Applied Plant Systems Mentors and Projects

  1. Avatar for Guillermo Balboa
    Research Assistant Professor

Digital Agriculture Technologies to Improve Nitrogen Management

Students will engage in research activities related to developing novel nitrogen management decision-support systems for Nebraska using digital agriculture technologies. They will also have the chance to participate in experiments with UNL’s Nebraska On-Farm Research Network evaluating different innovative digital agriculture nitrogen management approaches.

Guillermo Balboa

Research Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture

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  1. Avatar for S. Carolina Córdova
    Assistant Professor, Statewide Soil Health Specialist

Soil Health Assessment and Carbon Stocks Quantification

Students will engage in a project focused on evaluating key indicators of soil health and quantifying carbon stocks to understand their relationships and implications for sustainable agricultural practices.

S. Carolina Córdova

Assistant Professor and Statewide Soil Health Specialist, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture

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  1. Avatar for Katherine Frels
    Assistant Professor

Genetic improvement of grain quality traits

Students will participate in activities related to disease resistance screening, pest resistance, fall drought tolerance, and phenomic selection for grain quality traits.

Katherine Frels

Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture

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  1. Avatar for Amit J. Jhala
    Associate Department Head, Professor, Extension Weed Management Specialist

Reproductive biology of weeds

Evaluate the reproductive biology of weeds and confirm, characterize, and manage herbicide-resistant weeds in agronomic crops in Nebraska. In addition to participating in this research, students will also participate in extension activities.

Amit Jhala

Associate Department Head, Professor, Extension Weed Management Specialist, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture

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  1. Avatar for Christian Stephenson
    Assistant Professor of Practice

Integrating ecosystem services with local food production

Plants serve important functions including food production, support of pollinators and other wildlife, improvement of water quality, and mitigation of climate change. In this project students will engage with mixed production of food, ornamental, and pollinator plants to assist in determining how these plants achieve these critical ecosystem functions.

Christian Stephenson

Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture

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  1. Avatar for Daniel Uden
    Assistant Professor

Rangeland ecology and management experiments

Participate in a collaborative adaptive management project at UNL’s Barta Brothers Ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills. The students will collaboratively design and implement rangeland ecology and management experiments with stakeholders and monitor ecological, economic, and social variables.

Daniel Uden

Assistant Professor, Department of AGRONOMY AND HORTICULTURE

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  1. Avatar for Sam Wortman
    Associate Professor and Environmental Horticulturist

Local food production systems and technologies

The students will contribute to research and development of novel production systems and technologies that reduce labor and plastic waste and increase water and nitrogen efficiency on urban food production.

Sam Wortman

Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture

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