Current Research Projects by Department

Better knowledge of how to beneficially use residuals and reclaimed water is essential for environmental protection, soil quality, crop yield, food safety and human health. From this project, we will generate new and useful information on beneficial use residuals and reclaimed water. We will examine the fate, processes and bioavailability of various contaminants (including antibiotics, nanoparticles, nanoplastics) in soils. Analytical methods for nanoparticles and microplastics will be developed, and these methods are expected to be used widely by students, scientists and professionals. In addition, we will modify biochars to make functional biochars to be used in soil improvement and remediation. Furthermore, we will provide the fundamental and useful data for developing nano-enabled technology for sustainable agricultural production.

In Massachusetts, several invasive insect species are either already affecting or pose a serious threat to the specialty crop industry. Stakeholders have voiced the need to address the most destructive invasive insects threatening their crops. In recent years, there has been interest in reduced-risk materials with insecticidal properties for the invasive pest spotted wing Drosophila (SWD), a vinegar fly that attacks berries and other soft-skinned fruits such as peach and cherry. Of particular interest are low-cost materials that could be used as attractants in traps or as insecticidal food-based baits, as opposed to broad-spectrum insecticides applied to the foliage against some pests. In this project, we will determine whether materials that are commonly available in households can be used to attract adult SWD to traps. Efforts will be made to develop an inexpensive insecticidal bait. The response of female codling moth and Oriental fruit moth, two important pests of apple, pear, and related crops, to lures that are based on plant material will be quantified under laboratory and field conditions. Our ultimate goal is to develop a food bait for SWD that is inexpensive and effective. This project also seeks to improve the effectiveness of monitoring systems for codling moth and Oriental fruit moth. If successful, results may lead to the development of more effective monitoring systems for these two moth pest species.

The project will employ established field and laboratory methods to measure litter decomposition, soil organic matter turnover, and nitrogen transformations. These methods could include isotope labeling and recovery, litter decomposition, quantifying soil organic matter, gross nitrification and nitrogen mineralization, potential net nitrification and net nitrogen mineralization, nitrous oxide production, carbon mineralization, and quantifying microbial biomass. These measurements are often collected from both field equipment and laboratory microcosms. The results are analyzed using a variety of tools. Generally, graphing tools are first used to examine trends in the data. The data will then be statistically analyzed using linear mixed models and, potentially, model selection. The statistical output is combined with graphic trends and site background information to interpret data and produce study outcomes. This study will incorporate formal education programs. The research project will be the basis from which to train a graduate student on methods in soil biogeochemistry and incorporation of applied research into graduate study. The field sites and methods will be incorporated into formal laboratory instruction for undergraduates. Involving undergraduates provides both inclusion in primary research and evidence of how research outcomes can be incorporated by farmers. 

Prior to the turn of the 21st century, most U.S. states produced few to no grapevine, primarily because of limitation in cold hardiness and disease and pest resistance of the Vitis vinifera, the European grapevine species that comprises most commercial cultivars grown in the U.S. in traditional production regions.  The recent introduction of new, interspecific hybrid cultivars that incorporate more of the world natural diversity of grapevine species and thus, more climate resilience and disease and pest resistances, has allowed the development of grape industries in regions previously considered unsuitable.  The major V. vinifera cultivars grown worldwide were selected over decades or even centuries for best suitability in European regions and were then spread to California's and other arid western U.S. states.  Therefore, in comparison to V. vinifera, the evaluation of the new hybrids for non-traditional regions needs more time.  Moreover, in face of climate change, continued evaluation of V. vinifera and hybrid cultivars is critical to maintaining the grapevine industries in both traditional and non-traditional grapevine growing regions.  Economically, grapevine cultivars evaluation is one of the most significant components of grapevine industry: “Planting a poorly-adapted cultivar in the wrong place is a costly mistake.”  As new grapevine regions experience continued growth, the subsequent economic impact that comes with it is dependent on improving quality and quantity of grapes and wines produced. Continued discovery, development, and evaluation of grapevine cultivars is critical for maintaining sustainability and growth within the whole grapevine industry sector.  To respond to the need created by climate change and the growth of the grapevine industry in non-traditional regions, new cultivar selections are produced by breeding programs.  Testing of new cultivars is typically limited to a few areas.  Coordinated, multi-state testing is needed to evaluate adaptation in a variety of environments.  With changing climate and increased weather variability, cultivar adaptation, including physiological hardiness and robustness to changes in insect and disease pressure will be an increasing issue.  This project leverages substantial investments made in breeding programs and helps evaluate genotype x environment interactions.

