Mumtaz Cheema, B.Sc. (Hons.), M.Sc., Ph.D. (University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan), Postdoc (Iowa State University, Ames, US)
Professor - Boreal ecosystems and agricultural sciences
Phone: (709) 639-6533
Email:
mcheema@grenfell.mun.ca
Office: AS240
Profile
Dr. Cheema is a Professor in the School of Science and the Environment, member of Environment and Sustainability and the Boreal Ecosystem and Agricultural Sciences program (BEAS). The focus of his research program is to develop productive and sustainable cropping systems to enhance soil quality and health, yield and quality of produce under climate change scenario. In recent years, he has developed strong research collaborations with industry and investigated use of industrial waste by-products (anaerobic digestate, biochar, wood ash, wood sludge and rock dust) to develop growth media; microbial community structure, liming and mineral properties and their effects on crop growth, yield and phytochemical profile of horticultural and agronomic crops under controlled environment and field conditions. Current research focus is to develop management practices that mitigate greenhouse gases and nitrogen losses, enhance soil quality and health in different cropping systems. Impact of climate change on global food security, particularly rising atmospheric CO2 and its impact on crop growth, yield and produce quality. He has developed seed priming techniques to induce stress tolerance in plants under abiotic stresses (cold/chilling, drought and salinity). Impact of climate change on global food security, particularly rising atmospheric CO2 and its impact on crop growth, yield and produce quality. Dr. Cheema has supervised and co-supervised 40 Master, and 10 PhD theses. Prior to joining the Memorial University, Dr. Cheema was a Professor in the department of Agronomy, and Director Graduate Studies (2008 – 2011), at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Current Research and Projects Highlights
Effects of different crop rotations and nitrogen stabilizer on N losses, N uptake and GHG fluxes under boreal climate.
How different crop rotation and N stabilizers affect crop growth, photosynthesis, yield and quality of forage crops?
Evaluating the diversity and function of genes implicated in nitrification and denitrification under different crop rotation and N fertilizers in podzol soils.
Study of Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited (CBPPL) waste byproducts as potential liming and nutrient sources for food production.
Developing growth media from wood ash and wood sludge; using wood ash and wood sludge as a natural soil amendment to improve soil physicochemical and biological properties, nutrient use efficiency, and plant growth.
Biochar amendment improves soil quality and health, N dynamics, crop growth and yield and mitigates global warming potential in different cropping systems in boreal climate.
High value crop production in hydroponic system under controlled environment through integrated re-use of nutrients from dairy liquid waste streams.
Rock dust from mine waste as a natural media amendment in forest reclamation and the production of high value agronomic and horticultural crops.
Improving agronomic performance, shelf life and quality indices of greenhouse vegetables by pre-harvest and post-harvest treatments under different nutrient composition.
Further evaluation of phosphatidic acid role on low temperature stress acclimation in silage-corn.
Evaluating phosphorus utilization efficiency in wheat genotypes under different phosphors supplies.
Grants and Awards
- PI, Assessing cover cropping options for improved forage yield, quality and soil health in a boreal climate. Industry, Energy and Technology (IET), Government of NL – Leverage R&D application [($568,418.00) (2022 -2027)].
- PI, Newfoundland, and Labrador living laboratories Initiative (Creating a Collaborative Network). Associate Vice-President (Research) Special Award [($26,500) (2021- 2022)].
- PI, Newfoundland, and Labrador living laboratories Initiative – NL-LL. Agriculture and Agri-Food, Canada - ACS program [($99,240) (2021 – 2022).
- COAP, Repurposing marine by-products or raw materials for the development and production of functional food and bioactive to improve human health and coastal community sustainability. New Frontiers in Research Fund – Transformation (NFRF-T) [($15.8 Millions) (2021-2027)].
- COAP, Collaborative research program on Cannabis edibles as functional foods. NSERC, Fanshawe College, MUN, Beehive Inc. and Wake Inc. [($505,913) (2021-2024)].
- PI, Formulation and Product Testing of Seafood Compost. Mitacs Accelerate [($60,000) (2021-2023)].
- PI, Low-input Agriculture in Cool Climate Boreal Ecosystems. Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, NL - contribution agreement [($55,000) (2021 - 2022)].
- PI, Effects of medium-term dairy manure and biochar application on the growth, forage production and quality, soil quality and health in a silage corn monocropping system in boreal climate. Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) [($24,915.00) (2021-2022)].
