Research Projects
Research Projects
Caleb Perkin
Caleb Perkin's masters project focuses on preventing a late season frogeye leafspot infection in Connecticut broadleaf tobacco through fungicide applications and differing topping heights. Caleb is a MS student with Dr. Andy Bailey.
Jordyn Bush
Drone image of Jordyn Bush, M.S. student with Dr. Chris Teutsch, with her plots. These plots are planted to known percentages of tall fescue and crabgrass and we are using visual imagery to quantify warm and cool season grass percentages. This will be applied large scale in pasture systems to detect and monitor warm season grass encroachment using digital photography, drone images, and satellite images.
Kelly Mercier
Increasing biodiversity has often been linked to increased productivity, but this does not always translate when using improved forage varieties. My research is a whole system approach to evaluating the agronomic, ecologic, and economic differences of calves grazing diverse summer annual forages as compared to a monoculture. ~ Kelly Mercier, IPSS student with Dr. Chris Teutsch
Rebecca McGrail
"My research evaluates the mechanisms by which fixed, organic phosphorus held in plant roots of a winter wheat cover crop becomes available to the successive corn crop. In the photo above, I am using a root scanner to image corn roots in situ and visually track growth and turnover with time." ~Rebecca McGrail, IPSS student with Dr. David McNear
Jarrad Gollihue
Barrels for bourbon production is a multidisciplinary area involving forestry, plant and food sciences. The barrel produces the unique flavor found in bourbon whiskey. Using our expertise in biology and chemistry we are learning how to control the flavors in barrels, giving producers greater control. ~ Jarrad Gollihue, IPSS graduate student with Dr. Seth DeBolt
Juan Ignacio Di Salvo
“Understanding which management practices could help us to increase corn yield productivity and stability is a key factor in the context of a world growing population. My research focus, in testing the effect of contrasting hybrid maturities on yield productivity and stability, in rain-fed as well as irrigated environments.” ~ Juan Ignacio Di Salvo, Master student with Dr Montse, Salmeron.
Cintia Sciarresi
Glyphosate resistant weeds has become one of the major problems in crop production, increasing production costs. Winter cover crops could be used as an IPM tool to control these hard to control weeds. However, one of the major problems is cover crop establishment and biomass production before the onset of cold temperatures. My research studies how we can advance planting date of cover crops to increase its growing window and biomass production by using short season soybean varieties in the crop rotation. ~ Cintia Sciarresi, IPSS M.S. student with Dr. Montse Salmeron
Mohammad Alsabri
In this photo, Mohammad Alsabri is presenting his research at a conference in Chicago. In addition to growth stimulation, we have also isolated a bacterial strain that has herbicidal properties. We made Through a collaboration with the UK School of Pharmacy at UK (Dr. Jon Thorson’s Lab) we have separated the metabolites from this strain and we are in on our way towards identifying the mechanism by which this strain is suppressing weed growth." ~ Mohammad Alsabri, IPSS student working with Dr. Seth DeBolt and Dr. Mark Williams
W. Jesse Carmack
“Flour is made from wheat, people eat things made of flour, and most people, me included, want to eat things made out of flour that does not contain harmful mycotoxins. Providing contaminant free flour to a growing population requires continuous improvement of wheat varieties grown by farmers. My research is centered around developing wheat varieties that are more resistant to head scab, a fungal disease of wheat that leads to the accumulation of vomitoxin. Techniques I am using to provide farmers with better performing varieties include: phenotypic mass selection using a high-throughput optical seed sorter, genomic assisted phenotypic predictions, and accelerated plant reproduction using high-intensity LED lighting.” ~ W. Jesse Carmack, a PhD student working with Dr. David A. Van Sanford
Mohammad Dawood
My research at the University of Kentucky focuses on breeding tomatoes against pests and and with higher phenolic content, which could perhaps lead to improvement of human diets or in plant disease resistance. ~ Mohammad Dawood, IPSS Ph.D. student with Dr. John Snyder
Ran Tian
"Seeds make up around 70% of the human diet directly, so understanding regulatory mechanisms to generate a seed, and the embryo it contains, is fundamentally important. My research focus on several gene and protein families that are involved in the embryo development, especially the transition to seedling development in Arabidopsis and Soybean." ~ Ran Tian, IPSS graduate student with Dr. Sharyn Perry.
Andrea Kenney
“My research focuses on dark air-cured, dark fire-cured and burley tobacco and how different potassium fertilizer sources and rates effect certain aspects of the crop. This project specifically evaluates the effects of potassium chloride and potassium sulfate at 100, 200, 300 lbs ac-1 on yield, quality and TSNA (Tobacco Specific Nitrosamines) levels.” ~ Andrea Kenney, IPSS student with Dr. Andy Bailey. In this photo, she is presenting her research at a conference in China.
Katherine Rod
"My research focuses on improving Kentucky’s winter wheat and double crop soybean system. In my winter wheat studies I am evaluating different agronomic practices to decrease a mycotoxin of deoxynivalenol (DON) in soft red winter wheat. I am also evaluating intensive management practices of double crop soybeans to increase yield and profitability for Kentucky farmers." ~ Katherine Rod, IPSS graduate student with Dr. Carrie Knott.
