FY2011 Annual Report Project Descriptions

FY2011 Annual Report Project Descriptions

MAINTAINING THE ENVIRONMENT

UVM research scientists and outreach specialists ...

  • determine the impacts on Vermont citizens of creating shared property rights to resources created by nature or society as a whole
    Integrating Vermont's Common Assets Trust with Payments for Ecosystem Services
    FARLEY 3

  • understand how continued introduction of a horticulturally or agronomically important species can create more aggressive individuals through natural selection
    Ecological and Evolutionary Factors Influence Invasion Success
    MOLOFSKY 3

  • determine if the popular ornamental shrubs Japanese barberry and Oriental bittersweet should continue to be available in nurseries in Vermont
    The Potential Evolutionary Response of Two Woody Invasive Species: Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) and Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
    MOLOFSKY 3

  • determine the best way to control weedy annual species in disturbed agricultural areas.
    Predicting invasiveness of introduced species into communities
    MOLOFSKY 3

  • determine the best way to control weedy annual species in disturbed agricultural areas.
    Trait variation across species range: Explaining invasion differences
    MOLOFSKY 3

  • develop a better understanding of soil development and stream chemistry in the important headwaters of northern New England
    Collaborative Research: Landform Controls on Hydrologic Flowpaths and Pedogenesis Explain Solute Retention and Export from Pedon to Catchment Scales
    ROSS 3

  • develop a better understanding of carbon sequestration in Vermont soils.
    Quantifying Carbon Pools, Sequestration Potential, and Reactivity in Vermont Soils
    ROSS 3

    Entomology and Integrated Pest Management

  • determine how how climatic and biotic factors have influenced CPB geographic range expansion
    Climate range expansion during colonization of a major crop pest, Colorado Potato Beetle
     CHEN 3a

  • demonstrate effectiveness of microfactory enhanced biopesticide for protecting hemlock forest from hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect pest
    Whey-Based, Fungal Micro-Factory Technology for Enhanced Mycopathogen Deployment in Forest Pest Management
    COSTA 3a

  • provide efficacy data, ecological insights and molecular tools to further implementation of microfactory enhanced biopesticide for protecting hemlock forest from hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect pest
    Aerial Application of the Adelgid Killing Fungus L. Muscarium
    COSTA 3a

  • participate in a NE wide network of Plant Diagnostic Clinics and First Detector Networks to identify new and introduced pests, diseases and invasives
    Northeast Plant Diagnostic Network
    HAZELRIGG 3a

  • improve management of soybean cyst nematode by better understanding mechanisms associated with disease suppression
    Ecology of Nematode-Suppressive Soils in Midwest Soybean-Cropping Systems
    NEHER 3a

  • reduce reliance on pesticides and the risk of human, animal and environmental exposure to pesticides
    Practical Management of SCN and Other Nematodes of Regional Importance: With Special Reference to Invasive Biology
    NEHER 3a

  • gain a better understanding of the biological diversity in soil that leads to natural disease suppression
    Plant-Parasitic Nematode Management as a Component of Sustainable Soil Health Programs in Horticultural and Field Crop Production Systems
    NEHER 3a

  • assess the potential of fungi for management of thrips in forests and greenhouse ornamental crops.
    Entomopathogenic Fungi for Management of Pear Thrips, Western Flower Thrips and Other Related Insect Pests with Soil - Inhabiting Stages in Greenhouses and Forests
    PARKER 3a

  • assess the virulence and persistence of select fungal isolates applied to hemlock woolly adelgid and determine the occurrence of fungal epizootics within northern New England.
    Hemlock Resource Protection in Northern New England: Assessing the Potential of Myriangium sp., an Insect-Killing Fungus, in Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
    PARKER 3a

  • conduct research and produce manuals for the development of insect-killing fungi and other IPM strategies for Sunn Pest to reduce excessive reliance on chemical pesticide use.
    Sunn Pest IPM
    PARKER 3a

  • assess the effectiveness of insect-killing fungi for management of the brown marmorated stink bug.
    Biology, Distribution, and Pest Status of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in Agronomic, Fruit and Vegetable Crops and Urban Areas
    PARKER 3a

  • assess the potential of fungi for management of plum curculio in fruit orchards.
    Evaluation of Two Fungal Biopesticides Using a New and Novel Application Method in Commercial Tart Cherry and Apple Production
    PARKER 3a

