Lunch with a Genius: Dr. Melissa Bledsoe

Описание: "From the ground up: Nutrition starts with soil," by Dr. Melissa Bledsoe, Interim Dean, William H. Darr College of Agriculture.

Dr. Melissa Bledsoe, Interim Dean of the William H. Darr College of Agriculture, has spent the last 10 years as a professor of plant and soil science in the Environmental Plant Science and Natural Resources Department. Bledsoe is an alumnus of the College of Agriculture, earning and B.S. in Horticulture, and M.S. in Plant Science under the advisement of Dr. Frank Einhellig, former Provost of the University, focusing on plant physiology and allelopathy (plant to plant biochemical interactions). She then received her Ph.D. at the University of Missouri with Dr. Dale Blevins, focusing on soil fertility and plant nutrition in forage crops. There she investigated forage systems in Missouri, such as tall fescue-based pastures, and worked on improving the nutrient content of the forage for grazing animals.

When she’s not teaching courses in soils and plant physiology, she mentors student organizations such as the Agronomy Club and Horticulture Club, advises students, and mentors and trains graduate students in her soil and plant analytical lab. Recent research studies at MSU include a variety of cropping systems, ranging from garlic and goji berries, microgreen production, to silvopasture systems (integrating tree production and grazing) in the Ozarks. Her recent collaborative USDA NIFA-funded grant incorporated drone-based imaging and measurement of tree canopy and stress in an established silvopasture system at MSU’s Journagan Ranch.