Applied and Integrated Crop Science
Compared to high-yield industrial production, organic farming practices have been shown to yield produce with higher nutritional value. Additional benefits, such as a longer shelf life, of organic production have not been explored systematically, and research on the optimization of small-scale, organic farming practices is sorely needed due to a rapidly increasing demand for organic produce.
At the ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Field Station, the is integrating physiological measurements of crops grown under various conditions with their physical (thermal), chemical (sugar, nutrients), and biological (leaf & root microbes) characteristics. In collaboration with from the , Dr. Mario Bretfeld and students are currently working to understand whether organic farming translates into differences of the biochemical and thermal properties – and thus the shelf life – of tomatoes.