Grossman, Y.L. 2007. Integrating photosynthesis, respiration, and growth: A Microsoft Excel®-based simulation of Wisconsin Fast Plant growth. Invited presentation, BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium Symposium, Education Forum, Botanical Society of America annual meeting, Chicago, IL, July 7-11, 2007.

Grossman, Y.L. 2007. Functional-structural modeling of plant growth. Invited participant, Workshop: Roots--Now in 3-D! 3-D Root Achitecture Imaging and Its Use in Structural-Functional Models. American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting, July 16-19, 2007. (See materials list for more information.)

Grossman, Y.L. 2006. Exploring a local ecosystem: Writing to learn about the environment. Poster. Ecological Society of America, Annual Meeting, August 7-11, 2006. (See Beloit as an Ecosystem website for more information.)

Grossman, Y.L. 2006. Ecological modeling for class use. Workshop. Grossman, Y.L., P. Weihe, P., and R. Woodmansee. Global Ecology Education Workshop. Ecological Society of America: Globalization meeting, Merida, Mexico, Jan. 8-12, 2006

Research interests:

I study competition among plant organs for resources from the perspective of the carbon budget for growth. This research includes field studies on competition among plant organs for carbon, growth analysis and simulation modeling of plant growth. I am also interested in ecological function at the community, ecosystem and landscape levels.
I also follow the development of genetically engineered plants and their use in agriculture. Click here for more information.

Research Projects:

Modeling the growth of Wisconsin Fast Plants

How fast are Wisconsin Fast Plants? During Spring 2005, students in BIOL 351: Plant Ecophysiology measured the plant growth rate and developed a Microsoft Excel-based model of Fast Plant Growth. The model developers were Aaron Berdanier, Melissa Magnuski Custic, Leah Feeley, Sam Peake, and Kara Sitton.

Plant growth rate

Why do some plants grow faster than other plants? Closely related plants grown under similar conditions grow at different rates. The differences in growth rate may relate to differences in plant architecture. Students Matt Iadanza, Nicole Smith, Jessica Hayes, and Holly Mehr have grown broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage and collards and measured their growth rates.

Competition among plant organs

Why do we need to think fruit trees to grow large fruit? Plant organs compete with one another for carbon resources. I have studied competition among peach fruits, and between peach fruits and vegetative organs. Click here for citations of my papers competition.

PEACH

PEACH is a computer simulation model of peach fruit and tree growth. The model simulates daily carbon gain, maintenance respiration and growth of fruits, leaves, stems, trunk, and roots.

Click here for more information on PEACH.

Mango fruit growth

During the October and November 2002, I visited Alonso González at CSIRO Plant Industry in Darwin Australia to begin work on a mango growth model. We characterized fruit growth and the carbon cost of fruit development. I continued this project with Edelgard Pavel of the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Click here for citations of my mango papers.

Yaffa in a mango orchard in Australia.

Ecosystem services

Ecosystems provide a wide variety of services that humans use. Examples include water purification, flood control, and pollination. The Ecosystem Services Communication Project sponsored by The Ecological Society of America and Union of Concerned Scientists develops educational resources on ecosystem services. I serve on the Advisory Committee for this project.

Field projects at Newark Road Prairie

Newark Road Prairie is a 15 hectare (33 acre) wet and mesic prairie that Beloit College owns and manages.

Howard Hughes Young Scholar Jennifer Jorgensen studied woody plant invasion at Newark Road Prairie with me during the summer of 1997.

Howard Hughes Young Scholar Laura Caspar studied soil properties at Newark Road Prairie with me during the summer of 1997.

Laura Caspar in canary reed grass at Newark Road Prairie. Canary reed grass is an invasive plant species.

Selected references

Competition among plant organs for resources

Grossman, Y.L. and T.M. DeJong. 1994. Carbohydrate requirements for dark respiration by peach vegetative organs. Tree Physiology 14:37-48.

Grossman, Y.L. and T.M. DeJong. 1994. PEACH: A model of reproductive and vegetative growth in peach trees. Tree Physiology 14:329-345.

