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BACKGROUND:
I grew up on the
outskirts of Seville, OH. Our house was surrounded by corn and
soybean fields, which sparked my interest in agriculture at a young
age. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Plant Biology, with an
emphasis in Ecology, from the Ohio State University in 1996. After
graduation, I moved to Davis, CA to pursue a Doctoral degree in
Plant Biology, with an emphasis in Postharvest Physiology, where I
focused on sustainable agriculture and looking for alternatives to
pesticides for disease control. In 2001, I moved back to Ohio to
study organic vegetable production at the Ohio State University,
Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, with
the hopes of linking the pre- and post-harvest aspects in the food
system.
AREA OF SPECIALTY:
Examining the
components of conventional and transitional organic management
strategies for vegetable production. Preharvest factors (fertilizer,
variety selection, and pest control, etc.) can affect crop quality.
By examining both pre- and post-harvest factors, and connecting
these to consumer acceptability, crops can be managed for the
benefit of both grower and consumer.
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
• Postharvest physiology and
maintaining crop quality from the field to the table
• Certified organic
vegetable production
• Vegetable sensory quality
and its relationship to field management practices
• Consumer perception of
quality and the food system
My current interests include understanding the basic processes
involved in tropical crop postharvest physiology, including
examining how the morphological characteristics of these crops
contribute to their handling and storage and examining the
mechanisms that drive chilling injury. I am also exploring organic
alternatives for control of diseases and insects in postharvest
handling.
EDUCATION:
Ph.D., Plant Biology,
University of California, Davis, 2001
Advisor: Dr.
Elizabeth Mitcham, Heat treatments, biological controls, and
controlled atmospheres as alternatives
to pesticides in control of Botrytis cinerea in postharvest
handling of strawberries.
B.S., Plant Biology,
The Ohio State University, 1996
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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
Wszelaki, A.L., J.F.
Delwiche, S.D. Walker, R.E. Liggett, and M.D. Kleinhenz 2004.
Sensory Quality and Mineral and
Glycoalkaloid Concentrations in Organically and Conventionally Grown
Redskin Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). Journal of the Science of Food
and Agriculture, in review.
Wszelaki, A.L., T.J.
Butler, C.P. Steiner, E.A. Burnison and S.A. Miller 2004. Evaluation
of approved materials for the control of foliar and fruit diseases
of organic fresh-market tomatoes, 2003. Biological and Cultural
Tests for Control of Plant Diseases (online) (in press). The
American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN.
Nahar, M.S., P.S.
Grewal, S.A. Miller, D. Stinner, B.R. Stinner, M.D. Kleinhenz, A.
Wszelaki, and D. Doohan 2004. Differential effects of raw and
composted manure on nematode community, and its indicative value for
soil microbial, physical and chemical properties. Applied Soil
Ecology, in press.
Kleinhenz, M.D. and
A. Wszelaki 2003. Yield and head trait relationships in cabbage (Brassica oleracea, L. Capitata Group) I. Fresh
Market. HortScience 38:1349-1354. Link
Wszelaki, A. and
M.D. Kleinhenz 2003. Yield and head trait relationships in cabbage
(Brassica oleracea, L. Capitata Group) II. Processing. HortScience
38:1355-1359. Link
Wszelaki, A.L. and
E.J. Mitcham 2003. Effect of combinations of hot water dips,
biological control and controlled atmospheres for control of gray
mold on harvested strawberry. Postharvest Biology and Technology
27:255-264. Pdf Link
Wszelaki, A.L., S.D.
Walker, C.P. Steiner and S.A. Miller 2003. Evaluation of
alternatives for the control of foliar and fruit diseases of organic
processing tomatoes, 2002. Biological and Cultural Tests for Control
of Plant Diseases (online). Report 18:PT008. DOI:10.1094/BC18. The
American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN.
Kleinhenz, M.D.,
J.C. Scheerens, D.M. Francis, T.J.K. Radovich, D.G. French, A.
Gazula, A. Wszelaki, A. Sanchez-Vela, A.A.C. McIntyre, J. Delwiche,
and P. Ling 2003. From farm to consumer – linking crop physiology
and production with buyer-oriented quality. I. Vegetables. Acta
Horticulturae 604:95-103.
Wszelaki, A.L. and
E.J. Mitcham 2000. Effects of superatmospheric oxygen on strawberry
fruit quality and decay. Postharvest Biology and Technology
20:125-133.
Wszelaki, A.L. and
E.J. Mitcham 1999. Elevated oxygen atmospheres as a decay control
alternative on strawberry. HortScience 34:514-515 (Abstract).
Wszelaki, A.L., S.
Ben-Yehoshua and E.J. Mitcham 1999. Do high oxygen atmospheres
control postharvest decay of fruits and vegetables? Perishables
Handling Quarterly 99:22-25.
Snow, A.A., P. Moran-Palma, L.H.
Riesberg, A.L. Wszelaki and G.J. Seiler 1998. Fecundity, phenology,
and seed dormancy of F1 wild-crop hybrids in sunflower (Helianthus
annus, Asteraceae). American Journal of Botany 85(6):794-801.
Pdf Link
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