New Soils and Nutrient Management Specialist Joins Panhandle REC
Bijesh Maharjan will join the faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension Center Sept. 6 as soil and nutrient management specialist. Maharjan’s appointment was announced by Jack Whittier, Research and Extension Director at the Panhandle R&E Center. He will replace Gary Hergert, who retired in 2015.
The overall objective of his programs will be to help develop and continue cost-effective, efficient and sustainable production systems that optimize profitability, along with improving soil productivity, nutrient utilization, nutrient management, and variable rate nutrient application.
As part of a multidisciplinary team at the Panhandle Center, he will partner with other UNL faculty and agricultural organizations, agencies, and advisory groups.
Whittier stated, “One of the great opportunities I have had since joining the Panhandle R&E District is to participate in hiring some great new faculty. The addition of Bijesh to our team is a real home run. Bijesh brings expertise and energy that will complement our already strong team of specialists to address research and extension needs in the Nebraska Panhandle. We are excited to have him here.”
Maharjan said, “I am looking forward to meeting and working together with and for the community of Nebraska’s Panhandle and beyond. I intend to blend conventional methods and modern technologies in my research program to tackle soil fertility and water management issues in Panhandle region. I will soon visit the community, growers, industries and other stakeholders to learn more about the region and the areas where we can collaborate and my expertise will be useful.”
For almost three years, Maharjan has been a postdoctoral research associate at the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture in UNL’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, where he has been working in several collaborative soil-fertility projects, including one in managing in-season crop stress using remote-sensing technologies.
Maharjan received a Ph.D. in land and atmospheric science (soil science track) in December 2013 from the University of Minnesota. His dissertation topic was corn production and environmental implications under varying nitrogen and management practices. He received a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of North Dakota in 2008.
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