DeJong, T.M. and Y.L. Grossman. 1994. A supply and demand approach to modeling annual reproductive and vegetative growth of deciduous fruit trees. HortScience 29(12):1435-1442.

Grossman, Y.L. and T.M. DeJong. 1995. Maximum fruit growth potential and seasonal patterns of resource dynamics during peach growth. Annals of Botany 75:553-560.

Grossman, Y.L. and T.M. DeJong. 1995. Maximum fruit growth potential following resource limitation during peach growth. Annals of Botany 75:561-567.

Grossman, Y.L. and T.M. DeJong. 1995. Maximum vegetative growth potential and seasonal patterns of resource dynamics during peach growth. Annals of Botany 76:473-482.

DeJong, T.M. and Y.L. Grossman. 1995. Quantifying sink and source limitations on dry matter partitioning to fruit growth in peach trees. Physiologia Plantarum 95:437-443.

Grossman, Y.L, R.B. Elkins, and T.M. DeJong. 1996. Summer pruning does not appear to increase Bartlett Pear crop yield on reduced height trees. IN 1995 Report, Research Projects for California Bartlett Pears. January 1996.

Pace, L.S., T.M. DeJong, and Y.L. Grossman. 1996. Applicazione di un nuovo modello fenoclimatico per la valutazione dell’attivita’ vegeto-produttiva del pesco. III Giornate Scientifiche Societa’ Orticultura Italiana, Erice, Italy.

Esparza, G., T.M. DeJong and Y.L. Grossman. 1997. Modeling the vegetative and reproductive growth of almonds. Second International Symposium on Pistachios and Almonds, Davis, California. August 24-29, 1997.

Grossman, Y.L. and T.M. DeJong. 1998. Training and pruning system effects on potential vegetative growth, light interception and cropping efficiency in peach trees. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science 123(6):1058-1064.

DeJong, T.M., W. Tsuji, J.F. Doyle and Y.L. Grossman. 1999. Comparative economic efficiency of four peach production systems in California. HortScience 34(1): 73-78.

Esparza, G., T.M. DeJong and Y.L. Grossman. 1999. Modifying PEACH to model the vegetative and reproductive growth of almonds. Acta Horticulturae 499: 91-106.

Jacobsen, K.R., Y.L. Grossman, Y.-L., Hsieh, W.F. Lalor, R.E. Plant, and J.A. Jernstedt. 2001. Neps, seed-coat fragments, and non-seed impurities in processed cotton. Journal of Cotton Science 5:53-67.

Grossman, Y.L., T.M. DeJong, and S.F. Vosburg. 2002. PEACH. First review folder. BioQUEST Library Volume VI: 116-117.

Mango papers

Pavel, E.W. F.M.G. Vanassche, and Y.L. Grossman. 2003. Optimization of irrigation management in mango trees by determination of water and carbon demands to improve water use efficiency and fruit quality. Final Report to the Water Research Commission, Pretoria, South Africa.

Grossman, Y.L., A. González, and E.W. Pavel. 2006. Modeling mango fruit and vegetative growth. Proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium on Computer Modelling in Fruit Research and Orchard Management. Acta Horticulturae 707:33-40.

Remote sensing:

Grossman, Y.L., S.L. Ustin, S. Jacquemoud, E.W. Sanderson, G. Schmuck, and J. Verdebout. 1996. Critique of stepwise multiple linear regression for the extraction of leaf biochemistry information from leaf reflectance data. Remote Sensing of Environment 56(3): 182-193.

Genetic engineering

Tiedje, J.M., R.K. Colwell, Y.L. Grossman, R.E. Hodson, R.E. Lenski, R.N. Mack, and P.J. Regal. 1989. The planned introduction of genetically engineered organisms: ecological considerations and recommendations. Ecology 70:298-315.

Grossman, Y.L. 1992. Genetic engineering, science, and society. Book review, BioScience 42:458-459.

Liberal arts education
Grossman, Y.L. 2004. Doing science in the liberal arts. IN Ninety percent study and ninety percent experience edited by T. McBride. Beloit College Press, Beloit, WI.