Author: Josh Tebow Major: Horticulture, Landscape and Turf Science

I began my research this past fall under my advisor Dr. Ryan Dickson in the Horticulture, Landscaping, and Turf Science department. The goal of my research is to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of supplemental calcium and silicon applied to basil to prevent post-harvest chilling injury and mechanical damage, which is common in basil and results in loss of profit for commercial growers and loss of quality for consumers. This spring semester I focused on the application of sodium silicate foliar treatments. I applied sodium silicate at rates of 50, 100, 200, and 400 parts per million along with a deionized water control and a deionized water plus wetting surfactant treatment.  

The project changed considerably from what I had originally envisioned. This is due to the ongoing pandemic. This semester forced me to become flexible and solve problems quickly when they popped up. The experimental stage of the project was supposed to run from mid-March through April with data collection taking place during the last week of April. However, I was not able to sow basil seeds until the first week of April and harvest and data collection will not happen until the second week of June. The pandemic has also limited my resources as far as equipment. With the calcium experiment I was able to use the texture analyzer in the Food Science department to quantify leaf strength, but I am now unable to use the texture analyzer. So, instead of looking at mechanical damage with the sodium silicate sprays, I am looking at chilling injury and drought stress.  

Even though there were a lot of last-minute changes, I would say that things went well. The basil had a high germination rate, so I was able to chose plugs that were uniform in size. I was able to use my experience from apply the calcium chloride treatments last semester to refine my spray protocol for the sodium silicate sprays. I was also able to get a good jump on the foundation of my written thesis. I was able to get a solid introduction done.  

My mentor, Dr. Dickson, was very helpful and supportive the entire semester. He gave me advice and reassured me though all of the changes during the course of the experiment. Dr. Dickson looked over and made edits on my writing so that I could make revisions on it.  

This semester of research pushed me to become familiar with academic writing. It’s a skill that I have not developed much yet, but I know that it is very important that I hone it as I continue with my career in research. My plans for my next steps are to harvest basil in the middle of June and then to analyze data and write the rest of my thesis. I am hoping that campus will be open this fall semester so that I will be able to defend soon.