The goal of the project is to improve irrigation and fertilization practices in ornamental plant production in order to improve production efficiency and to reduce the environmental impact of ornamental plant production by limiting nutrient laden runoff from nurseries and greenhouses. Improving production practices relies on a better understanding of plant water and fertilizer needs as well as assessment of improved application methods. To further improve practices the influence of different soilless media components will be assessed as these components vary in their ability to hold and retain water and nutrients. The use of water holding capacity improving additives such as hydrogels and surfactants will be assessed for use in production and interactions with fertilizers.  Improving production practices helps growers to produce the best quality plant possible with the least added inputs in a more environmentally friendly manner.

The relationship between domesticated animals and humans is a close one, and has existed for at least ten thousand years. It is important to understand the immune defenses of many animals, in addition to the immune defenses of humans and mice. The goal of our project is is characterize the genetic diversity of a family of immune receptors in domesticated animals and use this information for selective breeding and the design of better vaccines.

Pollination is critical for yield of many crops, but many pollinator species are in decline due to a variety of stressors including pathogens, pesticides, and insufficient food resources. Our work will ask how flowering plants and land use around farms affects the number of bee individuals and species at farms, and how effective bees are at pollinating sunflower crops. We will also determine how diet and floral resources affect bee health and ability to resist disease. Finally, many crops have seeds that are treated with pesticides to improve growth, but these pesticides can be incorporated into pollen and affect bees. We will ask how the amount of water a plant receives affects the concentration of pesticides in pollen, and the consequences for bees. Taken together, this work represents a comprehensive approach to understand some of the factors involved in pollinator decline.

Objective 1: Characterize and quantify PGP microbe effects on belowground plant growth using B. distachyon accession Bd21-3 expressing luciferase and inoculated with B. subtilis strain GB03.

We recently transformed B. distachyon accession Bd21-3 with a constitutive luciferase reporter system consisting of the luciferase-encoding LUC2o gene coupled with the proZmUBI1 promoter, derived from a maize ubiquitin gene. Adding D-luciferin to growing plants within the rhizotron system allows imaging of growing root and shoot tips. Creating Z-projections of daily images permits  visualization of older roots in more developed plants. These efforts have allowed us to quantify how root area changes over time in plants grown with an unidentified microbial community. Further refinement of these scripts, as well as protocols to capture other aspects of belowground growth will enrich the toolkit that we have to understand PGP bacterial effects.

In this aim we will grow 16 replicates of B. distachyon accession Bd21-3 transformed with the luciferase reporter system in standard rhizotron conditions. Following our best-practices results from prior trials, we will inoculate plants at the seed stage upon sowing. All seeds will be surface-sterilized using 15% bleach plus 0.1% Triton-X. The sterilized seeds will be incubated on damp paper towels at 4°C for one week (vernalization), to synchronize germination, and then sown in sterilized rhizotrons filled with model soil with washed ryegrass stems as organic matter. For inoculation, spores of B. subtilis GB30 will be cultured in LB for two days. A subculture will then be established and grown until an OD600 between 0.75 and 1.5 is achieved, corresponding to the bacterial log phase. Bacteria will then be pelleted and resuspended in phosphate buffered saline.

            At planting, 8 replicates of B. distachyon will be inoculated with B. subtilis BG03 and 8 mock-inoculated with saline solution. Plants will be grown in a controlled chamber under 16 hours of light at 24°C and 8 hours of dark at 20°C. To maximize the likelihood of detecting microbial growth-promoting effects, fertilizer will be withheld. Starting upon seedling emergence and on a daily basis 500 µL of luciferin will be added to the water of each plant. Plants will be imaged every three hours in our custom chamber equipped with an Andor iKon-M CCD camera. Plants will be imaged until about two weeks after flowers emerge and the stem has completely elongated. The time series of images will be analyzed to estimate total above and below ground growth over time and to compare these to each other. Using the bioinformatic tools we have developed we will assess BG03 effects on root architecture, root growth patterns, and root area, as well as shoot growth patterns, allowing us to understand how above and belowground growth differ from each other and how they are differentially affected by inoculation.

Objective 2: Assess the differential effect of B. subtilis strain GB03 on growth of B. distachyon accessions that are parents of established mapping populations in controlled rhizotron environments.

Several B. distachyon recombinant inbred line (RILs) populations have been established, are publicly available, and are in use in the Hazen lab. These RILs have the advantage that both parents and all lines are nearly homozygous and have been genotyped across the genome with either whole-genome sequencing (WGS) or genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). To determine which set of RILs can be used to identify loci governing PGP bacterial response in B. distachyon, we will inoculate 8 selected parents with B. subtilis strain GB03, which we have shown to have an effect at least on B. distachyon accession Bd21-3. Seeds will be prepared as in Objective 1 The length of cold-treatment will be extended to two or four weeks for those accessions previously found to require longer vernalization periods to trigger flowering. Spores of B. subtilis GB30 will be prepared as in Objective 1.

