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Castillo, Miguel Sebastian
Associate Professor Crop and Soil Sciences
mscastil@ncsu.edu
919-513-1335
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Dr. Castillo was born in Loja, Ecuador, South America. He received his B.S. in Agricultural Science and Animal Production from Zamorano Pan-American School of Agriculture in Honduras, Central America. His M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are in Agronomy with a minor in Soil and Water Science from University of Florida, Gainesville, FL., and an MBA from North Carolina State University.
Dr. Castillo joined the faculty at NCSU in Aug. 2013 and leads the Forage and Grassland Management Program at NCSU (www.forages.ncsu.edu). He is a Visiting Professor at Unviersidad Nacional Toribio Rodriguez de Mendoza, Peru. Dr. Castillo has active research/extension programs funded by Ecuador and Peru.
Project website: https://silvopasturesperu.wordpress.ncsu.edu
Expertise:
Agribusiness | Agriculture Education | Entrepreneurship | Extension | Bioenergy and Renewable Energy | Animal Feed and Nutrition | Plant Physiology | Statistics | Beef and Dairy Production | Forages
Country(s) of experience:
Ecuador | Honduras | Peru | United States
Type(s) of International Experience:
Researcher in an international project | Extension provider in an international project | Instructor at an academic institution overseas | Speaker at an international conference | Other international activities | International consultant | Advisor for international students | Host for international faculty | Host for international post-doc
Research Focus:
Dr. Castillo maintains an active international program with activities in several countries in tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate environments. The goal of Dr. Castillo’s program is to improve ecosystem services from agricultural and pasture-based livestock systems, including agroforestry and silvopastures, through development of knowledge and technologies that encourage efficient management of resources and resiliency.
Language(s):
Portuguese | Spanish
Sabbaticals:
Utilization of near infrared spectroscopy for rapid and low-cost analysis of plant, soil, and animal responses
Year: 2022-2023
Description: The scholarly reassignment was conducted at ESPOL University (Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral) in Ecuador (Nov. 2022 top April 2023). I am particularly interested in this scholarly reassignment because it can help formalize a relationship between the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NCState (CALS-NCState) and the College of Life Sciences at ESPOL (CLS-ESPOL) while allowing me to work on a topic lead by ESPOL University at the regional level in South America, that aligns with my area of expertise and current work in the USA, and which is of critical importance for the country of Ecuador. The overall goal of the scholarly reassignment is to use near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology to develop a low-cost rapid assessment framework for analysis of chemical constituents in soils and plant-tissue for several tropical crops.
Projects:
Evaluation of Silvopastoral Systems in Amazonas, Peru, as a Strategy for Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change Research project
01/01/2016 - 06/30/2019
Funding Agency/Sponsor:
Institutional Partner: Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM), Peru