Spring 2021

“We have found a misconception. It will definitely impact the model of carbon flows,” said OSU microbiologist Steve Giovannoni. “It will require more than just a small tweak.”

The new Oregon State University-developed tomato Midnight Roma follows in the steps of 10-year-old Indigo Rose, the first antioxidant-rich purple tomato available on the market.

At a time when lumber prices are skyrocketing, an Oregon State University researcher has developed a new way to predict the future price of logs that uses readily accessible economic information.

Marcelo Moretti, OSU assistant professor of horticulture, in partnership with area hazelnut and blueberry growers, is testing a novel means of killing weeds — he’s zapping them with high-voltage electricity.

Oregon State University researchers analyzed more than 17,000 public comments focused on orca conservation in the state of Washington and found that the most common emotional sentiments were trust, anticipation and fear.

Oregon State University Distinguished Professor Jane Lubchenco will lead climate and environmental science efforts in the White House as the new deputy director of climate and environment in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Coastal communities face increasing danger from rising water and storms, but the level of risk will be more closely tied to policy decisions regarding development than the varying conditions associated with climate change, new research by Oregon State University suggests.

A new study by College of Agricultural Sciences researchers found that shade provided by solar panels increased the abundance of flowers under the panels and delayed the timing of their bloom, both findings that could aid the agricultural community.

This implicitly devalues areas that are seasonally warm, even if they are suitable for fish most of the year, said Jonny Armstrong, lead author of the paper and an ecologist in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. He called this a “potentially severe blind spot for climate change adaptation.”

The research by scientists in the OSU College of Forestry and College of Agricultural Sciences is important because the elusive seabird’s populations are in decline and recovery may be hindered by there being too few birds around to provide information to each other about where to nest.

Now, biologists are taking the science a step further. Scientists with Oregon State University and the Forest Service recently demonstrated they can use eDNA to analyze the genetic diversity of threatened salmon and trout, which can help us understand how they will adapt to climate change and other threats.

“They are a species that, because they’re so challenging to study, we just don’t have really good information on them,” said Jim Rivers, an assistant professor of wildlife ecology at Oregon State University. “And that hinders their conservation and also hinders planning for timber management of our coastal forests, which are really key to Oregon’s economy.”

"The great news is that this study suggests dogs are paying a lot of attention to the kids that they live with," said study author Monique Udell, an animal behaviorist and associate professor at Oregon State University. "They are responsive to them and, in many cases, behaving in synchrony with them, indicators of positive affiliation and a foundation for building strong bonds."

He’s a professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado who teaches in the Biology Department and conducted his research at Oregon State University. Space Force is part of the Air Force. Tubbs came across the Artec Space Spider while looking for ways to study ryegrass and early seed shattering. “I was literally going to build my own camera system to make this work,” he says.

Selectively cutting trees in riparian zones to aid forest restoration can be done without adversely affecting streams' water temperature as long as the thinning isn't too intensive, new research by Oregon State University shows. The study led by OSU College of Agricultural Sciences graduate student David Roon is one of the few to quantify restorative thinning's effects on forest streams.

Jessie Uehling, an assistant professor of fungal biology at Oregon State University, was chosen for his knowledge of mushrooms. “My expertise in fungal diversity and biology research will aide in developing best practices to monitor, evaluate and quantify the psilocybin and mushroom production industries over time,” said Uehling. Another link https://www.oregon.gov/newsroom/pages/NewsDetail.aspx?newsid=54355

“It is hard to conceptualize how often birds encounter vessels in the open ocean, but with this new data, it becomes really apparent,” said Rachael Orben, an assistant professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and the study’s lead author. “Some of these birds are in an environment where they see vessels all the time, while others are in an environment where they rarely encounter vessels.”

Oregon State University was awarded a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to study the potential of hemp biomass as cattle feed. The project aims to develop safe use practices for hemp byproducts in livestock diets and determine ways to take full advantage of their nutritional and potential medicinal properties to improve animal health. The grant is from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). In addition to the hemp biomass grant, OSU also earned a $300,000 NIFA grant to study farm sanitation practices.

Four decades after their capture more than a half-mile below the ocean’s surface, three snailfish species have received their scientific names, two of them from school children on Guam in the island’s native Chamorro language.