            For each parental accession we will carry out 8 replicates of inoculated plants and 8 replicates of controls mock-inoculated with phosphate buffered saline. Plants will be grown in a controlled chamber under 16 hours of light at 24°C and 8 hours of dark at 20°C. To maximize the likelihood of detecting microbial growth-promoting effects, fertilizer will be withheld.

We will harvest and phenotype plants at flowering and at senescence, which will allow us to assess if observed effects are dependent on developmental stage. We will work with a total of 256 plants (8 accessions x 8 replicates x 2 treatments x 2 developmental time points). Phenotypes to be evaluated will encompass those displaying genotype x microbe interactions in our pilot study (SLA, LAR, stem height, and dry root weight), phenotypes important for bioenergy and forage crops (total biomass), and phenotypes of relevance to cereal crops (flowering time, seed number, and seed weight).

Growth phenotypes will be examined for response to PGP-bacteria application. Trait responses will be compared among B. distachyon genotypes, allowing us to identify what traits have an across-the-board response to PGP microbial inoculations and which are genotype -specific. B. distachyon genotypes displaying different responses to B. subtilis will be identified as ideal parents for mapping populations that can be used to map plant genes influencing PGP microbe x plant genotype interactions.

Objective 3: Upon establishing microbial effects on mapping parents, phenotype growth on a selected set of mapping populations to identify genes controlling response to B. subtilis strain GB03.

We will use our results from Aim 1 to proceed with the set of genotyped RILs with the greatest parental contrast in growth response to PGP microbial application and, secondarily, the most similar flowering times or vernalization requirements. For the chosen mapping population, we will work with 100 RILs chosen randomly and the two parents. We will inoculate 8 replicates of each RIL and parent with B. subtilis GB03 and mock-inoculate 8 further replicates as in Objectives 1 and 2. Planting and growth conditions will be as above. The length of vernalization needed for each RIL is unknown, as each RIL is a novel combination of parental genotypes. Thus all RILs will be subjected to 2 to 4 weeks of vernalization, based on the vernalization requirements of the parents. The same phenotypes as in Objective 2 will be scored at the same developmental stages. This will entail inoculation, growth, and phenotyping of 102 x 2 x 8 = 1632 plants.

To identify the loci underlying PGP bacterial response, mapping will be carried out on the set of mock-inoculated RILs and separately on the set of inoculated RILs. We will use genotypes obtained from whole genome sequencing or genotyping by sequencing, which has been approved for all crosses from Aim 2 by JGI (Joint Genome Institute). QTLs detected in the inoculated set and not the mock-inoculated are likely to represent loci involved in growth response to B. subtilis GB30. We will use the package R/qtl2 which can handle dense genetic markers like those produced by whole-genome sequencing and GBS for mapping. Haley–Knott (HK) regression will be used for genome scans to associate genotype with phenotype. If the degree of missing data in the sequenced RILs is deemed too high, we will carry out SNP imputation prior to regression analysis. Permutation tests will be performed in R/qtl2 to establish QTL significance, with BLUP-based estimates of QTL effects.

As an alternative to separate mapping in inoculated and mock-inoculated RIL sets, a degree of differential response can be calculated for each trait in each RIL by subtracting the mock-inoculated trait values from the inoculated ones. QTL mapping will be carried out as above for each trait differential response, to identify loci underlying growth responses to GB03 applications.

A scale insect pest has been outbreaking on cranberries in Massachusetts every year since 2012, and in 2022 it is the most damaging pest of Massachusetts cranberries, affecting a majority of commercial bogs. To manage it, we need to understand basic facts about its biology, but right now we don't even know what to call it: we don't know what species it is.  It looks like the species Diaspidiotus ancylus, Putnam scale, and that is what it has been called in the literature and in presentations to growers.  But taxonomists have long suspected that multiple distinct species may have been erroneously lumped together under the name Diaspidiotus ancylus, and we have recently corroborated this hypothesis using DNA evidence.

