“A lot of people don’t know this, actually, but tomatoes originated in the Andes Mountains,” Lori Hoagland, associate professor of horticulture and landscape architecture said. “For that reason, understanding soil biodiversity there has major breeding implications for tomatoes.”
This research is the basis for the Fulbright Scholar Award Hoagland recently received to study soil biodiversity.
She will spend six months in the Andes Mountains in Colombia collecting and analyzing soil samples.
Hoagland was one of eight Purdue faculty members to receive a Fulbright grant this year, the largest number of Purdue faculty awardees in a single year. Purdue Fulbright awardees will conduct research across four different continents-Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. While Hoagland’s project will focus largely on better understanding soil composition, her research has immense implications for Colombia and specialty crop farmers in Indiana.
A recent peace treaty ended 50 years of civil war in Colombia, a conflict that significantly hampered economic and agricultural development throughout the country. With its rich and diverse soil and range of climates and ecosystems, Colombia’s potential for cash and specialty crop production is not currently being met. Scaling up crop production and agricultural technologies will be essential to Colombia’s economic future, Hoagland said, but it must be done sustainably, intentionally and without further marginalizing communities already adversely impacted by decades of civil war.
“Part of my research will examine how agricultural production can expand without harming Colombia’s natural ecosystems, which are among the most biodiverse in the world,” Hoagland continued.
While her research is primarily scientific in nature, research and results never exist in a vacuum and Hoagland plans to better understand how cultural factors impact stakeholders in Colombia’s agricultural sectors. She also hopes to deepen ties to Colombian scholars and students to better facilitate cultural and academic exchanges between Purdue and Colombian universities.
“My Colombian colleagues have also expressed interest in learning how to integrate extension activities into their research and teaching,” Hoagland added.
In addition to benefiting Colombian communities, Hoagland believes her research will have implications in Indiana as well.
“Generally, in Indiana, there’s not as much research done on specialty crops but tomatoes are a major crop in Indiana and hugely important” she explained. “I’ve worked a lot with tomato pathogens but how soils impact the crop has been glossed over. I’m hoping to remedy that with this study.” And better understanding soil composition will help fight off pathogens in tomatoes and other crops like spearmint and peppermint, other Indiana crops that are highly susceptible to several pathogens.
Hoagland begins her research in Colombia in June. She will travel between the Andes and the National University of Colombia (UNAL) in Bogota where she will collaborate with faculty and graduate students.
“This experience will also help me learn how to better adapt my teaching style for students of different cultural and academic backgrounds,” she said.
External Link: Horticulture professor one of eight faculty Fulbright Scholars