Stephen H. Kolison, Jr., Ph.D., Director
125 Farrell-Westbrook Agricultural Research and Extension Complex
Scientists: N. Adefope, A. Akuley-Amenyenu, N. Appleton, A. Aziz, S. Bhatti, R. Browning, Jr., C. Catanzaro, C. Catlin, Jr., F. Chen, S. Dennis, D. Duseja, E. Ekanem, C. Fenderson, N. Gawel, S. Godwin, R. Harrison, W. Hayslett, Sr., T. Kahtz, S. Kebe, S. H. Kolison, Jr., D. Long, M. Mmbaga, S. Muhammad, S. Nahashon, J. Oliver, R. Sauve, S. Singh, L. Speller-Henderson, F. Tegegne, , N. Youssef, S. Zhou.
General Statement
The Cooperative Agricultural Research Program is the principal agricultural and natural resources research division of Tennessee State University. With some 23 researchers holding terminal degrees in their fields, 8 master’s degree level researchers, and 14 research and administrative support staff, CARP is one of the three major research centers at Tennessee State University. Annually, it receives about $2.5 million appropriation from the United States Department of Agriculture for research and facilities, and about $736,000 in State and University funds specifically for woody ornamental crop research. In addition, researchers in CARP attract an average of more than $500,000 annually through grantsmanship efforts. CARP researchers received their education from outstanding universities throughout the United States and from several countries around the globe. At CARP, we are committed to improving the lives of all the citizens of Tennessee and other regions. We attach great importance to serving the population of our state and nation that has traditionally been underserved. As the economic boundaries between countries rapidly disappear, CARP is also committed to exploring opportunities that will enhance the ability of the food systems industry of Tennessee and the nation to compete in the global marketplace.
To take these commitments to new frontiers, our scientists are involved in research activities related to animal production systems, biotechnological applications to food safety concerns, the production of plants with desired characteristics, rural development, sustainable agriculture, and the marketing of agricultural commodities that are economically important to our state and other regions. To facilitate these efforts, we have a research complex that consists of excellent facilities in Nashville and McMinnville.
The Cooperative Agricultural Research Program is organized into six multidisciplinary research teams: Animal and Alternative Livestock Research Team; Economics and Policy Research Team; Environmental Protection and Enhancement Research Team; Food Safety, Nutrition and Family Well-Being Research Team; Medicinal and Alternative Food Crops Research Team; Nursery Crop Production Systems Research Team.
Animal and Alternative Livestock
Research Team
Animal agriculture in Tennessee and the nation is diverse, with farmers and ranchers raising traditional livestock as well as considering non-traditional livestock alternatives. The thrust of this team is to address issues concerning the basic physiology, general performance, and marketing of selected alternative livestock for Tennessee and other farmers, while maintaining research activities in traditional areas of relevance to the economy of our state. Research efforts in the area of non-traditional alternative livestock include guinea fowl and goats. Our research activities in traditional areas are represented by beef cattle and chickens. Specific goals of the team are based on the following concerns: 1) the desire for alternative meat is increasing because of an increasingly diverse U.S. consumer demographic; 2) the demand for tobacco products, a major cash crop in Tennessee, is decreasing due to health concerns; and 3) the limited acreage typically found on small farms and the decreasing amount of available pastureland affect the economic viability of producing beef cattle.
Priority Research Areas:
- Develop and introduce a competitive goat production system for small farmers in Tennessee as an alternative to beef cattle production, tobacco farming, and other farming activities for which they are losing markets, or are likely to lose market share.
- Provide an alternative to traditional poultry production to small farmers in Tennessee by developing and introducing management practices for improving reproductive efficiency of guinea fowl breeders.
- Assess metabolic indices in cattle consuming endophytic tall fescue to identify mechanisms through which ergopeptine alkaloids linked to fescue toxicosis reduce productivity in the beef cattle production systems.
- Determine the effect of vitamin E on reproductive efficiency of beef cows in small beef cattle operations in Tennessee.
Economics and Policy Research Team
Enefiok Ekanem, Ph.D.
Team Coordinator
In a highly dynamic global economy, the challenges facing applied economists and policy makers continue to change and expand. In the Southeastern region of the United States, including Tennessee, issues of rural economic development, agriculture and the food system - production, marketing, management, the environment - and public policy related to agribusiness are among the most challenging and rewarding areas of agriculture/agribusiness. The Economics and Policy Research Team strives to generate knowledge, enhance skills, and disseminate unbiased information derived from application of economic and business principles to the above issues at the state, regional, national, and global levels. Findings from the team’s research are expected to provide useful input for policy makers.
