If you have been involved in the environmental discourse surrounding population size, you have most likely heard something along the lines of not enough food/land for the amount of people that are projected to live in 2050, yet 20 to 30 percent of the food in our food supply goes to waste, this is because food doesn't sell in groceries, accidents happens during transportation, and certain laws regarding distribution. With that in mind, the research done, focused on whether or not grow tents are a reliable tool for food production by comparing it to outdoor growing. Research compared germination rates to determine whether the growth cycles happen earlier than expected, within expected time, or later than expected. energy requirements were measured, and overall plant quality was noted down. Once the growing cycles for both spaces concluded, the differences in the plant yields were analyzed and marked down to better understand what impact the different environments had. The primary research question being to what extent does bio-intensive indoor grow tent agriculture compared to outdoor soil cultivation. The researcher looked to expand on the application of indoor growing systems and apply them in a way that can allow people to make their own decisions about where their food originates from, how it is being handled, and who gets access to it. The indoor grow tent was made through already available resources in our community, it was assembled and designed with the help of several staff members from the school, showing the possible community outreach that comes from projects like these.

Maintaining higher crop production while also trying to reduce environmental impacts is a major challenge that is debated in the sustainable agriculture field. Synthetic fertilizers are used mostly because they increase plant growth fast and efficiently, however, their long-term use can cause soil erosion, nutrient runoff, and contribute to carbon emissions. Researchers have already examined synthetic fertilizers and compost tea on plant performance, but none seem to have experimented with commercial synthetic fertilizers while comparing them to compost tea under the same growing conditions. This research addresses that gap by comparing Miracle-Gro, which is a commercial synthetic fertilizer, to homemade compost tea made at the Knox College Farm, using arugula as the test subject. I examine and compare the differences in plant growth, plant color, soil nutrient content, and water uptake. I also examine my control group, which will only be watered. Soil samples are collected before and after in order to see how each stimulates plant growth and I also correlate the effects on nutrient levels and plant performance. I argue that a more locally produced compost tea can support arugula growth while promoting soil health, making it a more sustainable option than synthetic fertilizers in a small-scale urban agricultural setting.

Pesticide use is widespread. Although designed for specific target species, they often spread beyond their intended area through runoff and spray drift, presenting risk of low-dose exposure for non-target organisms. Insects provide many vital ecosystem services, including nutrient cycling, pollination, seed dispersal, population control, and serving as a major food source. Effects of sublethal exposure can be ecologically significant, altering reproductive biology, downstream population dynamics, and community structure. Despite these concerns, there is limited data on how pesticides affect the development of reproductive tissues and mating behavior in non-target organisms. Most existing data comes from honey bees and other hymenopterans, which have specialized reproductive biology distinct from most other insects. To address this knowledge gap, this project aims to answer two questions: how sublethal ingestion of imidacloprid affect the development of reproductive tissues, and mating behaviors of adults. Imidacloprid is one of the most widely used insecticides worldwide, making it a key compound for assessing sublethal impacts on insects. We use the cricket Gryllus pennsylvanicus as a model species in a controlled exposure experiment in which individuals are assigned to imidacloprid-treated or untreated diets. Sublethal effects are then analyzed using song recordings and gonad mass. Imidacloprid has demonstrated environmental impacts that led to its ban in the EU, and we are at a point where high-quality risk assessment data is crucial to informing US pesticide policy. This study helps close a major gap by providing data on a non-target insect species and their reproductive capacity.

Clonostachys rosea is a promising solution for the devastation that soybean pathogens cause globally. It has been reported to act as a mycoparasite on fungal pathogens including Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and can limit the growth of other pathogens through competition for resources and induced systemic resistance (ISR). C. rosea is an endophytic fungus and belongs to the Ascomycete phylum. We first observed it to be coinhabiting soybean crown samples as with other fungi in Eastern Nebraska. In this study, we first isolated and identified stem fungi using morphologic and molecular characterization. Then, we built phylogenies to understand the different species relatedness. Next, we determined the pathogenicity of C. rosea in greenhouse trials and analyzed its relationship with the other fungi through dual-culture antagonism trials in vitro. These results were analyzed to determine an overall relationship between the fungi. In the end, C.rosea’s ability to be an agent of biological control was evaluated for important soybean crown pathogens. It’s necessary to understand the relationship C. rosea has with common soybean crown pathogens to develop more effective and sustainable management practices.