Rebecca Stup ’23, MS ’26, is a master’s student in the lab of Antonio DiTommaso, a weed ecologist and associate dean and director of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station (Cornell AES).
Rebecca Stup ’23, MS ’26, is a master’s student in the lab of Antonio DiTommaso, a weed ecologist and associate dean and director of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station (Cornell AES). DiTommaso’s lab has been exploring planting wildflower strips along farmland as a strategy to increase biodiversity, attract pollinators and combat weeds.
Pollinators in the U.S. have declined sharply over the past decade, and last winter saw the single-largest loss of honeybee colonies in history. Meanwhile, some weeds are developing resistance to the most commonly used herbicides. Research in Europe has shown that flower strips near farm fields increase biodiversity and aid pollination and natural pest control. Stup is performing research at two Cornell AES farms to study how weed and insect communities differ in conventionally managed field margins vs. field margins seeded with native plants and wildflowers. The overarching goal is to develop strategies that maximize biodiversity and ecosystem services while minimizing weed–crop competition.
Read More: Cornell University
Photo Credit: MabelAmber via Pixabay
