Federal University of Grande Dourados Brazil
Dr. Débora Pantojo de Souza is an agronomic engineer, professor, and researcher with expertise in agricultural systems engineering, currently serving as a Visiting Professor at the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), Brazil. She holds a Ph.D. in Sciences from the University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), focusing on modeling productive and soil water dynamics in forage systems. With extensive academic and practical experience, she has served in various educational and research roles, including fellowships at USP, teaching positions at UNESP, IFRO, and UEMS, and research with Embrapa Southeast Livestock. Passionate about sustainable agriculture and soil management, she combines technical excellence with a proactive and creative approach to knowledge dissemination. Her professional activities also include content development, supervision of student theses, and collaboration with continuing education programs. Dr. Souza’s work reflects a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and quality education in agricultural sciences.
Profile
🎓 Education
Dr. Débora Pantojo de Souza earned her Ph.D. in Sciences (Agricultural Systems Engineering) from ESALQ/USP in 2021, with a dissertation on APSIM modeling for forage species. She completed her Master’s in Agricultural Systems Engineering from ESALQ/USP in 2017, researching water consumption and biometric parameters in irrigated pasture systems. Her undergraduate degree in Agronomic Engineering was obtained from UNESP-FCA in 2014, where her thesis focused on nutrient fixation using treated sewage in furrow irrigation. She further specialized with an MBA in Project Management from ESALQ/USP, completed in 2018, examining economic returns of overseeding in irrigated pastures. She is currently pursuing a postgraduate specialization in Geoprocessing and Soil Survey at UFRRJ (2024–2025). Her academic background demonstrates a strong interdisciplinary foundation in engineering, agronomy, and management, with a focus on water-soil-plant interactions, sustainable land use, and technical training in geospatial and agricultural technologies.
💼 Experience
Dr. Débora de Souza has accumulated diverse professional experience across research, higher education, and technical education. She began her career as a CAPES research fellow at USP during her master’s and doctoral studies (2015–2020), focusing on agricultural systems. She later worked as a freelance associate at IPECEGE, supervising final papers in agribusiness and project management. Between 2020 and 2023, she held several substitute lecturer roles at UNESP, IFRO, and UEMS, teaching agronomy-related disciplines remotely and in person. She also taught technical-level agronomy courses at Centro Paula Souza institutions. She contributed to curriculum development for Platos Educação and continues to supervise postgraduate work at Sollo Agro (USP). Currently, she holds a CNPq-funded research fellowship at Embrapa Southeast Livestock and serves as a Visiting Professor at UFGD. Her experience spans extension, research, content development, and academic mentorship, reflecting a comprehensive background in education and sustainable agriculture.
🔬 Research Focus
Dr. Débora Pantojo de Souza’s research centers on sustainable agricultural systems, soil-plant-water relationships, and pasture management. Her Ph.D. work involved calibrating APSIM models to simulate soil moisture and forage productivity under different crop systems, providing critical insights into sustainable land and water use in tropical agriculture. Her master’s research examined water consumption in irrigated Urochloa brizantha systems, contributing to understanding efficient pasture irrigation strategies. She has also studied the use of treated sewage for nutrient fixation in common bean crops and assessed the economic viability of pasture overseeding. Currently, at Embrapa Southeast Livestock, she is involved in research focused on soil conservation, forage systems, and technological development for livestock agriculture. She remains active in academic supervision, extension, and publication, with a commitment to applied science that supports environmental stewardship, productivity, and resilience in Brazilian agroecosystems. Her interdisciplinary work integrates agronomy, engineering, and management tools for practical field solutions.
Conclusion
Débora Pantojo de Souza demonstrates a well-rounded and impactful profile that aligns strongly with the criteria for the Young Researcher Award. Her academic rigor, applied research on sustainable agricultural systems, and dedication to teaching and mentorship make her a promising contributor to the future of agronomic science and sustainability. Strengthening her international footprint and research dissemination will further enhance her trajectory toward becoming a leading figure in agricultural engineering.
