Students at Cornell’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station conduct research that is varied and far-reaching. On June 23 in Jordan Hall, a few of those postdoctoral fellows and graduate students gave a glimpse into their impressive research efforts during the inaugural New York State Agricultural Experiment Station Research Symposium.
Organized by graduate students Ashley Leach and Elizabeth Cieniewicz, the symposium featured 14 researchers from CALS’ School of Integrative Plant Scienceand Department of Entomology. Though bonded by their passion for safer and more effective agricultural practices, each of the presenters had their own specific areas of expertise, from insect vectors of Grapevine red blotch-associated virus to the destruction of ecological ecosystems under golf turf.
The eclectic interests of the researchers was in part the reason why Leach and Cieniewicz saw a need for the symposium.
“Our student group, Students Association of the Geneva Experiment Station (SAGES), wanted to organize this event for several reasons: to foster more collaboration among our departments, to provide a means for graduate students and postdocs to practice presentations for upcoming conferences, and to provide our Summer Scholars with a broad overview of current research at NYSAES,” said Cieniewicz. “Thanks to a group effort from the presenters and the audience, all three goals were achieved. We are excited to make the Symposium a NYSAES tradition.”
Funding for the Symposium was provided by the NYSAES Director’s Excellence Fund.
“I’m exceptionally proud of our students and postdoctoral fellows and their research, which will impact agriculture across New York and beyond,” said Susan Brown, the Goichman Family Director of NYSAES. “The symposium showcased the quality of our next generation of researchers and educators. It was a pleasure to provide this group with a platform to present their research and the experience of organizing a symposium. They did a stellar job at both.”
The following students presented at the symposium:
- Anna Wallingford, Alternate Spring Time Diets For Adult Feeding in Overwintered, Spotted-wing Drosophilia: Postdoctoral associate Anna Wallingford focused her most recent research on understanding the mating practices of spotted-wing Drosophila (SWD), invasive pests that lay their eggs in and subsequently devastate commercially important crops like raspberries, blueberries and cherries. By evaluating the food sources available to SWD in the spring, Wallingford and her team were able to determine which sources contributed the most to egg maturation and delay the reproductive process of the flies.
- Megan Hall, Understanding and Managing Sour Rot in Grapes: One of the many afflictions grapes face is sour rot, a disease characterized by rotting of the grape berry, an inundation of Drosophila fruit flies and the pungent smell of acetic acid. Hall’s multifaceted project included studying the disease by recreating its symptoms on healthy grapes in the lab in addition to treating infected grapes in field trials. Hall concluded that sour rot is spurred by a combination of Drosophila, yeast and bacteria and that reducing the presence of these organisms can mitigate the development of sour rot.
- Larissa Osterbaan, Further characterization of a symptom determinant of Grapevine fanleaf virus: Larissa Osterbaan is studying Grapevine fanleaf virus, the ruinous virus responsible for the onset of Fanleaf degeneration. While the symptoms of GFLV-infected vines are obvious, the host pathogen interactions that lead to their development are little understood . By infecting the host plant Nicotiana benthamiana with symptomatic and asymptomatic strains of the virus, Osterbaan found that symptoms of the virus will only occur when it has a 408-nucleotide sequence at the 3’ end of its RNAI.
- Michael Wolfin, Olfactory Mediated Responses to host- and non- host plant odors by grape berry moth females (Paralobesia vitiana): Michael Wolfin set out to uncover what role olfactory attraction plays in the predator-prey relationship. He used the grape berry moth Paralobesia vitiana and its host plant, the grape, as well as a non-host plant, the apple, to identify the compounds that affect moth behavior. Further research is being conducted to determine how different mixtures propel moths to act antagonistically.
- Al Kovaleski, Imaging Grapevine Buds Using E-ray Phase Contrast: Most plants that are located in higher altitudes experience freezing of their tissues. However, there is a possibility that some plants have developed their own freezing tolerance mechanisms in response to this overwintering. Observing these mechanisms is difficult, given the opacity and delicacy of the plants. Previously two-dimensional equipment was used to visualize the structures within plants, but this technology proved ineffective for observing the interiors of grapevine buds. Al Kovaleski has adjusted this technology and now uses different programming to construct 3-dimensional versions of grapevines and conceptualize their anatomies,
- Elizabeth Cieniewicz, Investigating the Spread of Grapevine Red Blotch-Associated Virus: Grapevine red blotch-associated virus (GRBaV), and particularly to what extent it is transmitted in vineyards, is of major concern to the grape industry. In her attempt to allay this anxiety, Elizabeth Cieniewicz centered her research around possible insect vectors of GRBaV. Cieniewicz completed a census of the hemipteran insects in a California vineyard. She found that of the 50 species screened, only four species regularly carried elements of the virus. Ongoing research is now being performed to further understand the transmission of the virus and to develop proper management strategies that will curtail it.
