Research Briefs Published by NHAES Scientists

New research on the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) show that both farmed and wild oyster filter nitrogen from the water, processing the element in their shells and soft tissues and helping reducing cases of eutrophication. In a recent paper, scientists showed that oysters and other shellfish can help complement land-based nutrient management practices, such as upgrades to wastewater treatment plants around New Hampshire’s Great Bay estuary to reduce nitrogen output.

With over 700,000 pounds produced and $2.3 million in farm sales, strawberries are an important crop for New Hampshire farmers. But improving the cultivated strawberry through breeding is particularly challenging. The cultivated strawberries has four times as many chromosome sets as humans, animals and most other crops, which significantly increases its genomic complexity. Research to untangle the plant's genetic structure will enable scientists to more quickly and effectively develop cultivated strawberry varieties that help New England farmers be more resilient and successful.

When it comes to crop rotations, complexity is key to boosting levels of nitrogen—a soil nutrient that is critical to crop production. That's according to new research involving NHAES Station scientist and professor of natural resources and the environment Stuart Grandy.

In greenhouse production, plants are not typically grown in soil but in soilless growth substrates. For decades, peat moss has been the primary substrate for container-grown ornamentals and for some vegetable crops. However, substrate suppliers have faced unprecedented demand, which has led to product shortages and an inability to fulfill orders. Substrate manufacturers have identified wood byproducts to be some of the most promising alternative sources of raw materials to use in substrate formulations. This research considers how wood substrate components affect the severity of soil-borne diseases in greenhouse horticultural crop production.