Graduate student
alr325@cornell.edu
Education
Agricultural Engineering, San Juan National University, Argentina, 2020
Background
I came from San Juan, Argentina, an arid place where irrigated agriculture is a must. This region grows seed crops, vegetables and fruit trees. I love nature and every outdoor activity you can think of, and since I was a child I have helped my dad with his beehives. Thus, I have been in touch with farmers and agriculture for a long time.
Past Research
When I studied Agricultural Engineering, my thesis research was with quinoa ecotypes and their performance in different locations. Quinoa crops caught my attention as well as other alternative crops such as amaranth, guar gum, buckwheat, and sunnhemp, to name a few. What I liked most about quinoa and amaranth is that they are usually produced in organic systems, but face the challenges of harsh weather conditions, limited technology, and intensive management using tillage. Thus my main research objective was studying how to implement reduced tillage practices in quinoa and amaranth systems to improve soil health and weed management. I needed to learn about reduced tillage in more commonly-grown crops of corn and soybeans to apply those techniques to less common crops.
Research with the lab
My research at Cornell University will be focused on organic reduced tillage cover crop systems for growing corn, where I will study different weed management techniques, nutrient cycling, corn seeding rate, and other management practices. My goal is to share practical information with farmers through my research, and return to Argentina and continue my research on cover crops in intensive crops systems. Also, I love teaching, so I expect to resume my job as lab professor in Botany after my work at Cornell.
Fun facts
I like sports, animals and learning languages.