Crop and Ecosystem Sciences

Weed management in vegetable crops and small fruits as well as weed seed physiology and seed bank ecology

Using a mechanistic understanding of plant-soil interactions to increase our understanding and effective management of: ecosystem services, plant invasions, restoration, plant community composition, biogeochemical cycling, global change, grazing systems, ecosystem response to wildfire, and resilience of ecosystem structure and function

Management of commercial flower and nursery crops; nutrition of ornamental plants; container soil-plant interactions; propagation, production, and field establishment of plants

Sensory quality perception of fresh fruit and nuts in relation to postharvest technologies and handling, with the goal to deliver high-quality commodities to the consumer.

Urban and Landscape Ecology. Linking landscape pattern to ecosystem function and understanding how human activities alter that link

Biophysics and ecology of plant adaptations to environmental stress and change. Water relations, gas exchange, stomata

Alfalfa breeding and genomics and improvement of other forage crops; Wild rice breeding

Crop/plant modeling

Melvin D. Androus Endowed Professor - Conducts research and education programs on weed ecology, integrated weed management, and pesticide drift.