Awarded for pioneering Nitrogen Emissions Monitoring and Management Research

Canadian researcher Dr Claudia Wagner-Riddle, on November 2, 2020, was awarded the 2020 IFA Norman Borlaug Award for her trailblazing multidisciplinary research that has helped improve fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency and reduce nitrous oxide (N2O) losses by up to 70 per cent without sacrificing crop yields. Noted for her innovations in technical methods, Dr Wagner-Riddle was among the first researchers to apply micrometeorological techniques to monitor and better understand year-round N2O emissions from cropping systems by using a tunable diode laser tracUUnUnie gas analyzer.

Dr Wagner-Riddle also leads a large collaborative group of scientists at the University of Guelph, Canada, where she is currently a professor at the School of Environmental Sciences, in a new outdoor soil monitoring laboratory. The first of its kind in North America, the laboratory is designed to mimic field conditions while also containing highly sophisticated monitoring equipment. By measuring the timing and volume of N2O emissions from cropland throughout the year and comparing the impact of different combinations of source, rate, timing, and placement of nitrogen fertilizer, in line with 4R Nutrient Stewardship principles, Dr Wagner-Riddle’s work has helped to paint a clearer picture of how and when nitrogen losses occur and what farmers can do to mitigate them.