Dr. Clyde Fraisse is a Professor at the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil, followed by a master’s degree from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering from Colorado State University. Prior to joining the University of Florida in 2003, he worked in large scale irrigation projects in Brazil and in the industry conducting research on the application of crop simulation models for regional corn and soybean crop forecasting. The focus of his applied research and extension program at the University of Florida is on developing and providing climate information and decision support tools to help agricultural producers better cope with risk associated with climate variability and change. Dr. Fraisse developed and maintains AgroClimate (http://agroclimate.org/), a web-based climate information system. He also implemented agroclimatic information systems in South America and Africa. He is a member of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Standing Committee on Services for Agriculture (SC-AGR) Expert Team in Agricultural Capacity Development.

In SPARC, Dr. Fraisse has been involved with the application of CROPGRO-Carinata model to evaluate climate risk for different locations and planting dates in the southeastern USA (SE US). The fact that Brassica carinata is grown in a double-cropping system with traditionally grown row crops in the SE US, necessitates defining planting dates that minimize the climatic risk and improve farmers’ profitability. Currently Dr. Fraisse is developing a web-based tool that will allow farmers simulate the phenological development of the crop based on location, planting date, and cultivar, and forecast physiological and harvest maturities while monitoring weather conditions anywhere in the region.

Dr. Fraisse has published extensively on the topic of weather and climate information for improving crop management and reducing associated risk but always looks for ways to translate the research results into a tool that can be of practical use for helping farmers with their decision-making process. One of the mobile phone apps developed by the AgroClimate group, the Strawberry Advisory System (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/strawberry-advisory-system/id898025106) was recognized by the WMO in 2020 as the best weather application for farming.

 

 

Dr. Pratap Devkota is an Assistant Professor of Weed Scientist at the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences- West Florida Research and Extension Center. Prior to joining University Florida, Dr. Devkota worked with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources as a weed science advisor. He conducted research and extension programs that addressed weed management challenges on agronomic (alfalfa, bermudagrass, Sudan grass, wheat, cotton, sugarbeet) and vegetable crops (lettuce, carrot, onion, spinach, cole crops, and cucurbits) grown in Imperial, Coachella, and Palo Verde valleys of California. Dr. Devkota has a Ph.D. from Purdue University and MS from University of Arkansas, both in weed science, working with agronomic and vegetable production systems, respectively.

In his current position, he has both research and extension appointments. His program emphasizes on addressing current and emerging weed management issues for sustainable production of field (cotton, peanut, corn, soybean, small grains), forage, and emerging/alternative (carinata, industrial hemp, etc.) crops in Florida and beyond. Overall, his program focuses on developing integrated weed management programs and extending these learnings to agriculture stakeholders throughout the state of Florida and beyond.

In SPARC, Dr. Devkota is developing weed management strategies for carinata production systems. He collaborates with colleagues across the Southeast US to design a comprehensive and compatible weed management program for cropping systems that will now include carinata as a winter cover crop. His lab has successfully conducted studies to understand weed dynamics and emergence, evaluate herbicide tolerance, and develop weed management programs for carinata production. He has also been working closely with the IR-4 Program for conducting herbicide tolerance studies with the goal to expand current herbicide labels for use in carinata production. He has mentored several students, and has published in numerous peer-reviewed research and extension EDIS publications.

Dr. Devkota is originally from the beautiful hills of Nepal where he was born, raised and educated till he came to the United States for graduate studies. He enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, camping, swimming, playing sports (soccer, volleyball, etc.) with his family: He and his family also enjoy travelling and visiting new places.

Dr. Manuel E. Camacho recently completed his PhD under the supervision of Dr. Ramon G. Leon at North Carolina State University (NCSU). Manuel’s expertise is in the fascinating area of soil science. Specifically, he studied soil physics and its interactions with weed biology and ecology, including the transport of herbicides within the soil and the effect of soil physical properties on seed germination. 

Dr. Camacho has been captivated by soils since his first years as an undergraduate at the University of Costa Rica (UCR). He worked for nine years as a lab assistant in the Natural Resources Lab at UCR, where his interest in soil genesis and soil physics flourished. He continued his graduate at UCR, obtaining a Master of Science in Soil Science in 2016. His research focused on the soil genesis and characterization of Oxisols in Costa Rica. In 2018, he joined Dr. Leon’s Weed Biology and Ecology lab at NCSU, where he found “fertile ground” managed by an outstanding mentor. Under Dr. Leon´s mentorship, Manuel developed a broader perspective in agriculture and environmental sciences, as reflected in his Ph.D. dissertation.  

As a graduate student Manuel brought his strong background in soil science to SPARC to investigate the carryover effects of herbicides, commonly used in southeastern US rotational crops, in carinata establishment. He presented his findings at the 2021 ASA, CSSA and SSSA International Annual Meetings in Salt Lake City, Utah, obtaining the 2nd place award at the ASA Bioenergy Sessions Graduate Oral Competition for his talk “Evaluation of imazapic and flumioxazin carryover risk for Brassica carinata establishment.” 

Dr. Camacho just moved back to his beloved Costa Rica, where he accepted a position as assistant professor of soil physics at his alma mater. He’s excited to contribute to Costa Rican society through his duties in teaching, research, and extension at the university. He looks forward to paying back the goodwill he received during his undergraduate years, when his studies were made possible due to a scholarship from the university. During his spare time, Manuel loves outdoor activities like running, playing “fútbol” and hiking in the highlands of his hometown La Legua de Aserrí. In addition, he’s helping with his family business, a small coffee farm, which allows him to relive his childhood years when he used to work picking coffee beans. 

