1–30 July, PhD student Sana Ullah from the Agrobiology Laboratory, Institute of Agriculture, LAMMC, completed a one-month research internship at Udine University, Italy, under the supervision of Prof. Elisa Pellegrini of the Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental, and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Italy.
During the internship, experimental work related to a doctoral study on the effect of compost on reducing copper and zinc toxicity in maize plants grown in Italian soils with different pH, irrigated with wastewater, and in pot experiments in a greenhouse. The study aimed to understand how compost reduces soil available metal, metal uptake, and metal toxicity in crop plants, thereby mitigating risk assessment.
The experience provided valuable laboratory training in determining the soil available portion of metals and the use of ICP-AES for precise measurement of metals in soils and plant parts. Thereafter, strengthened collaborative links between Lithuanian and Udine University.
The internship contributed to ongoing efforts at LAMMC to utilise the polluted soils in sustainable agriculture, keeping in view the EU Green Deal.
