Mini-curriculum

Iêda de Carvalho Mendes holds a degree in Agronomy - by UnB - University of Brasilia (1987) and a Ph.D. in Soil Science from Oregon State University (1997). She is an Embrapa researcher since 1989 working at Embrapa Cerrado. Has experience in Agronomy with emphasis on Soil Biotechnology, acting on the following subjects: biological nitrogen fixation, microbial ecology, and biological indicators of soil quality. Participated in the work that led to the selection of the Bradyrhizobium strains SEMIA 5080 and 5079 in 1993, which are used in Brazilian commercial soybean inoculants until today. As a result of the research studies with bioindicators, her team developed the soil bioanalysis (BioAS, in Portuguese). This technology consists of the aggregation of two soil enzymes, arylsulfatase and beta-glucosidase (associated with sulfur and carbon cycles), to routine soil analyses. With the BioAS, Brazilian farmers will be able to monitor soil health, knowing exactly what to evaluate, why to evaluate, how to evaluate, when to evaluate and mainly, how to interpret what was evaluated. . Since 2019, she is involved in capacitation courses for 80 commercial laboratories of soil analyses in bench scale individual assays to measure activities of beta-glucosidase and arylsulfatase. Twenty laboratories have already been qualified and constitute the Embrapa Soil Bioanalysis Network (Embrapa BioAS Network).

Education

1982 - 1987

Graduação em Agronomia

Universidade de Brasília

Obtained year: 1987

1993 - 1997

Doutorado em Soil Science

Oregon State University

Title: Microbiology of soil aggregates recovered from different crop management systems

Obtained year: 1997

Advisor: Peter Bottomley

Areas of expertise

1. Grande área: Agricultural Sciences / Área: Agronomy / Subárea: Soil Science / Especialidade: Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry
2. Grande área: Agricultural Sciences / Área: Agronomy / Subárea: Soil Science / Especialidade: Soil Fertility and Fertilization
3. Grande área: Agricultural Sciences / Área: Agronomy / Subárea: Soil Science / Especialidade: Soil Management and Conservation