- External collaborator, Improving the health of northern soils. AAFC [($300,000) (2021-2023)]. PI - Vicky Lévesque, Research Scientist, Kentville Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, NS, Canada.
- PI, Assessing cover cropping options for improved forage yield, quality and soil health in a boreal climate. NSERC DG [($165,000) (2021 – 2026)].
- PI, Standardizing dairy digestate utilization as a nutrient source in commercial hydroponic greenhouse vegetable production settings in Newfoundland. Seed, Bridge and Multidisciplinary Fund [($10,000) (2020-2022)].
- COPI, Design, fabrication, and evaluation of a small scale and low-cost vertical garden hydroponic system. Mitacs Accelerate [(75,000) (2020-2022)]. PI, Dr. Galagedara, School of Science and the Environment, MUN.
- COPI, Bridging the divide: Connecting and preparing refugees for work in the province's agriculture industry, Newfoundland, and Labrador Department of Advance Skills & Labour - Workforce Innovation Centre (WIC), and Mitacs [($438,139) (2018-2022)].
- COPI, Rock dust from mine waste as a natural media amendment in forest reclamation and the production of high value agronomic and horticultural crops. Total funding $ 383,800 [Anaconda Mining Inc. Memorial University of Newfoundland, NSERC-CRD, Tourism, Culture, Industry, and Innovation (TCII)] (2019-2022).
- PI, Low-input agriculture in cool climate boreal ecosystems. Funded by Agricultural Clean Technology Program, Tourism, Culture, Industry, and Innovation (TCII), Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Fisheries and Land Resources (FLR) and Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) [($1,330,885) (2019 -2022)].
- PI, Study of Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited (CBPPL) by-products and potential uses for food production. Mitacs, $200,000 (2019-2022).
Publications (selected)
- Yurgel, S.N, M. Nadeem and M. Cheema. 2022. Microbial Consortium Associated with Crustacean Shells Composting. Microorganisms, 10, 1033; https://doi.org/10.3390/ microorganisms10051033
- Ahmad Latif Virk, Wen-Sheng Liu, Zhe Chen, Yves N´Dri Bohoussou, Mumtaz Cheema, Khuram Shehzad Khan, Xin Zhao, Hai-Lin Zhang. 2022. Effects of different tillage systems and cropping sequences on soil physicochemical properties and greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 335, 108010, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2022.108010.
- Wu J, M. Nadeem, L. Galagedara, R. Thomas and M. Cheema. 2022. Effects of chilling stress on morphological, physiological, and biochemical attributes of silage corn genotypes during seedling establishment. Plants, 11, 1217; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11091217
- Nadeem M, J. Wu, H. Ghaffari, A. J. Kedir, S. Saleem, A. Mollier, J. Singh and M. Cheema. 2022. Understanding the adaptive mechanisms of plants to enhance phosphorus use efficiency on podzolic soils in boreal agroecosystems. Front. Plant Sci.,13, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.804058
- Rajakaruna A, C. F. Manful, I. M. Abu-Reidah, A. L. Critch, N.P. Vidal, T.H. Pham, M. Cheema, R. Thomas. 2022. Application of solvent pH under pressurized conditions using accelerated solvent extraction and green solvents to extract phytonutrients from wild berries. Food Bioscience 47, 101471; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbio.2021.101471
- Irshad M, M.A. Wahid, M. F. Saleem, S. Khan, S. Irshad, A. Matloob, M. Sarwar, M. Ali, Z. Hasnain & M. Cheema. 2022. Zinc coated urea enhanced the growth and quality of rice cultivated under aerobic and anaerobic culture, Journal of Plant Nutrition, 45:8, 1198-1213, doi://10.1080/01904167.2021.2005803
- Farhain, M., M. Cheema., Katanda, Y., Nadeem, M., Javed, B., Thomas, R., Saha, R., Galagedara, L. 2022. Potential of developing podzolic soil-based potting media from wood ash, paper sludge and biochar. Journal of Environmental Management, 301(1), 113811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113811
- Zaeem M, M. Nadeem, T.H. Pham, W. Ashiq, W. Ali, S. M. Gilani, E.R.D. Moise, H. Leier, V. Kavanagh, L. Galagedara, M. Cheema, R. Thomas. 2021. Data set showing the development of a hyperspectral imaging technique using LA-ICP-MS to determine the spatial distribution of nutrients in soil cores. Geoderma. 385, 114,831; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114831
