Rajasekaran Murugan - Research Information System | University of Kassel

Dr.agr. Rajasekaran Murugan

Research Areas

Agricultural Science, Forestry, and Nutrition Science, Veterinary Medicine

Research Interest

- Ecological role of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi in different land use
- Microbial ecology and biogeochemical cycles (both terrestrial and aquatic)
- Land use and climate change on soil microbial ecology, C and N cycle and GHG emission
- Soil microbial community structure, function and processes in different management and land use systems on soil organic matter regulation
- C, N, P and S dynamics in subsoil under different ecosystem (both terrestrial and aquatic)

Work Experience

10/2014 - 09/2016	Junior research group leader, University of Kassel
06/2013 - 09/2014	Research Coordinator, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, India
01/2012 - 12/2017	Farm consultant for Avarta Growers Ltd, Naivasha, Kenya
07/2011 - 03/2013	Research Assistant at Department of Soil Biology and Plant Nutrition, University of Kassel
06/2011 - 12/2018	Trainer at Indian Folk Life Journal on “Art of scientific storytelling”
08/2009 - 11/2009	Agronomist at Elunkathir farm, TamilNadu, India
05/2007 - 03/2008	Agro-ecologist in “Reclamation of mined lands and Restoration of Tsunami affected soils” project, Nagapattinam district, TamilNadu, India

Academic background

10. 2014 - present: Junior Research Group Leader, University of Kassel, Germany

06. 2013 - 09. 2014: Research Coordinator of the research project."The role of climate, land use and vegetation understory diversity on plant-soil feedback in the tropical forest soils"Prof.Sanjay Kumar, Regional Rice Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India

01. 2010 - 03.2013 Doctor of Agricultural Sciences

04. 2008 - 03.2010 MSc International Organic Agriculture

Qualifications

08/2013 - 08/2013	Training on "Use of next generation molecular tools in microbial ecology", University of Wageningen, NL.
03/2009 - 04/2009	International training programme on Certification of agricultural commodities and accreditation for certifying bodies.

Awards

10/2010	Got funded by Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Role of climate change, landuse and understory vegetation diversity on plant-soil feedback in tropical forest soils.
09/2010	Best poster award in Tropentag, Zurich, Switzerland
01/2010	DFG PhD grant
07/2009	Research grant from German Inst. for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (DITSL) – project nr. 3/2009.
09/2008	Ekoconnect Fellowship for the “Summer academy on organic animal breeding and organic animal husbandry”, Dresden, Germany

Memberships and non-academic activities

2014 - 2015	European Geosciences Union Academic member
2014 - 2015	Association for General and Applied Microbiology Academic member
2010 - 2020	The German Soil Science Society scientific speaker

Publications

2020	Schroeder, J., Jannoura, R., Beuschel, R., Pfeiffer, B., Dyckmans, J., Murugan, R., Chavannavar, S., Wachendorf, C., Jörgensen, R.G., 2020. Carbon use efficiency and microbial functional diversity in a temperate Luvisol and a tropical Nitisol after millet litter and N addition. Biology and Fertility of Soils 56, 1139–1150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-020-01487-4
2015	Murugan, R., Kumar, S., 2015. The speciﬁc role of fungal community structure on soil aggregation andcarbon sequestration: results from long-term ﬁeld study in a paddy soil. Geophysical Research Abstracts 17, EGU2015–9223–1.
2014	Murugan, R., Beggi, F., Kumar, S., 2014. Belowground carbon allocation by trees, understory vegetation and soil type alter microbial community composition and nutrient cycling in tropical Eucalyptus plantations. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 76, 257–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.05.022
2014	Murugan, R., Loges, R., Taube, F., Sradnick, A., Jörgensen, R.G., 2014. Changes in Soil Microbial Biomass and Residual Indices as Ecological Indicators of Land Use Change in Temperate Permanent Grassland. Microbial Ecology 67, 907–918. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-014-0383-8
2014	Sradnick, A., Ingold, M., Marold, J., Murugan, R., Bürkert, A., Jörgensen, R.G., 2014. Impact of activated charcoal and tannin amendments on microbial biomass and residues in an irrigated sandy soil under arid subtropical conditions. Biology and Fertility of Soils 50, 95–103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-013-0837-z
2014	Murugan, R., Koch, H.-J., Jörgensen, R.G., 2014. Long-term influence of different tillage intensities on soil microbial biomass, residues and community structure at different depths. Biology and Fertility of Soils 50, 487–498. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-013-0871-x
2013	Sradnick, A., Murugan, R., Oltmanns, M., Raupp, J., Jörgensen, R.G., 2013. Changes in functional diversity of the soil microbial community in a heterogeneous sandy soil after long-term fertilization with cattle manure and mineral fertilizer. Applied Soil Ecology 63, 23–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2012.09.011
2013	Murugan, R., Kumar, S., 2013. Influence of long-term fertilisation and crop rotation on changes in fungal and bacterial residues in a tropical rice-field soil. Biology and Fertility of Soils 49, 847–856. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-013-0779-5
2013	Murugan, R., Loges, R., Taube, F., Jörgensen, R.G., 2013. Specific response of fungal and bacterial residues to one-season tillage and repeated slurry application in a permanent grassland soil. Applied Soil Ecology 72, 31–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2013.05.018
2011	Murugan, R., Nanjappan, K., von Fragstein und Niemsdorff, P., Chitraputhirapillai, S., 2011. Effects of Combined Application of Biofertilisers with Neem Cake on Soil Fertility, Grain Yield and Protein Content of Black Gram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper). World Journal of Agricultural Sciences 7, 583–590.