Completed Research Projects

Armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) include many destructive pests of orchard crops, forestry, horticulture, and agriculture (Kennett et al., 1990), costing an estimated two billion dollars per year in the US (Miller & Davidson, 2005). They also have an extraordinary tendency to be invasive. As of 2005, the US had 132 species of diaspidids introduced from other countries (Miller et al., 2005), comprising fully 40% of the known US armored scale insect fauna. Of these, 85 (64%) were considered pests. About one new invasive diaspidid species is detected in the US every year (Miller et al., 2005). Here in Massachusetts, multiple species of armored scale insects are emerging as serious pests of cranberries (Averill & Sylvia, 2017). One specific target of this investigation will be the scale insect that have recently emerged as a threat to Massachusetts cranberry. Some armored scale insect pest species have been recorded from an enormous range of hosts. For instance there are 23 armored scale insect species that have each been found on over 50 different host plant families -- remarkable examples of extreme generalism (García Morales et al., 2016). It has been suggested that these are not true generalist species but instead are clouds of similar-looking specialist species (Loxdale et al., 2011). The goal of this project is to assess species boundaries within wide-ranging extreme-generalist armored scale insect pest complexes, in particular including the Chrysomphalus dictyospermi/pinnulifer complex, the Hemiberlesia palmae/cyanophylli complex, and the Selenaspidus articulatus complex. Each of these includes at least one globally invasive species, and for each we already have extensive samples from multiple hosts within the native range. We will sequence a sample of each insect's genome and using modern analytical methods to distinguish the species. We will assess the geographic range and host range of each species, and assess which are pests, which are potential invasive pests, and which are non-pests. We will seek morphological diagnostic characters and describe the new species in cases when it is practical to do so. We w ll publish our results in the peer-reviewed literature and present them at national and international entomology conferences. 

This study investigates the impact of agroecology on grape microbiomes, focusing on Vitis riparia and Vitis labrusca in Western Massachusetts. Comparing managed and wild ecosystems, we analyzed bacterial and fungal diversity in soils, roots, leaves, and fruits. Our goals were to assess the effect of agricultural management on microbial communities, identify taxa unique to each system. Findings reveal significantly reduced fungal diversity in managed ecosystems. Unique taxa in both systems suggest management-induced shifts, emphasizing the importance of understanding microbial dynamics for sustainable agriculture.

This project addresses environmental concerns and profitability issues faced bu livestock farms. It is evaluating options for cover crops and for pasture management.

This research will investigate whether the same type of physical environment needed to promote improved dietary behaviors in families and children will also be effective in older adults. Information gathered will assist nutrition professionals in designing interventions for older adults emphasizing the need for fruits, vegetables and whole grains in the diet and based on factors relevant to them. Results will also be used to design community-wide food and environmental policies.

This project will explore the hypothesis that development of an effective LAMP assay (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) for livestock and avian chlamydiosis will lead to significant reductions in zoonotic disease as well as morbidity, mortality and the reproductive health of farm animals.

There is a critical need in the meat processing and raw vegetable processing industries for the development of a rapid method for detection of infectious bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 in such products well before shipping, so as to prevent infectious outbreaks and costly recalls.

 A major driver of food choice today among consumers is health promotion, which has resulted in ever-expanding research on bioactive food components and nutriceuticals. As each person's diet is a key contributor to health and disease risk, agriculture has been a core sector of economic viability and food production systems with the increasing recognition of the interface between nutrition and agriculture.

Studies have repeatedly demonstrated many health benefits of food-based bioactive components, suggesting that bioactive molecules in our diet can be effective in preventing or delaying the disease process.

Therefore it is important to identify the novel bioactive molecules...capable of preventing diseases...through cellular signaling and gene regulation.

The objectives of this project are to:

(1) Analyze best practices that have proven effective at increasing individual, household, and community food and nutrition security and identify individual and systemic strategies for the development and dissemination of initiatives designed to improve food and nutrition security.

(2) Utilize food systems approaches to assess and address nutrition, health, and wellness challenges of vulnerable population groups (e.g., children, elderly, low income, immigrant, minority) with particular focus on food availability, appropriate policy systems and environmental changes that would increase positive food decision making and improve health outcomes.

Deficiencies of mineral content in human diets, a causal factor in rising rates of malnutrition worldwide, appear to derive from diminished contents of mineral nutrients in foods of plant or animal origins.This project will provide a foundation of data to help ascertain if the nutrient content of foods can be enhanced through selection of crop varieties and improved nutrition of crops and will assess how dietary habits affect mineral nutrition of humans.