- Konstantin Divilov, Computer Vision for High-Thoroughput Quantification of Downy Mildew Severity: Konstantin Divilov and team have introduced new technology that may lead to grapevines’ consistent resistance to downy mildew. In the past, leaf disc assays were used for controlled phenotyping and to quantify the severity of Downy Mildew sporulation. Divilov has instead developed Python scripts that produce digital photographs of leaf discs and allow for the phenotyping of a greater number of genotypes than the original technology.
- Tessa Lessord, Evaluation of Native Entomopathogenic Nematodes for Biological Control of Plum Curculio in New York Apple Orchards: Tessa Lessord is on a hunt for an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical insecticides. For her research, Lessord observed entomopathogenic nematodes and their ability to combat the infestation of Plum Curculio, snout beetles that spend the majority of their lives in close contact with the soil. The data she collected on soil texture and water, carbon and nitrogen content will be used to determine how to make entomopathogenic worms a feasible alternative for pest control.
- Huijie Gan, Intensive Pest Management on Golf Turf Compromises Belowground Biota and Ecological Services: Lurking underneath the turfgrass we play golf on live soil biota, organisms that are critical to ecological functions like litter decomposition and nutrient mineralization. Interested in how the maintenance of this turfgrass interferes with the biota’s ability to execute their distinct functions, Huijie Gan studied soil biota in a multitude of habitats from highly maintained golf courses to naturally grassy areas. She found that this maintenance has dire repercussions on soil ecosystems.
- Ashley Leach, Implementing a Threshold Based insecticide Program on New York Onion Farms: It’s not just the onions that make people cry; it’s the practices of the onion farmers too. A 2015 survey found that over 50% of New York onion growers do not use action thresholds when applying insecticides to manage onion thrips. In response, Ashley Leach was integral in executing an onion thrips management program during which she and her team provided farmers with specifics regarding the onion thrip density in their farms and recommendations for insecticide use. By its end, about half of the farmers either fully or partially adopted the program. She is still working to encourage farmers to make less insecticide applications.
- Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris, Effects of Prior Cropping History on Natural Enemy Populations in Processing Sweet Corn: When monocultures of a crop are planted, the diversity and abundance of resources available to natural enemies are negatively affected. With this in mind, Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris wanted to determine the effect of processing sweet corn intensity, agricultural landscape, and other management practices on the diversity of natural enemies. Her and her team studied 34 processing sweet corn fields of varying processing sweet corn intensity. By placing sticky cards in the fields and executing post hoc analyses, Schmidt-Jeffris was able to monitor natural enemy populations. She discovered that sweet corn planting intensity affected the abundance of natural enemies, but not necessarily their diversity.
- Maryn Carlson, Genetic Dynamics and Mating Type Inheritance in an Experimental Overwintering Biparental Population of Phytophthora Capsici: Both A1 and A2 mating types of Phytophthora Capsici produce a wealth of overwintering populations. Fascinated by their prevalence, Maryn Carlson took to studying the species on an inoculated farm and discovered 159 unique genotypes among an original pool of 233 isolated Phytophthora Capsici. Further investigation regarding the species’s genetic changes and evolution could lead to better management strategies.
- Claire Zoellner, Risk Factors For Prevalence and Concentration of Indicator Microorganisms on Fresh Tomatoes in the Post-Harvest Supply Chain: At what point in the supply chain are crops the most susceptible to becoming contaminated? Claire Zoellner’s project was structured around this very question. Zoellner logged the microbial count of aerobic mesophiles (APC), total coliforms (TC) and yeast/molds (YM) on the surface of Roma tomatoes. She ascertained that the microbial count was highest at packinghouse and retail locations and that the length of time tomatoes are traveling through a supply chain has an effect of their quality. Zoellner hopes to use this data to develop risk assessment models.
- Miller da Silva Lehner, Sensitivity of Sclerotina sclerotiorum from New York to Boscalid, Fluaxinam and thiophanate-methyl: Miller da Silva Lehner was concerned with Sclerotina sclerotiorum, the plant pathogenic fungus that causes white mold in snap, common and lima beans. In order to assess the sensitivity of the fungus to fungicides, he observed the effect different levels of boscalid, fluaxinam and thiophanate-methyl had on Sclerotina sclerotiorum. He concluded that adherence to the fungicide restistance management guidelines would be required in order to prevent the emergence of resistance types of the fungi.
Gwen Aviles ’17 is a student writer for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
