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Dr. Samira Islas Valdez

  • Postdoctoral Scholar - Department of Agricultural Sciences

Biography and expertise

Dr. Samira Islas-Valdez serves as a Postdoctoral Scholar and Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Sciences at Texas State University. Before her current role, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Colorado State University, where her research focused on isolating phosphate- and zinc-solubilizing microbes and evaluating synthetic root exudates to improve phosphorus solubilization in phosphorus-deficient soils. Dr. Islas-Valdez earned her PhD in Agricultural Chemistry from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain). During her doctoral studies, she employed spectroscopic and fractionation techniques to characterize micronutrient complexes used as fertilizers to correct iron and manganese deficiencies in crops grown in hydroponic systems and calcareous soils.

Education

Doctorate Degree

PhD in Agricultural Chemistry

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 2019

Research Interests

  • Carlson, P., Islas Valdez, S., Wagner, N. C., & (Waliczek) Cade, T. M. (2026). Investigating Different Soil Amendments as Peat Alternatives. HortScience.
  • Carlson, P., Islas Valdez, S., Wagner, N. C., & (Waliczek) Cade, T. M. (2026). Investigating Different Soil Amendments as Peat Alternatives.
  • Islas Valdez, S., Peterson, R. L., Wagner, N. C., & Runiano, R. (2026). Preliminary Assessment of Commercial Biofertilizers as Biocontrol Agents of Oak Wilt. Microbiology Research, 17(6), 115. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/17/6/115
  • Islas Valdez, S., Sproull, R. K., Sumners, T., & Wagner, N. C. (2025). Effect of Organic Amendments and Biostimulants on Zucchini Yield and Fruit Quality Under Alkaline Conditions. Agriculture, 15(19), 2078. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15192078
  • Islas Valdez, S., Afkairin, A., Rovner, B., & Vivanco, J. M. (2024). Isolation of Diverse Phosphate- and Zinc-Solubilizing Microorganisms from Different Environments. Applied Microbiology, 4(3), 1042–1056. https://doi.org/10.3390/applmicrobiol4030071
View all scholarly/creative works
  1. Reviewer / Referee

    Frontiers in Microbiology

  2. Reviewer / Referee

    Applied Soil Ecology

  3. Reviewer / Referee

    Agronomy Journal

  4. Reviewer / Referee

    Plants