Despite their many health benefits, the recommended amount of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are not consumed by the majority of older adults in the U.S. The social-ecological model of healthy eating addresses multi-level factors that influence consumers' food choices, including the individual level, family and interpersonal level, community and organizational levels, and policy and systems levels. For older adults, community, organizational and policy enablers of healthy eating in older adults include accessibility, affordability, transportation, social support, and accommodating different living styles. Supermarkets, senior centers, and congregate meal sites are important settings where older adults practice food-related behaviors. This project will build upon lessons learned in the NE1439 regional research project and develop new understanding of important enablers and community supports for healthy eating in older adults. Through collaborative work with regional research members using qualitative and quantitative methods, we will identify the most important and modifiable enablers and behavioral settings to improve dietary behaviors in aging adults in communities across regions represented in this project. These results, along with relevant findings in the literature, will be used to develop and pilot test a tool that communities can use to assess their ability to support good nutrition among their older residents.

The overall goal of this project is to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables in a community of families in a low income, multi-cultural and multiethnic
neighborhood of Worcester, Massachusetts, by integrating expertise in Agriculture, Food Access, and Nutrition Education programming and by increasing the availability of fruits and vegetables for people living in the target area.

This research is the preliminary stage of investigation to examine the effects of soy supplements on abdominal fat and risk for developing diabetes.

Food banks are major consumers of energy related to food handling and storage as well as major customers for local food producers. Energy efficiency and cost reduction in food banks could have synergistic benefits for both types of enterprise. This project will develop a process map to integrate energy and food handling audits tio help identify key nodes for effective energy efficiency and food safety interventions. By evaluating  technological innovation in the context of the local post-harvest food system the food banks can optimize energy efficiency and food safety.

This project will use multiple colon cancer cell lines to investigate the potential synergistic interactions between different dietary components in inhibiting cancer cell growth, and elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved.

The food industry is under transformation due to some important changes in consumer preferences. With a trend towards a healthier lifestyle, food quality, nutrition, and safety are increasingly important to consumers today. There is an increasing demand for more information about the nutritional content of food, for food considered healthy and health-enhancing. However, at the same time, obesity and diabetes rates continue to rise and so do health care costs as a result. There is significant interest in developing and implementing policies to address these problems and promote healthy eating. In this Hatch project, we examine the effects of two public policies aimed at improving consumer health outcomes.  More specifically, we propose estimating the welfare effects of a policy proposal that bans use of partially-hydrogenated oil in food products leading to a ban on trans fat. Partially hydrogenated oil as a source of trans fat, is a primary cause of deaths related to heart attack and obesity in the United States. However, use of partially-hydrogenated oil as an ingredient, even in small amounts, significantly decreases cost of production by providing longer storability and shelf stability. To evaluate welfare effects of this ban, taking into account the demand- and supply-side responses, we use the microwaveable popcorn market as a case study, use Nielsen retail scanner datasets, and estimate a consumer demand model for microwaveable popcorns. We recover consumer preferences as well as marginal cost of production. We propose estimating counterfactuals by allowing firms to endogenously choose prices as well as product portfolios. Using our model, we can simulate the expected product offerings in the market as well as the prices of those products, hence we can compute the total gain in welfare from both before and after the ban is imposed.

This project will examine use of a sensory-affective, comprehensive approach to promote early childhood consumption of locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. It is piloting a "Mass Farm Fresh" classroom methodology intended to increase levels of intake that are closer to meeting the USDA recommendations.

Mounting epidemiological and experimental evidence consistently indicates that obesity is a robust risk factor for colorectal cancer. As obesity has reached an epidemic level and further increases are projected in the future, it is critical to understand the mechanism(s) responsible for the link between obesity and colon cancer risk. Novel observations from our two recent studies indicate that a specific bacterium, Turicibacter, and the bacterial metabolite butyrate may act as mediators linking high fat diet-induced obesity and intestinal cancer, but not for genetically-induced obesity and intestinal cancer. This project aims to define this innovative mechanism, and thereby to inform the development of dietary strategies for preventing dietary obesity related intestinal cancer.

The public desires turfgrass that is well maintained with less chemical inputs, however, these expectations are difficult to reliably meet without a better understanding of the complex interactions between plants and the microbial community. The microbial communities that encompass the turfgrass system are vast and diverse. They include studying interactions between the pathogenic and beneficial microbes that reside on the surface of turfgrass, rhizosphere, rhizoplane, and root interim microbiome. These areas can be further investigated due to the recent technological advances/tools and can facilitate the development of environmentally sustainable management practices and inputs.

This project has three components to increase sustainability in Massachusetts cranberry production:

• development and demonstration of sustainable practices for the management of the most severe pest problems: cranberry fruitworm, fruit rot disease, and the parasitic weed dodder.
• investigation of practices to conserve water and fuel.
• work with growers to implement nutrient management Best Management Practices (BMPs).

Due to regulatory changes, golf course superintendants have been left with no effective management for plant parasitic nematodes. This research will test commercially-available and experimental alternatives.