John Stenström
Professor
Department of Microbiology                                                             
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
P.O. Box SE-750 07 UPPSALA, SWEDEN
E-mail: John.Stenstrom@mikrob.slu.se
Phone:           +46-(0)18 - 67 32 93

Education, Employments, Appointments

M.Sc. Agronomy 1979; AgrD 1988; Senior lecturer (docent) 1996;  Associate professor (universitetslektor) at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm 1995 -2001, Researcher, SLU, 2001-2009, Professor in Soil Microbiology, SLU, 2009.  

Recent Teaching Experience

Responsible and teacher for the course “Soil Remediation” (5 ECTS), SLU 2008-2009; Responsible and teacher for the course “Contaminated Soils – Risk Assessment and Remediation” (5 ECTS), SLU 2010- ; Invited lecturer in the framework of the International PhD School “Crop Systems, Forestry, and Environmental Sciences”, Basilicata University, Potenza, Italy, 27-28 May 2003. 

Supervision of Doctoral Students

Principal supervisor for Leticia Pizzul “Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Rhodococcus spp” (2001 - 2 June 2006 ); Harald Cederlund “The Microbiology of Railway Tracks - Towards a Rational Use of Herbicides on Swedish Railways” (2001 – 19 May 2006); Karin Önneby “Reduction of pesticide residues in soil by addition of microorganisms”, since February 2007. Assistant supervisor for Maria del Pilar Castillo ”Degradation of Pesticides by Phanerochaete chrysosporium in Solid Substrate Fermentation”, SLU 1997; Bo Stenberg ”Integrated Evaluation of Physical, Chemical and Biological Properties of Agricultural Soil”, SLU 1997; Mats Johansson ”Urban Organic Waste in Agriculture – Risk or Resource?”, SLU 1999; Kalle Svensson “Microbial Indicators of Fertility in Arable Land”, SLU 2002; Anna Lindahl “Variability of pesticide losses to surface waters and groundwater at field and landscape scales: measurements, modeling and tool development.”, Department of Soil Science, SLU 2009; Magnus Carlsson “Black carbon in soils – investigations of effects on respiration, nutrient retention and soil fertility” Department of Soil Science, SLU (2007- ).

Evaluations and Examinations

Examiner: Eggen, T. 2000. “Bioremediation of recalcitrant aromatic organic pollutants with white rot fungi”, Dep. Soil and Water Sciences, Agricultural University of Norway (000411); Andersen, S.M. 2001. ”Xenobiotics in Soil. Microbial degradation of sulfonylurea herbicides. Isolation of bacteria degrading aromatic and triazine compounds”, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Ministry of Environment and Energy, Report 2001/15 (010316); Andersson, E. 2001. “Colonisation and PAH degradation by wood-rotting fungi in contaminated soil”, Deparment of Biotechnology, Lund University (010612); Thorstensen, C.W. 2002. “Analysis, Sorption, and Degradation of Pesticides in Norwegian Soils. The Norwegian Crop Research Institute, Plant Protection Centre, Department of Herbology, 2001:24 (020419); Franzese, P. P. 2006. “Emergy-based indicators to assess the interplay of economy, environment and resources in human-dominated ecosystems.”, Department of Cropping Systems, Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Potenza, Italy, 2005 (written evaluation). Member of the examination board: Håkan Marstorp, “Initial Events during Decomposition of Plant Materials”, SLU (950523); Tore Sjöqvist, “Soil Biological and Microbial Activities as Affected by Heavy Metals and Liming”, SLU (960119); Sigrun Dahlin, “The Soil Microbial Biomass and Environmental Stress “, SLU (970211); Gunnar Börjeson, “Methane Oxidation in Landfill Cover Soils”, SLU (970516); Ylva Eklind, “Carbon and Nitrogen Turnover During Composting and Quality    of the Compost Product”, SLU (980519); Cristina Frycklund, “Artificial Recharge of Groundwater for Public Water Supply - Potential and Limitations for Boreal Conditions”, Royal Institute of Technology (980605); Jörg Brücher, “The Influence of Sorption on Transport of Organic Compounds in Soil”, SLU (990416); Jenny Kreuger, “Pesticides in the Environment – Atmospheric Deposition and Transport to Surface Waters”, SLU (990528); Christel Carlsson, “Limitations and possibilities for microbial degradation of organic contaminants in aquifers”, Lund University (060421); Lotta Levén, “Anaerobic digestion at mesophilic and thermophilic temperatures – with emphasis on degradation of phenols and structures of microbial communities”, SLU (070112); Ylva Schnürer, “Influence of soil properties and organic pesticides on soil microbial metabolism”, SLU Umeå (070119). Pre-examiner: Evaluation of PhD research of Anneli Widenfalk, “Interactions between pesticides and microbiota in freshwater sediments”, Dep. of Environmental Assessment, SLU (021209); Pre-examiner concerning the doctoral dissertation of Laitinen, P. “Fate of the organophosphate herbicide glyphosate in arable soils and its relationship to soil phosphorus status”, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Kuopio, Finland, 2009; Pre-examiner concerning the doctoral dissertation of Lawrence, A. “Organic contaminants and microbial community interactions in water-unsaturated soil”, Institutionen för tema, Linköping University, 2009.