  • assess a maple tree species as a sentinel tree system for early detection of the Asian longhorned beetle.
    Biological Control of Arthropod Pests and Weeds
    PARKER 3a

  • assess the effectiveness of combining insect-killing fungi and predatory mites on marigold guardian plant systems for thrips IPM of spring bedding plants in commercial greenhouses.
    Granular Formulations of Insect-Killing Fungi with Plant-Mediated IPM Systems for Thrips
    SKINNER 3a

  • conduct a pilot training program on scouting and pest and disease ID to encourage growers to implement IPM.
    Scouting to Reduce Chemical Pesticide Use in Greenhouse Ornamentals
    SKINNER 3a

  • assess the effectiveness of plant-mediated systems for early detection and IPM of thrips in greenhouse grown ornamentals.
    Fungi, Predatory Mites and Habitat Plants for Thrips IPM in Greenhouse Ornamentals
    SKINNER 3a

  • assess the effectiveness of combining insect-killing fungi and predatory mites on marigold guardian plant systems for thrips IPM in organic greenhouses.
    Fungi, Predatory Mites and Guardian Plants for Thrips IPM in Organic Greenhouse Ornamentals
    SKINNER 3a

  • evaluate the effectiveness of a plant-mediated system combining marigolds, Beauveria bassiana and predatory mites to manage thrips in greenhouse ornamentals
    Discovery of Entomopathogens and Their Integration and Safety in Pest Management Systems
    SKINNER 3a

    Nutrient Runoff and Water Quality

  • evaluate current landfill conditions in Vermont rural areas and providing training to assist landfill operators and state agencies to reduce threats to water resources
    Evaluation of Current Landfill Conditions in Vermont Rural Areas and Providing Training to Help Landfill Operators Reduce Threats to Water Resources
     DRIZO 3b

  • implement and test a novel silage leachate treatment system, consisting of evaporative beds, steel slag berms and a vegetative buffer, as a potential management practice for dairy farms in VT
    Phosphorus and E. Coli Reduction from Silage Leachate via Innovative Steel Slag Filtration
    DRIZO 3b

  • implement and evaluate a steel slag based filtration system (PhosphoReduc) and its potential as a best management practice (BMP) for phosphorus and suspended solids reduction from agricultural tile drainage.
    Phosphorus, Escherichia Coli and Suspended Solids Reduction from Agricultural Tile Drainage via Steel Slag Filtration
    DRIZO 3b

  • develop a pilot program for pay-for-performance conservation programs
    Facilitating the Development of Stakeholder-Driven, Performance-Based Policies for Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control
    PARSONS 3b

  • creating awareness among stakeholders, agencies, and scientists to develop incentive programs leading to improved water quality Choptank River watershed and to broader regional and national audiences
    Improving Agricultural Pollution Control through Performance-based Incentives in the Choptank River Watershed of the Chesapeake Bay
    PARSONS 3b

  • determine the amount of nitrogen that moves directly from precipitation to streams in the northeast
    A Survey of Nitrate Isotopes to Detect Atmospheric Nitrate Inputs to Stream and Soil Waters of Forested Watersheds in the Northeastern USA
    ROSS 3b

    Environmental Management

  • examine how various ecological and forest management practices affect the future population viability of rare plant Polemonium vanbruntiae to develop a predictive habitat model to locate suitable habitat areas for P. vanbruntiae within the Green Mountain National Forest
    The Effect of Management Activities on the Population Persistence of Rare Plant Appalachian Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium Vanbrunatiae) in the Green Mountain National Forest
     BERMINGHAM 3c

    Forest Resources

  • develop a genetic profile of the fiddlehead fern to allow for long-term conservation of genetic diversity in the species
    Genetic Diversity and Watershed in Vermont's fiddlehead fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris, Onocleaceae)
     BARRINGTON 3d

  • investigate fire feedbacks on ecological communities.
    Linking Models to Data to Investigate Patterns and Process in Savannas
    BECKAGE 3d

  • forecast forest composition and carbon sequestration in response to global climate change.
    Using Historical Change to Predict Future Distribution of High Elevation Forests in Northern New England
    BECKAGE 3d

  • project forest responses to climate change
    Projecting climate change impacts on Vermont forests using dynamic vegetation models
    BECKAGE 3d