Priority Research Areas:
- Rural economic development.
- Production, marketing, management, and environmental aspects of agriculture and the food system.
- Public policy related to agribusiness.
Environmental Protection and Enhancement Research Team
Robert E. Harrison, Ph.D.
Team Coordinator
The invasion of highly destructive pests and diseases into agriculture has necessitated the rapid development of pest and disease control programs, most of which rely on the use of toxic chemicals. Public perception about the safety of those chemicals requires studies of their persistence and movement in soil and surface waters, as well as studies of alternative pest and disease control methods. CARP’s Environmental Protection and Enhancement Research Team members direct their research efforts toward identifying and reducing the effects of hazardous agricultural chemicals in the environment. The team’s research goals have been established in several priority areas.
Priority Research Areas:
- Japanese beetle control measures in nursery production.
- Alternative control measures for plant-parasitic nematodes in nursery crop production.
- Environmentally friendly alternatives to fungicides for powdery mildew disease management in dogwood production.
- Studies on the soil and pesticide interactions in nursery soils, soil mixes, and various soil separates.
- New alternatives for the removal of pesticides from nursery sites.
- GIS education for agriculture faculty, researchers, and students at Tennessee State University.
Food Safety, Nutrition and Family Well-Being Research Team
Sandria L. Godwin, Ph.D.
Acting Team Coordinator
The Food Safety, Nutrition and Family Well-being team’s major objective is to improve the health and well-being of Americans through a safer food supply, adequate food distribution and greater knowledge of nutrition and dietary assessment methodology. Team members have formal collaborative projects with the following: Food Surveys Research Group of the Agricultural Research Service/U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Economic Research Service/USDA, National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Food and Drug Administration/DHHS, Second Harvest of Middle Tennessee, The Sensory Analysis Center, Department of Nutrition of Kansas State University, the Cooperative Extension Program, TSU, and Health Technomics, Inc.
Priority Research Areas:
- Evaluating the effectiveness of food safety messages with various population groups.
- Assessing food safety related knowledge and practices.
- Analyzing effects of stress conditions on Salmonella in poultry.
- Increasing food security of economically disadvantaged populations through nutrition education and improved food-purchasing practices.
- Evaluating the accuracy of reporting dietary intake when using different portion size estimation aids.
Medicinal and Alternative Food Crops Research Team
Roger J. Sauve, Ph.D.
Team Coordinator
The overall goal of this team is to develop and introduce medicinal and other plants as alternative agronomic crops for small farm operators. Included in this objective is the identification and improvement of selected genera for their pharmaceutical and other values using conventional and biotechnological means. Propagation and production protocols are being developed for superior plants. Once perfected, these production methods will be made available to farmers.
Priority Research Areas:
- Evaluation of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) for anti-carcinogenic activity and other pharmaceutical values.
- Evaluation of St. John’s Wort (Hypericum spp.) for pharmaceutical activity of hypericin.
Nursery Crop Production Systems
Research Team
Nick J. Gawel, Ph.D.
Team Coordinator
The overall goal of the Nursery Crop Production Systems Research Team is to improve selected plant genera to broaden their consumer appeal and contribute to the enhancement of Tennessee’s standing as a national leader in the nursery industry. This goal also includes the development of hands-on teaching and demonstration areas on the CARP research farm in Nashville. The demonstration areas will strengthen teaching and aid in our efforts to stimulate interest in the plant sciences among Metro Nashville high school students and to transfer new discoveries into the hands of limited resource nursery owners. Among the plant genera targeted by the team for improvement are Helleborus, Pulmonaria, Hemerocallis, Castanea, and Ulmus. Areas for teaching and demonstration will include tree fruits (peaches, apples, pears), vine fruits (grapes), small fruits (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries), turf plots, nursery plants, and other plants to be added in the future.
Priority Research Areas:
- Improve selected plant genera to broaden consumer appeal.
- Enhance Tennessee’s standing as a national leader in the nursery industry.
- Develop hands-on teaching and demonstration areas.
- Strengthen teaching and stimulate interest in the plant sciences among high school students.
- Transfer new discoveries to limited resource nursery owners.