Kubota Lab

We are thrilled to announce that Jason Hollick, a PhD candidate in Kubota Lab, has successfully defended his PhD dissertation. Jason’s dissertation, titled “Whole plant physiology of grafted tomato and watermelon for optimized nutrient management" focuses on improving the understanding of how scion and rootstock interactions influence plant vigor and nutrient uptake in tomatoes, as well as how rootstock and nutrient management strategies affect reproductive development in watermelons. Specifically, Jason’s research demonstrated that while tomato scion cultivar significantly impacts root mass, rootstock does not, emphasizing the need for further investigation into shoot-root signaling mechanisms. In grafted watermelon, he found that under specific environmental conditions, grafting onto squash and wild watermelon rootstocks can delay flower production and/or fruit set, regardless of the nutrient management strategy employed. Field trial results also suggest that grafting may enhance yield potential, particularly with an extended harvest season. Jason's work contributes valuable insights into the vegetative and reproductive development of grafted tomato and watermelon plants. Congratulations, Dr. Jason Hollick, on this outstanding achievement!

Exciting research updates were showcased by three graduate students from Kubota Lab: Jason Hollick (PhD candidate), Pooja Tripathi (PhD student), and Katelyn Fulcher (MS student) at the Graduate Student Symposium in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science. Jason’s recent research highlighted the influence of rootstock and nutrient management on flower and fruit development in grafted watermelon. Pooja’s study showed enhanced strawberry runnering by applying artificial chilling on strawberry plants to facilitate strawberry propagation for controlled environment production. Meanwhile, Katelyn’s project focuses on optimizing strawberry yield in controlled environments through the development of a predictive model using flower mapping. The outcomes from these research projects will provide growers with recommendations for promoting crop productivity, enhancing management strategies, and improving resource use efficiency.?

Dr. Changhyeon Kim, a member of the Kubota Lab, recently led a hands-on workshop focused on?sensor-based controlling for Controlled Environment Agriculture.?The workshop discussed the fundamental principles of sensor operation and the key considerations in selecting appropriate sensors and microcontrollers. To help participants better understand the principles of sensor-based control, the workshop included hands-on activities using an open-source microcontroller ‘Arduino’. Kubota Lab explored hardware and software components of Arduino for measuring temperature using a thermistor, storing the temperature data, and controlling a relay driver. This workshop enhanced Kubota lab members’ understanding of the operational principle of sensors and explored examples of low-cost controlling systems in CEA.