Lab member Barbara Baraibar wins the first prize on the annual post-doc research poster competition
September 2017. Barbara Baraibar, a post-doc within the lab won the fist prize on the 10th Annual Post-doc Research Exhibition held at Penn State on September 22nd. Barbara presented a poster entitled: "What you plant is not always what you get: how planting date and nutrients affect cover crop mixture expression and weediness" about her work on cover crop cocktails (see our work for more details on the project). Co-authors of this poster were Brosi Bradley and Charlie White, from the Kaye lab at Penn State. Congrats Barbara!!
New paper from the lab highlights how shale gas development spurs the spread of invasive plants in Pa. forests
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July 2017. Lab members Katy Barlow and Dave Mortensen and alumni Kristine Averill just published a paper in Journal of Environmental Management that shows how non-native plants are rapidly invading Pennsylvania's northern forests and establishes a link between new invasions and shale gas development activity. In the picture you can see Japanese stiltgrass, or Microstegium, which is one of the most common invasive plants in Pennsylvania, and is often seen around shale gas well pads and access roads. It establishes dense stands in forest understory and chokes out native vegetation.
See the news report here or check the abstract. |
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New article in CSA News highlighting cover crop mixtures work
May 2017. Lab member Mitch Hunter and collaborator Ebony Murrell were quoted in an article highlighting results from the Cover Crop Cocktails project. The article appeared in CSA News, the magazine of the Agronomy, Crop Science, and Soil Science Societies.
New paper on Bioscience challenges the widely accepted vision of agricultural production needs for 2050
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February 2017. "Food production must double by 2050 to feed the world's growing population." This truism has been repeated so often in recent years that it has become widely accepted among academics, policymakers and farmers, but now researchers from our lab are challenging this assertion and suggesting a new vision for the future of agriculture. Check the press release and the abstract for more information.
This paper was picked up in ScienceDaily and Agweb.com and featured in a short video by Market to Market, from the Iowa Public Television. |
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Dave Mortensen appointed to the National Organic Standards Board
January 2017. Lab leader Dave Mortensen has been appointed to the National Organic Standards Board by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Dave will serve a five-year term on the board as a farming systems ecotoxicology expert. For more information click here
Lab member Melanie Kammerer Allen passed her Candidacy Exam! Congratulations, Melanie!
November 2016.
Success at the 2016 American Society of Agronomy Meeting!
Lab member Mitch Hunter was awarded first place in the grad student competition at the Global Climate Change community oral session, which took place on November 7th at the American Society of Agronomy meeting in Phoenix, AZ. He presented a talk titled "Cover Crops and Drought: Implications for Climate Resilience." Congrats, Mitch!
Success at the 2016 Northeast Weed Science Society Contest!
Lab members Mitch Hunter and Jess Bunchek, along with other graduate and undergraduate students, traveled to Blacksburg, VA to participate in the Northeast Weed Science Society contest at Virginia Tech on July 26th. The grad student team took home 3rd place and Mitch Hunter came in 2nd as an individual. Congrats!
Student Farm in the News!
June 2016. The work of the Student Farm Club on their new 1-acre site was chronicled in the Centre Daily Times on June 25, 2016. Read the article here!
A delegation of Argentinian organic producers and advisors visit the Research Farm to learn about cover crops
June 2016. A delegation of 10 organic farmers, members of certification companies and advisors from Argentina visited the Rock Springs Research Farm to learn about cover crop mixtures and reduced tillage practices in organic agriculture. Weed lab members Dave Mortensen and Barbara Baraibar presented some of the main findings of the cover crop cocktails project (see Our Work section for more details), regarding weed suppression and cover crop multifunctionality. Researchers from other groups, who are also part of this multi-disciplinary project, presented results on nitrogen management by cover crop mixtures (Charlie White and Felipe Montes), insect and beneficial pests (Karly Regan), entomopathogenic fungi (Puneet Randawa) and the on-farm component of our research (Ebony Murrell). Both researchers and visitors enjoyed a day of co-learning in a very nice atmosphere that prompted discussion, questions and friendship.