- Mustafa T, A. Sattar, A. Sher, S. Ullah, M. Ijaz, M. Irfan, M. Butt, Mumtaz Cheema. 2021. Exogenous application of silicon improves the performance of wheat under terminal heat stress by triggering physio-biochemical mechanisms. Nature Scientific Reports, 11:23170. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02594-4
- Abu-Reidah, I. M. Critch, A.L. Manful, C.F, Rajakaruna, A, Vidal, N.P, Pham, T.H, Cheema, M., Thomas, R. 2021. Effects of pH and Temperature on Water under Pressurized Conditions in the Extraction of Nutraceuticals from Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) Mushroom. Antioxidants,10, 1322. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10081322
- Wahid M A, M. Saleem, S. Khan, S. Irshad, M. Cheema, M. F. Saleem, H. Z. Khan, M. Ali, A. Bakhsh, Z. Hasnain, S. T. Alrashood and S. A. Alharbi. 2021. Foliar applied Boron not only enhances seed cotton yield but also improves fiber strength and fineness of cotton cultivars. Philipp Agric Scientist, 104 (2): 124-134
- Arnott, A., L. Galagedara, M. Cheema, J. Sobze, R. Thomas. 2021. Seedling vigor of native species for mine site reclamation: A Review. Science of the Total Environment. 775, 145139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145139
- Zaeem M, M. Nadeem, T.H. Pham, W. Ashiq, W. Ali, S.S.M. Gilani, E. Moise, S. Elavarthi, V. Kavanagh, M. Cheema, L. Galagedara, R. Thomas. 2021. Corn-soybean intercropping improved the nutritional quality of forage cultivated on podzols in boreal climate. Plants, 10 (5), 1015. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10051015
- Waqar Ashiq, H. Vasava, Mumtaz Cheema, K. Dunfield, P. Daggupati, A. Biswas. 2021. Interactive role of topography and best management practices on N2O emissions from agricultural landscape. Soil & Tillage Research, 212; doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2021.105063
- Kedir A. J, J. Nyiraneza, L. Galagedara, M. Cheema, K. A. Hawboldt, D. B. McKenzie and A. Unc. 2021. Phosphorus adsorption characteristics in forested and managed podzolic soils. Soil Science Society of American Journal, https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20180
- Zaeem M, M. Nadeem, T.H. Pham, W. Ashiq, W. Ali, S. M. Gilani, E.R.D. Moise, H. Leier, V. Kavanagh, L. Galagedara, M. Cheema, R. Thomas. 2020. Development of a hyperspectral imaging technique using LA-ICP-MS to show the spatial distribution of elements in soil cores. Geoderma, 385,114831; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114831
- Oludoyin Adeseun Adigun, M. Nadeem, T. H. Pham, L. E. Jewell, M. Cheema, R. Thomas. 2020. Recent advances in bio-chemical, molecular and physiological aspects of membrane lipid derivatives in plant pathology. Plant, Cell & Environ, 44 (408); doi: 10.1111/pce.13904
- Ali M.H, J.M. Sobze, T. H. Pham, M. Nadeem, C. Liu, L. Galagedara, M. Cheema, R. Thomas. 2020. Carbon nanotubes improved the germination and vigor of plant species from peatland ecosystem via remodeling the membrane lipidome. Nanomaterials, 10, 1852; doi:10.3390/nano10091852
- Wahid M.A, M. Saleem, S. Irshad, S. Khan, M. A. Cheema, M. F. Saleem and S. A. Tung. 2020. Foliar feeding of boron improves the productivity of cotton cultivars with enhanced boll retention percentage. Journal of Plant Nutrition 43(16): 2411-2424; doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2020.1783300
- Ashiq W, M. Nadeem, W. Ali, M. Zaeem, J. Wu, L. Galagedara, R. Thomas, V. Kavanagh and M. Cheema. 2020. Biochar amendment mitigates greenhouse gases emission and global warming potential in dairy manure-based silage corn in boreal climate. Environmental Pollution, 265, 114869; doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114869
- Sey A, T.H. Pham, V. Kavanagh, S. Kaur, M. Cheema, L. Galagedara, R. Thomas. 2020. Canola produced under boreal climatic conditions in Newfoundland and Labrador have a unique lipid composition and expeller press extraction retained the composition for commercial use. Journal of Advanced Research, 24:423-434; doi.org/10.1016/j.jare.2020.05.002