Publication
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Title: Parameterization of the APSIM-Oats model for simulating the growth of black oat cultivated for forage purposes under cut-and-carry management
Year: 2025 (Published online: 2024-11-08)
Authors: Débora Pantojo de Souza, Cristiam Bosi, Fernando Campos Mendonça, José Ricardo Macedo Pezzopane
DOI: 10.4025/actasciagron.v47i1.69505
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Title: Economic and Financial Viability of Biofortified Sweetpotato Production in Nova Soure – Bahia
Year: 2023
Authors: Claudio Eduardo Cartabiano Leite, Micael Andrade da Costa, André Ricardo Zeist, Débora Pantojo de Souza
DOI: 10.11648/j.plant.20231104.11
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Title: Bermudagrass “Tifton 85” sazonality production during the year with and non-irrigated up different doses nitrogenadas in southern of Brazil
Year: 2023
Authors: Arthur C. Sanches, Fernanda L. F. de Jesus, Eder P. Gomes, Max E. Rickli, Rodrigo C. Santos, Fagner L. Theodoro, Débora P. de Souza, et al.
DOI: 10.1007/s12517-023-11427-9
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Title: APSIM‐Tropical Pasture model parameterization for simulating Marandu palisade grass growth and soil water in irrigated and rainfed cut‐and‐carry systems
Year: 2022
Authors: Débora Pantojo de Souza, Fernando C. Mendonça, Cristiam Bosi, José R. M. Pezzopane, Patricia M. Santos
DOI: 10.1111/gfs.12560
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Title: CROP COEFFICIENT OF MARANDU PALISADE GRASS: AN APPROACH INVOLVING LEAF AREA INDEX AND CANOPY HEIGHT
Year: 2021
Authors: Débora P. de Souza, Arthur C. Sanches, Fernando C. Mendonça, Felipe G. Pilau, Fernanda L. F. de Jesus
DOI: 10.15809/irriga.2021v26n4p924-937
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Title: Crop coefficient estimated by degree-days for ‘Marandu’ palisadegrass and mixed forage
Year: 2021
Authors: Débora P. de Souza, Arthur C. Sanches, Fernando C. Mendonça, José R. M. Pezzopane, Danielle M. Amorim, Fernanda L. F. de Jesus
DOI: 10.48162/rev.39.041
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Title: Thermal time in nitrogen and boron application on irrigated Mombaça grass “Guinea grass”
Year: 2021
Authors: Fernanda L. F. de Jesus, Arthur C. Sanches, Débora P. de Souza, Fernando C. Mendonça, et al.
DOI: 10.15446/dyna.v88n219.93036
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Title: Production and water-use efficiency of Megathyrsus maximus cv. Mombaça “Guinea grass” under nitrogen and boron doses
Year: 2021
Authors: Fernanda L. F. de Jesus, Arthur C. Sanches, Fernando C. Mendonça, Adriano B. Pacheco, Débora P. de Souza, et al.
DOI: 10.5433/1679-0359.2021v42n4p2217
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Title: Crop coefficients of tropical forage crops, single cropped and overseeded with black oat and ryegrass
Year: 2019
Authors: Arthur C. Sanches, Débora P. de Souza, Fernanda L. F. de Jesus, Fernando C. Mendonça, Eder P. Gomes
DOI: 10.1590/1678-992x-2017-0386
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Title: Comparison of water consumption estimates for tropical and winter forages by FDR probes and weighing lysimeters
Year: 2019
Authors: Arthur C. Sanches, Débora P. de Souza, Fernanda L. F. de Jesus, Fernando C. Mendonça, Eder P. Gomes, José R. M. Pezzopane
DOI: 10.5433/1679-0359.2019v40n3p1115
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Title: Yield and biometry of palisadegrass throughout the seasons of the year
Year: 2018
Authors: Débora P. de Souza et al.
DOI: 10.21475/ajcs.18.12.12.p1160
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Title: CARACTERÍSTICAS PRODUTIVAS DE TRÊS ESPÉCIES FORRAGEIRAS IRRIGADAS
Year: 2018
Authors: Débora P. de Souza, Arthur C. Sanches, Fernando C. Mendonça, Rodolfo G. Maffei, Pedro J. Catto
DOI: 10.15809/irriga.2016v1n1p99-107
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Title: CARACTERÍSTICAS PRODUTIVAS DE TRÊS ESPÉCIES FORRAGEIRAS IRRIGADAS
Year: 2016
Authors: Débora P. de Souza et al.
DOI: 10.15809/irriga.2016v1n1
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Title: Influência da fertirrigação por sulco utilizando água residuária e diferentes níveis de adubação na produtividade do feijoeiro
Year: 2015
Authors: Débora P. de Souza et al.
DOI: 10.15809/irriga.2015v20n2p348