SPARC Participation at the ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting at Salt Lake City in November, 2021

Papers Presented

1. Anguelov, G., Seepaul, R., Mackowiak, C. L., George, S., Small, I. M., & Wright, D. L. (2021) Effect of Fertilizer Management on Nitrogen and Non-Nitrogen Nutrients in Soil Solution from Brassica Carinata Grown As a Winter-Cover Crop in Florida [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/137950 

2. Bashyal, M., Mulvaney, M. J., Crozier, C., Iboyi, J. E., Leon, R. G., Maltais-Landry, G., Wilson, C. H., Boote, K. J., & Devkota, P. (2021) Brassica Carinata Nutrient Uptake, Partitioning across Maturity Groups and Latitudes [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/133287 

3. Bashyal, M., Mulvaney, M. J., Iboyi, J. E., Leon, R. G., Maltais-Landry, G., Wilson, C. H., Boote, K. J., & Devkota, P. (2021) Nitrogen Credits to Brassica Carinata Following Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/133285 

4. Bashyal, M., Mulvaney, M. J., Seepaul, R., Iboyi, J. E., George, S., Maltais-Landry, G., Leon, R. G., Wilson, C. H., Boote, K. J., & Devkota, P. (2021) Carinata C and N Mineralization Dynamics Under Different Residue Loads and Tillage Practices [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/133288 

5. Camacho, M. E., Post, A., Mulvaney, M. J., Gannon, T. W., Amoozegar, A., Heitman, J. L., & Leon, R. G. (2021) Herbicide Carryover Risk for Brassica Carinata Establishment: A Case of Study for Imazapic and Flumioxazin in Soils from the Southeastern United States of America. [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/138278 

6. Iboyi, J. E., Mulvaney, M. J., Balkcom, K. S., Bashyal, M., Leon, R. G., Devkota, P., & Small, I. M. (2021) Winter Cash Cover Crop Effects on Subsequent Summer Crop Production and Vice Versa [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/133283 

7. Iboyi, J. E., Mulvaney, M. J., Seepaul, R., Small, I. M., Bashyal, M., Leon, R. G., Balkcom, K. S., Devkota, P., George, S., & Wright, D. L. (2021) Nitrogen Use Efficiency Among Genetically Diverse Set of Brassica Carinata Genotypes [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/133281 

8. Iboyi, J. E., Mulvaney, M. J., Seepaul, R., Small, I. M., Bashyal, M., Leon, R. G., Devkota, P., Balkcom, K. S., George, S., & Wright, D. L. (2021) Variation in Nitrogen Use Efficiency Among Carinata Genotypes Grown in a Controlled Environment [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/133278 

9. Seepaul, R., Kumar, S., Boote, K. J., Bolton, L., George, S., Small, I. M., & Wright, D. L. (2021) Physiological Analysis of Growth and Development of Winter Carinata [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/136756 

10. Seepaul, R., Mulvaney, M. J., Sintim, H., Kulesza, S., Iboyi, J. E., Lee, R. D., Sidhu, S. S., George, S., Small, I. M., & Wright, D. L. (2021) Coapplication of Poultry Litter and Mineral Nitrogen on Winter Carinata Agronomic Performance [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/136780 

11. Seepaul, R., Sidhu, S. S., Small, I. M., George, S., Marois, J. J., & Wright, D. L. (2021) Productivity and Profitability of Double-Cropping with Winter Carinata in Florida [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/136712 

12. Stansly, T., Seepaul, R., George, S., Grabau, Z., Small, I. M., & Wright, D. L. (2021) Response of Brassica Carinata to Southern Root-Knot Nematode and the Importance of Adequate Sulfur Nutrition [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/137725 

Panel

Bartels, W-L, Panelist. Soil Health Nexus and Bioenergy 

Systems Impacts Panel, Bioenergy Systems Community. 

This panel discussion session features invited speakers with research relevant to maintaining or enhancing soil health under bioenergy cropping systems. The panel focused on research, management, and science communication perspectives on soil health and bioenergy systems. 

 

Congratulations to all our student awardees

J.E. Iboyi	Graduate Student Oral Competition. Section – Bioenergy Systems	Variation in Nitrogen Use Efficiency among Carinata Genotypes Grown in a Controlled Environment	1st place
J.E. Iboyi	Graduate Student Poster Competition. Section – Bioenergy Systems	Nitrogen use efficiency among genetically diverse set of Brassica carinata genotypes	1st place
M. Bashyal	Graduate Student Poster Competition. Section – Bioenergy Systems	Brassica Carinata Nutrient Uptake, Partitioning across Maturity Groups and Latitudes	2nd place
M.E. Camacho	Graduate Student Oral Competition. Section – Bioenergy Systems	Herbicide Carryover Risk for Brassica Carinata Establishment: A Case of Study for Imazapic and Flumioxazin in Soils from the Southeastern United States of America	2nd place

SPARC moments from the ASA-CSSA-SSSA meetings at Salt Lake City, Utah

Upcoming Events
• IXth Carinata Biomaterials Summit-April 26-27, 2022 at Gainesville, FL
• Vth SPARC Annual Meeting-April 27-28, 2022 at Gainesville, Florida.
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