                The goals of this project are to figure out: how many species are in this group, which plants each species attacks, how each species is distributed geographically, how they can be told apart from each other, and what their scientific names ought to be.  The group has a complex history, originally having been described as 11 different species, before these were lumped together. To help assess which of those 11 species are valid, and whether additional, yet-unnamed species need to be recognized, we will collect members of this species group and their close relatives from many locations in Massachusetts and around the eastern and midwestern US, including 22 so-called "type" localities, in 13 states, from which these species and their closest relatives were originally described.  We will sequence DNA from 3 different genes and use this in conjunction with previously-collected DNA data and other information to assess where the species boundaries lie. 

                The direct target audience for our research results will be our fellow entomologists, especially those dealing with pests identified as Diaspidiotus ancylus that attack cranberries, blueberries, other orchard crops, and ornamentals.  This study will lay the groundwork for a revised classification of the group, and for published guides to the identification, host plant use, and distribution of the consituent species -- not least, we will finally have a valid and correct name for the cranberry pest, and a published means of telling it apart from the lookalike species with which it has long been confused.  This will result in more accurate information about the pest and its biology being conveyed to growers and informing pest management.

The diverticulated crop organ of the common house fly, which is the major insect vector of numerous human food pathogens (e.g., Escherichia coli) is the major reservoir or storage area for this, and other, important food pathogens. It has also been demonstrated that this is where horizontal transmission of antibiotic resistance to E. coli occurs. Thus, the diverticulated crop organ is an essential component in the transmission cycle between pathogens and human foods/food crops. At the same time, the salivary glands of house fly are directly involved in vectoring pathogens and, are intimately involved in pathogen transmission. Almost nothing is known about the physiological factors involved in the regulation of both crop filling and emptying of the adult house fly. Even more concerning is that we know even less about the effect of various pathogens, either food pathogens or pathogens of the house fly vector, on salivary gland regulation. What effect does the salivary gland hypertrophy virus have on normal crop organ function? A better understanding of how these two essential organ systems are regulated, will give researchers a better picture of how to use this information to explore novel, non-chemical control strategies that can be directed at interfering with the normal regulation of these two organ systems. Ultimately, non-traditional control strategies will be developed that rely on interfering with the function of these two organ systems, both of which are essential to the fly. It is the objective of this project to develop non-traditional control strategies, thus reducing fly resistance to insecticides. Thus, by compromised longevity of the vector, pathogen vectoring, and/or reproductive development of the flies can be interfered with resulting in death, abnormal flight ability, and or reduced fecundity.

Pathogens including viruses are known to be major contributors in the decline of honeybee colonies, yet we are only now beginning to understand the epizootiology of these agents. A primary reason for this lack of knowledge is the microscopic and submicroscopic nature of these bee pathogens. As part of our research we have developed and are continuing to develop molecular methods that allow us to detect and monitor the prevalence and spread of these infectious agents in bee populations.
In addition, we will be exploring the utility of small bio-reactive molecules for use in controlling viruses and protozoan pathogens without harming bees

As an important group of crops, legumes are prized for their high protein content, which is thanks to their remarkable ability to make their own nitrogen nutrient through a symbiotic relationship with a particular group of bacteria. We still do not fully understand the legume genes that allow these plants, but not most others, to enter this nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. Evolution through millions of years has turned this relationship into a very elaborate process, requiring hundreds if not thousands of genes from both partners. To speed up the rate of scientific discovery, we developed a genetic method based on the CRISPR/Cas9 technology to examine genes suspected to be involved in this mutualistic interaction. This approach will allow us not only to study one gene at a time, but multiple genes at once if necessary. We will carry out the research on a small legume species easy to manipulate in the laboratory, but the findings will have important implications for important crops, such as soybeans, peas, and peanuts.

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.

The proposed study aims to examine the nutritional health, food insecurity, and maternity care experiences of immigrant women in Massachusetts and in communities outside of the state. Through community engagement, interviews, and surveys of 10-15 immigrant women, as well as secondary data analysis of data on immigrant and refugee women in Massachusetts, our study hopes to demonstrate the importance of the migration experience, place of residence, and host communities in facilitating optimal health and nutrition outcomes for immigrant women and their families. We work with community partners and Extension Nutrition Education Program (NEP) staff to examine and interpret study findings. This process will increase engagement of our extension educators and community partners in research on their communities and facilitate an accurate interpretation of research findings. Our work is also important for generating ideas for innovative nutrition programming to meet community needs; developing and implementing training for NEP staff and educators; and for formulating policies that prioritize investments in nutrition, food security, and health infrastructure for communities in transition and immigrants in the U.S.

As Massachusetts faces increasing pressure from population expansion, along with increasing challenges due to climate change, we seek a solution to the growing demand in housing that supports the local timber industry and rural economies and also creates an opportunity to store more carbon both in our buildings and across our regional forested landscape. Recent advances in timber technology have produced promising new methods for meeting some of the demand for building materials, as well as the need to store carbon.