Assignments

Expert at EU/COST-negotiations, New Projects Working Party, Brussels (911105); Evaluator of research proposals for the second phase of the EC environment Research Programme 1991-1994, Risks from Agricultural Technologies and Land-Use Practices to Soil, Surface- and Groundwater Quality,  Brussels (930927-931001); Member of the COST 66 (Pesticides - Soil - Environment) Management Committee  1993-1999; National expert for evaluation of the OECD Test Guideline Programme in Ecotoxicology; Engaged by the Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate for ecotoxicological evaluations of pesticides; Engaged by the Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish National Food Administration for expert consultations in questions concerning pesticides; Coordinator for the special research group “Transport processes in soil and groundwater”, established by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm; Engaged by the European Chemicals Bureau for expert consultation to the ECB WA 5, related to the implementation of Council Directive 91/414/EEC concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market, and Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3600/92 concerning the review program for existing active substances. The subject for consultation is “Fate and behaviour in the environment”. The assignment also has included participation as a representative of the Commission (DGXI) at the peer review meetings ECCO 42 in Braunschweig (970929-971002) and ECCO 56 in York (980505-980508) (1997-1998); Member of the reference group for the CDU- (Centre for Research and Education in Operation and Maintenance of Infrastructure) projects M1 (Pollution of Ground- and Surface Waters from Operation and Maintenance of Roads), M2a (Chemical Processes of Deicing Salts in Soil and Water) and M2b (Influence of Deicing Salt on Roadside Vegetation) (1997-2001); Member of the evaluation group for the "Pesticides and Groundwater" programme within the Strategic Environmental Research programme in Denmark (1998); External reviewer for proposals submitted to the 2009 Regular Research Funding Competition within the FONDECYT Program, Santiago, Chile (27 October, 2008); Member of the scientific committee of the International Pesticide Microbiology Group (2000 - 2004); Member of the steering group for CKB (Competence Centre for Pesticides) at SLU (2006-); Member of the Panel on Plant Health, Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR Panel) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (June 2004-May 2006).

Plenary Lectures

Plenary lecture on the XXI  Convegno Nazionale, Societa’ Italiana di Chimica Agraria, Ancona,  23 – 26 september 2003,“Biobeds for protection of surface- and ground waters from pesticide spills”; Plenary lecture on the 4th International Symposium on Environmental Aspects of Pesticide Microbiology, Thessaloniki, Greece 4-9 September 2004, “Biodegradation of pesticides in soil”; Plenary lecture on the 58th International Symposium on Crop Protection at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Belgium “Bioremediation and bioprophylaxis – old sins and new possibilities”, and chairman of the section "Bioremediation of Pesticides" of the Symposium, 23th of May, 2006.

Recent Grants and Current Research Activities

The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS), Reduction of pesticide residues in soil by addition of microorganisms; The Swedish Farmers' Foundation for Agricultural Research (Stiftelsen Lantbruksforskning), Reduction of pesticide residues in soil by addition of microorganisms; The Swedish Railway Administration (Banverket), The microbial ecology of railway embankments; The Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (MISTRA), “Co-formulation of pesticides and pesticide-degrading microorganisms” within the DOM-programme; Member of the steering group for the Competence Centre for Chemical Pesticides (CKB) at SLU and responsible for the CKB-project area “Methods to reduce the risk of spread of pesticides to the environment”.

Refereed Publications

In total 40 primary publications and 3 book chapters.

Publications 1998-2010

Stenberg, B., Johansson, M., Pell, M., Sjödahl-Svensson, K., Stenström, J. &Torstensson, L. 1998. Microbial biomass and activities in soil as affected by frozen and cold storage. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 30, 393-402.

Bergström, L. & Stenström, J. 1998. Environmental fate of chemicals in soil. AMBIO 27, 16-23.

Stenström, J., Stenberg, B. & Johansson, M. 1998. Kinetics of substrate-induced respiration (SIR): Theory. AMBIO 27, 35-39.

