The goal of our lab is to develop knowledge, models, and decision tools that ultimately reduce the risk that climate change and weeds pose to food production systems.  The lab utilizes an array of experimental approaches at various spatial and temporal scales, all aimed at building resilience in crop management systems.  The over-arching objectives of this project are to 1) improve the understanding of the influence of climate variability on crop and weed management outcomes, and 2) explore the integration of new chemical and non-chemical tactics for managing weeds in Midwest grain and/or specialty crops. 

General Topics

1. Identifying opportunities to bolster crop plant competitiveness 
     a.  Crop phenotypic diversity
                 i. Genetic improvement
                ii. Root architecture
               iii. Seed traits
     b. Cultural practices
                 i. Planting strategies
                ii. Cover crops
     c. Physical weed control

 2. Investigating production issues in commercial vegetable cropping systems
     a. Improvements in agronomic practices
     b. Stabilizing yield to environmental variability
     c. Climate change implications

 3. Exploring special issues in minor crops
     a. Quantifying risk of herbicide use
     b. Bridging critical gaps in crop protection

 4. Understanding the interplay among herbicide use, weather, and time on weed management outcomes