Under House Bill 3249, the state’s Department of Agriculture would receive $800,000 to establish a grant program for chlorpyrifos alternatives research, while Oregon State University would get $400,000 to conduct field trials of replacement pesticides.

Great conversation with Selina Heppell, the Chair of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at OSU. Selina discusses her research, describes her department's strategy for the future, and reflects on better ways to attract, train, inspire, and support the next generation of wildlife professionals. 

Land productivity could be greatly increased by combining sheep grazing and solar energy production on the same land, according to new research by Oregon State University scientists.

“As we have all seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are limitations with ventilators,” said John Selker, an Oregon State professor who helped develop the device. “That has led to a lot of interest in helmets as a low-cost and less invasive alternative, particularly in medically underserved parts of the world. This device brings us closer to that reality.”

This is the main conclusion of the study “Partial shading by solar panels delays bloom, increases floral abundance during the late-season for pollinators in a dryland, agrivoltaic ecosystem,” recently published in scientific reports, in which scientists from the Oregon State University have investigated if coupling PV with the habitat for wild and managed pollinators can help increase biodiversity and agricultural health.

Soaking “sprouted” foods in cold water, rather than the more common practice of soaking at ambient temperature, lowers the risk of salmonella growth on these increasingly popular healthy snack foods, according to an OSU study.

Paul Hughes, a professor of brewing and distilling, contends that the volume of bubbles is another important factor. The larger the bubbles, Hughes says, the better the foam. “My take is that for reliable foam formation and stabilities, homogeneous bubble size and consistent glass surfaces are the key,” Hughes tells Newscripts.

"Colonies are probably going to do really well this spring," said Andony Melathopoulos, pollinator health specialist at OSU Extension. "There's enough moisture in the ground and a lot of things are still blooming. Where the rubber will hit the road — and it always does, it's getting worse and worse — is when blackberries stop blooming around the end of June.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their Oregon State University (OSU) collaborators have developed a highly detailed genetic way to trace the spread of Agrobacterium, one of the world's most important bacterial plant pathogens.

PROUD to announce that OSU AgSci has come in at #9 in the US and #19 in the world for our college!

It’s our great pleasure to announce that Dr. Shawn Mehlenbacher is among the 2021 class of ASHS Fellows.

Congratulations to Dr. Ryan Contreras for being appointed Associate Department Head of Horticulture. Thanks for your service!

The International Society for Horticultural Science recently announced that 3 faculty from OSU have been selected as Fellows:

Chad Finn (posthumous)-Plant Geneticist

Bernadine Strik-Professor, NWREC Berry Crops Research Leader

Shawn Mehlenbacher-Professor, Hazelnut Breeding and Genetics

The Society for Freshwater Science announced that Judy Li, retired associate professor in Fisheries and Wildlife, has been selected as a fellow.

Li’s research interests focused on riparian food webs, and recently she has written several books to encourage the understanding of science by lay audiences.

Two new ARCS Foundation Scholar Awards for 20-21

The Beth Ray Scholar Award Endowment has been awarded by the Graduate School to a scholar in Toxicology, Rebecca Hoehn. In addition, the Sheila and Mike Goodwin University Matched Endowment will fund an award via the Oregon State University Foundation to someone in the Marine Mammal Institute. This brings the total of ARCS-supported awards for 2021-2022 to Four! ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter

Lisbeth Goddik, PhD & Christina A. Mireles DeWitt, PhD are elected as 2021IFT - Institute of Food Technologists Fellows. Congratulations on this amazing accomplishment.

Neil Shay has been inducted as a Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition which is the highest honor that the Society bestows recognizing individuals for significant discoveries and distinguished careers in the field of nutrition.

Powering sustainable agriculture

An Overview of Research in the OSU Honey Bee Lab

New research may finally determine exactly what is causing water quality issues in the region

As a young man, Holderread considered becoming a pilot or wildlife biologist, but eventually chose to study horticulture, animal science and poultry science at Oregon State University.

Agricultural education is vital to the heart of the great state of Oregon and to the entire nation.  As the old saying goes, without agriculture we would be naked and hungry.