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Dave Mortensen discusses "The future of farming" in a PBS program
April 2016. Dave Mortensen participated in the TV program Conversations Live with Patty Satalia. The title of the program was "The Future of Farming" and participants discussed public perception of GMOs, pesticide safety, and the role of technology in farming. Other panelists included Dr. Richard Roush, Dean of the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, and Dr. Troy Ott, Professor of Reproductive Physiology in the Department of Animal Science.
Lab member Mitch Hunter passed his Comprehensive Exam! Congratulations Mitch!!
April 2016.
April 2016.
Lab member Mitch Hunter received The Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award
April 2016. Agronomy graduate student in the Mortensen lab, Mitch Hunter, received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Graduate School and the Office of the Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Education. Mitch co-taught the Plant Ecology course with Dave Mortensen in 2013 and 2014, and greatly contributed to redesigning the course to be relevant to student needs in the College of Agriculture.
April 2016. Agronomy graduate student in the Mortensen lab, Mitch Hunter, received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Graduate School and the Office of the Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Education. Mitch co-taught the Plant Ecology course with Dave Mortensen in 2013 and 2014, and greatly contributed to redesigning the course to be relevant to student needs in the College of Agriculture.
Finicky deer avoid some invasive plants, promoting spread
April 2016. Former PhD student Kristine Averill together with other Penn State researchers have just published a paper in Biological Invasions entitled "Deer feeding selectivity for invasive plants" where they report how preferential foraging by deer can cause some invasive species to spread. Click here to go to the Abstract of the paper and the news release. This paper was also picked up in ScienceDaily.
April 2016. Former PhD student Kristine Averill together with other Penn State researchers have just published a paper in Biological Invasions entitled "Deer feeding selectivity for invasive plants" where they report how preferential foraging by deer can cause some invasive species to spread. Click here to go to the Abstract of the paper and the news release. This paper was also picked up in ScienceDaily.
Lab member Katy Barlow received Penn State's 2016 Frank A. Andersen Ecology Travel Award
April 2016. Ecology graduate student in the Mortensen lab, Katy Barlow, received the Andersen Award to attend and present her research at the 7th International Weed Science Congress in Prague, Czech Republic. Katy will give an oral presentation of her work on restoring native plant communities on highly disturbed soils.
April 2016. Ecology graduate student in the Mortensen lab, Katy Barlow, received the Andersen Award to attend and present her research at the 7th International Weed Science Congress in Prague, Czech Republic. Katy will give an oral presentation of her work on restoring native plant communities on highly disturbed soils.
Dicamba herbicide drift affects non-target plants and pollinators
December 2015. Dave Mortensen is a co-author of a new paper in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry entitled "Effects of the herbicide dicamba on non-target plants and pollinator visitation". The results of the study reveal that application of dicamba inhibited or delayed flowering in common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), resulting in significantly reduced visitation by insect species, including honeybees (pollinators) and syrphid flies (natural enemies). Look at the full story in Science Daily
December 2015. Dave Mortensen is a co-author of a new paper in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry entitled "Effects of the herbicide dicamba on non-target plants and pollinator visitation". The results of the study reveal that application of dicamba inhibited or delayed flowering in common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), resulting in significantly reduced visitation by insect species, including honeybees (pollinators) and syrphid flies (natural enemies). Look at the full story in Science Daily
Scientist Says Biotech Companies Encouraging GMO-Herbicide Treadmill
The Organic and Non-GMO Report published an interview with Dave Mortensen in April, 2012 discussing the ways in which the rise of weeds resistant to glyphosate is leading biotechnology companies to develop more genetically modified crops that are tolerant to older, more toxic herbicides such as 2,4-D and Dicamba.
Integrated Weed Management Best Response to Herbicide Resistance
Published by Science Daily in February, 2012, the article describes concerns regarding herbicide use, which can result in pesticide-resistant weeds. The following PSA further details this issue.
