Ph.D. Environmental Studies Department
University of California, Santa Cruz

B.S., University of Michigan

Sustainable Orchard Management, Alternative Agriculture

Though many studies have demonstrated that cover crops, the use of organic matter, and beneficial insects can produce numerous benefits such as a decrease in pest numbers, weed suppression, and increases in available Nitrogen, few have been applied to the orchard agroecosystem and cherry orchards in particular. I would like to conduct research in conjunction with traditional farmers in actual agricultural settings in order to create a sustainable alternative to current high external input practices.

Past Research

• Identified woody and herbaceous plant regeneration habits in a tornado-cleared stand of Pinus strobus in southeastern Michigan.
• Studied alternatives to control white flies in tomato crops, in Costa Rica’s central valley, using plant cover and botanical extracts of a local tree species, madero negro, as deterrents.

Research interests:  sustainable agriculture, agroecology, orchard agroecosystems, cherries, organic farming, cover crops, natural enemies, weed suppression, local knowledge

Contact Robert Sirrine by email: jrsirrine@yahoo.com