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MR SEAN GRAHAM

MR SEAN GRAHAM
MR SEAN GRAHAM
MR SEAN GRAHAM

Research PG

About
Office Address
1.17 Cruickshank Building
Old Aberdeen Campus
St. Machar Drive
AB24 3UU

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School/Department
School of Biological Sciences

Biography

PhD student at the University of Aberdeen || James Hutton Institute researching the plant- soil interactions of Scottish landrace barley “Bere”.

My techniques precisely control physical and hydrologic soil conditions allowing small differences in genotype to be investigated at the early seedling stage. This serves as a platform to investigate soil modification through root hair-exudate- microbial interactions under controlled conditions and compare them to field grown mature plants. 

I have a background in the arboriculture industry focussing on urban soil remediation via soil amendments (biochar, woodchip mulch, clay products), physical disruption, and nature based solutions. These multi-year research projects investigated the improvement of the below ground environment and tree health. 

 

Previous affiliations:

  • Association of Applied Biologists (AAB) "Applied Tree and Forest Biology" specialist group member.

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships

SBS PGR rep: October 2025- Present

  • I represent the wellbeing and research interests of PGR students within the School of Biological Sciences

Staff-Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) member: October 2023- Present

  • I represent the wellbeing and research interests of PGR students within the plant - soil department (Cruickshank).

Zoo and Roots PG Society Co-Chair: January 2024- April 2025 

  • As co-chair, I represent the interests and objectives of the society: to create an inclusive post-graduate community and develop working relationships between staff and students within the School of Biological Sciences.
  • Lead and assist in the planning and running of events.  
External Memberships

SULSA Early Career Representative

  • Represent PhD's, Post Docs, and early stage PI's within the School of Biological Sciences to advance Scotland’s research and innovation in the life sciences through strategic collaboration across institutions, disciplines and sectors.

British Society of Soil Science: early career member

 

Latest Publications

  • The Influence of Soil Decompaction and Amendments on Soil Quality

    Percival, G. C., Graham, S., Franklin, E.
    Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 179-189
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • The Influence of Chitin- and Chitosan-Based Soil Amendments on Pathogen Severity of Apple and Pear Scab

    Percival, G., Graham, S., Percival, C., Banks, J.
    Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 64-74
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Calcium and Silicon Fertiliser Influence on Fungicide Efficacy Against Guignardia Leaf Blotch and Apple Scab Management

    Percival, G. C., Graham, S. T.
    Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 170-181
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • The potential of resistance inducers and synthetic fungicide combinations for management of foliar diseases of nursery stock

    Percival, G. C., Graham, S.
    Crop Protection, vol. 145, 105636
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Evaluation of Inducing Agents and Synthetic Fungicide Combinations for Management of Foliar Pathogens of Urban Trees

    Percival, G. C., Graham, S. T.
    Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 85-95
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

View My Publications

Prizes and Awards

Oxford University Press Achievement in Biosciences (2016):

Research

Research Areas

Biological and Environmental Sciences

View Research Area

Research Specialisms

  • Soil Science
  • Biophysical Science
  • Plant Sciences
  • Horticulture

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Current Research

PhD: Building soils for sustainable plants and agriculture

Scottish landrace (old) "Bere" barley holds a wealth of breeding traits and is popular amongst crofters for its rapid growth and use in traditional foods. 

My research focuses on a critical root-soil interface zone called the rhizosheath where soil is modified, dispersed, and reformed by a variety of physical and chemical processes. Under agricultural settings, this zone can represent significant proportions of the soil.

This project will investigate the rhizosheath properties of different Scottish Bere barley and modern varieties from the perspective of plant-water availability, soil microorganism, and physical properties.

 

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

Demonstrator for first - third year BSc modules:

BI1511 - Ecology and Environmental Sciences

Effect of soil environment on root growth parameters

BI25P4 - Plants, People, and the Environment

PL3309 - Soils for Food Security

EV3005 - Global Soil Geography

Soil profile identification, introduction to assessing soil structure, and salinity/ sodicity irrigation water analysis.

 

Demonstrator for MSc Soil Science:

SS5305 - Soils for Food Security

SS5305 - Global Soil Geography

Publications

Page 1 of 1 Results 1 to 5 of 5

  • The Influence of Soil Decompaction and Amendments on Soil Quality

    Percival, G. C., Graham, S., Franklin, E.
    Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 179-189
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • The Influence of Chitin- and Chitosan-Based Soil Amendments on Pathogen Severity of Apple and Pear Scab

    Percival, G., Graham, S., Percival, C., Banks, J.
    Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 64-74
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Calcium and Silicon Fertiliser Influence on Fungicide Efficacy Against Guignardia Leaf Blotch and Apple Scab Management

    Percival, G. C., Graham, S. T.
    Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 170-181
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • The potential of resistance inducers and synthetic fungicide combinations for management of foliar diseases of nursery stock

    Percival, G. C., Graham, S.
    Crop Protection, vol. 145, 105636
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Evaluation of Inducing Agents and Synthetic Fungicide Combinations for Management of Foliar Pathogens of Urban Trees

    Percival, G. C., Graham, S. T.
    Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 85-95
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
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