in Environmental Soil Chemistry. 2008 to present.
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CAPES fellowship: Master of Science research. 2006 - 2008
- CAPES scholarship: Study abroad exchange program at the University of Florida, 2005 – 2006 academic year.
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CAPES scholarship: Undergraduate research program. 2005
Contact Information:
Plant and Soil Sciences
University of Delaware
152 Townsend Hall
Newark, DE 19716
Phone: 302 831-1230
Fax: 302 831-0605
e-mail: dabdala@udel.edu
Resources & Links
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
The reasoning of the Critical Zone – a ubiquitous entity, originated by the inter-relations among the discrete components of the ecosystem – and so the reactions that occur at the boundaries of this multicomponent system are indeed critical to the capacity of soils to sustain water and soil quality.