Johansson, M., Pell, M. & Stenström, J. 1998. Kinetics of substrate-induced respiration (SIR) and denitrification: Applications to a soil amended with     silver. AMBIO 27, 40-44.

Castillo, M., Ander, P., Stenström, J. & Torstensson, L. 2000 Degradation of the herbicide bentazon as related to enzyme production by Phanerochaete chrysosporium in two solid substrate fermentation systems. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 16 (3), 289-295.

Stenström, J., Svensson, K. & Johansson, M. 2001. Reversible transition between active and dormant microbial states in soil. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 36 (2-3), 93-104.

Castillo, M., Andersson, A., Ander, P., Stenström, J. & Torstensson, L. 2001. Establishment of the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium on unsterile straw of solid substrate fermentation systems intended for degradation of pesticides. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 17, 627-633.

Torstensson, L., Cederlund, H., Börjesson, E. & Stenström, J. 2002. Environmental problems with the use of diuron on Swedish railways. Pesticide Outlook 13, 108-111.

Börjesson, E., Stenström, J. , Johnsson, L.& Torstensson, L. 2003. Comparison of triticonazole dissipation after seed or soil treatment. Journal of Environmental Quality 32, 1258-1261.

Börjesson, E., Torstensson, L. & Stenström, J. 2004. The fate of imazapyr in a Swedish railway embankment Pest Management Science 60, 544-549.

Cederlund, H. & Stenström, J. 2004. Microbial biomass and activity on railway track and embankments. Pest Management Science 60, 550-555.  

Lindahl, A., Kreuger, J., Stenström, J., Gärdenäs, A., Alavi, G., Roulier, S. & Jarvis, N. 2005. Stochastic modeling of diffuse pesticide losses from a small agricultural catchment. Journal of Environmental Quality 34 (4): 1174-1185.

Pizzul, L., Castillo, M. & Stenström, J. 2006. Characterization of selected actinomycetes degrading polyaromatic hydrocarbons in liquid culture and spiked soil. World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology, 22 (7), 745-752.

Jarvis, N.J., Almqvist, S., Stenström, J., Börjesson, E., Jonsson, E. & Torstensson, L. 2006. Modelling the leaching of imazapyr in a railway embankment. Pest Management Science 62 (10), 940-946.

Pizzul, L., Castillo, M & Stenström, J. 2007. Effect of rapeseed oil on the degradation of PAH in soil by Rhodococcus wratislaviensis. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 59, 111–118.

Cederlund, H., Börjesson, E., Önneby, K. and Stenström, J. 2007. Metabolic and cometabolic degradation of herbicides in fine material of railway ballast. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Volume 39 (2), 473-484.

Pizzul, L., Sjögren, Å, Castillo, M. & Stenström, J. 2007. Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil by a two-step sequential treatment. Biodegradation 18, 607–616.

Enwall, K., Nyberg, K., Bertilsson, S., Cederlund, H., Stenström, J. and Hallin, S. 2007. Long-term impact of fertilization on activity and composition of bacterial communities and metabolic guilds in agricultural soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry  39(1), 106-115.

Unell, M., Nordin, K., Jernberg, C., Stenström, J. & Jansson, J. 2008. Degradation of mixtures of phenolic compounds by Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus A6. Biodegradation 19, 495–505.

Cederlund, H., Thierfelder, T. and Stenström, J. 2008. Functional microbial diversity of the railway track bed. Science of the Total Environment, 397, 205-214, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.02.041.

Castillo, MdP, Torstensson, L. & Stenström, J. 2008. Biobeds for environmental protection from pesticide use - A review. J. Agric. Food Chem. 56(15), 6206–6219.

Pizzul, L., Castillo, MdP & Stenström, J. 2009. Degradation of glyphosate and other pesticides by ligninolytic enzymes. Biodegradation 20(6), 751-759.

Larsbo, M., Stenström, J., Etana, A., Börjesson, E. & Jarvis, N.J. 2009. Herbicide sorption, degradation, and leaching in three Swedish soils under long-term conventional and reduced tillage. Soil and Tillage Research 105:200-208.

Önneby, K., Jonsson, A. & Stenström, J. 2010. A new concept for reduction of diffuse contamination by simultaneous application of pesticide and pesticide-degrading microorganisms. Biodegradation 21(1), 21-29, DOI 10.1007/s10532-009-9278-7.

Bergström, L. & Stenström, J. Laboratory and lysimeter studies of glyphosate and AMPA in a sand and a clay soil. Submitted to Journal of Environmental Quality.