Thomas Björkman Lab

Thomas Björkman
Associate Professor of Vegetable Crop Physiology

Department of Horticulture
Cornell University
630 W. North St.
Geneva, NY 14556

B.S. Biochemistry, University of California, Davis, 1979
Ph.D. Plant Physiology, Cornell University, 1986

Program Overview

Field of Specialization

Environmental effects on development, especially reproductive growth and roots. The application of that knowledge to grow vegetables with less economic and environmental risk, and with higher quality.

Current Projects

Cover crops for use in vegetable production
Breeding and raising broccoli in warm, humid conditions
The mechanism of heat injury to broccoli flower-bud development

Recent Projects

Increasing springtime phosphorus availability in high-P soils
Implementation of Trichoderma-based biocontrol in sh2-sweet corn and bean production
Controlling excessive stem elongation in tomato transplant production
Selection of buckwheat germplasm adapted to the Northeastern US

Information for Growers

Cover crops for vegetables
Developing an Eastern broccoli industry
Buckwheat production guide and growers association
Biocontrol for root health with T-22
Height control in transplants

Research Experience

1996 - present	Associate Professor, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Cornell University Vegetable crop physiology; plant-environment interactions; root growth physiology.
1990 - 1996	Assistant Professor, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Cornell University
1986 - 1990	NASA Research Associate, Botany Department, University of Washington Calcium signalling in gravitropism (Robert E. Cleland)
2000	Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles Localization of homeotic gene expression during floral transition (Jack Okamuro and Bob Goldberg)
1984-1986	Graduate Student, Boyce Thompson Institute Gravity sensing in root statocytes (Carl Leopold)
1980-1984	NSF Graduate Fellow, Department of Agronomy, Cornell University Acclimation to drought stress. (Peter L. Steponkus)
1980	Visiting graduate student. Plant Physiology, University of Lund, Sweden (Anders Kylin and Tomas Lundborg)
1977-1979	Undergraduate research assistant. University of California, Davis. Chilling injury in tomato roots (Bill Breidenbach)

Links

List of Publications

People in the lab

Professional Societies and Service

Amer. Soc. Horticultural Science	Scandinavian Soc. Plant Physiology
Amer. Soc. Plant Biology	Sigma Xi (Geneva Chapter president 1993-94, 2001-02)
Botanical Society of America	Sigma Xi Partners in Science Education

Chair, Vegetable Crop Program Work Team, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Chair, National Issues Task Force, American Society for Horticultural Science
Chair, Geneva Arboretum Association, NYSAES

New York State Agricultural Experiment Station
630 West North Street
Geneva, New York 14456
Telephone: 315.787.2011

Last Modified: April 3, 2012