our team
soil scientists
Siva Nithish Selvakumar
Technical Officer, DPIRD
+61 (0) 499 706 922
My role
I am a technical officer in soil science and crop nutrition, currently working on the Soil Water and Nutrition (SWAN) Collaboration. This project is focused on improving water use efficiency at the rootzone of cereal crops with a combination of treatments for effective crop establishment.
I enjoy working outdoors with the grower community to develop and deliver solutions to complex soil and agronomic challenges.
My background
I recently finished my Masters in Agriculture from the University of Queensland, and joined the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Soil Science and Crop Nutrition team in 2025.
My areas of expertise include developing and sustaining key plant physiology principles that are fundamental to abiotic stress management in cereal crops. I am well versed in data handling and crop modelling platforms for diving into phyisiological plant responses under adverse climatic conditions and pest infestation.
I am currently learning and developing my knowledge on soil constraints, in particular sodic soils – paving way for profitable farming systems.
Projects
Soil Water and Nutrition (SWAN) Collaboration: Transforming Water and Nutrient Use Efficiency in WA Grain Production (DAW2407-001SPX)
Key expertise
- Research methodologies of abiotic stress tolerance in wheat
- Genotypic characteristics of cereal crops to with stand high temperatures
- Eco-physiology modelling for trait identification across genotypes to predict yield stability
- Establishing economic standard thresholds for Fall Armyworm infestation in sorghum and maize
- Sorghum breeding and research
- Experience in controlled environment agriculture
Qualifications
MSc Agricultural Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland
BSc Agriculture (Hons), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India