The expansive growth of solar photovoltaics (PV) in Massachusetts has helped make the state a leader in renewable energy production, but there have been public concerns regarding the development of agricultural lands for solar PV electricity production.  In response to these concerns, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) included provisions in the new state solar energy program which limit conventional ground-mounted solar arrays on farmland, while encouraging innovative "dual-use" technology.   Under the new Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program, there is a significant financial incentive for dual-use systems which limit shading and obstructions, and require continued agricultural production on the land below and around solar arrays.

Dual-use systems are still novel, and to a degree experimental.  What agricultural activities are most compatible with dual-use is not well understood, nor is whether the new incentive will be sufficient to spur significant adoption of dual-use cropping systems.  UMass has important roles in the development and adoption of dual-use systems.  First, UMass Extension will serve as a clearinghouse of information and an educational resource for the agricultural and solar energy communities regarding the new technology and new incentive program.  Second, UMass faculty will provide feedback to DOER and the agricultural community regarding the success of the program, and suggest any modifications that could help further the goal of promoting expansion of renewable energy capacity, while preserving farmland and agricultural production capacity within the state.

In keeping with these roles, UMass Clean Energy Extension (CEE) is proposing an investigation that will address gaps in agricultural knowledge about the impact of dual-use systems on agricultural methods and productivity, while also exploring farmer motivations and decision-making around the adoption of this new technology.

Forest dynamics and the spatial and temporal modeling of the dynamics of Food-Energy-Water (FEW) systems at a watershed scale are critical for sustainable land and resource management. The assessment of vegetation (Forest and plant biomass) and land use dynamics is vital for scientific innovation and for enhancing local and regional sustainability and resilience. Assessing built, natural, and social components and their interactions as a dynamic system can lead to comprehensive strategies that improve food production, conservation, energy efficiency, and water resources. Dynamic changes in FEW systems are complex processes, especially the state of the complex system and its trajectory over time. As the population increases and new demands on ecosystem services, watersheds face environmental, energy, and food challenges. This could include polluted waterways, floods, droughts, loss of forest and green space, energy inefficiencies, crop loss, yield loss, soil erosion, increasing density of built structures, and a deterioration in watershed services. Increasing population densities increase built components causing higher forest loss, impervious cover, wastewater discharges, stormwater surges, nonpoint source pollution, loss of open space, farmland loss, and habitat fragmentation that substantially impact watershed systems. Agricultural land is also at increasing risk from urbanization with pressure to produce more in a limited area and with limited resources.

The nexus between food, energy, and water (FEW) has strong interaction with land use-based assessment, requiring system-based modeling for policy. The system information on interactions, tradeoffs, trajectories, thresholds, and endpoints in FEW systems is needed to evaluate sustainable patterns and processes that can be used to manage built, natural, socioeconomic, and cyber systems. We propose to study these issues at a regional watershed scale through integrated spatial and temporal modeling of forest dynamics at a watershed scale. 

The goal of this research is to simulate and optimize interactions in patterns and processes in built, natural, and socioeconomic components and forest dynamics on FEW services based on a multiscale system at the watershed scale. Specifically, (i) to evaluate baseline spatial and temporal changes in FEW systems at the watershed scale; (ii) To assess the influence of changing built and natural environment on FEW dynamics and processes; (iii) to evaluate farmland management and its impacts on FEW systems; (iv) to study attitude, values, and behavior towards FEW outcomes under land-use patterns and conservation alternatives; (v) to develop a multiattribute, optimization model for pattern and BMP choice to enhance watershed sustainability for FEW provision; (vi) to develop a web-based decision support system (WDSS) with site-specific information for stakeholders on FEW resilience and conservation choices.

The target audience will include farmers, land owners, municipal officials, private forest owners, government agents, nonprofits, educators, scientists, and professionals. The information generated will cover the watershed-based assessment, strategies to sustain water resources through forest management, handling increasing urban demands through forest BMPs, supply augmentation potential through forest ecosystem functions, and potential effects of LID at the watershed scale. Educators can use the information to develop simple classroom activities demonstrating workshop concepts. 

Research activities in the Connecticut River Watershed with result in outcomes that directly benefit the target audience through capacity building and spatial information that will be helpful for decision-making. The workshops will provide information on the spatial distribution of water supplies and use and trends in distribution. The workshop will recommend strategies to sustain water resources and will involve brainstorming and breakout sessions to develop implementation plans. A website will be developed for the project and will be used to disseminate information to communities within the watershed and watersheds throughout the region and the US