The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) is the Connecticut state government's agricultural experiment station, a state government component that engages in scientific research and public outreach in agriculture and related fields. It is the oldest state experiment station in the United States, having been founded in 1875. Its official mission is to "develop, advance, and disseminate scientific knowledge, improve agricultural productivity and environmental quality, protect plants, and enhance human health and well-being through research for the benefit of Connecticut residents and the nation."Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Home Page The station operates a main research campus in New Haven, a research farm in Hamden, a satellite research facility and farm in Windsor, and a research farm in Griswold.Plant Pathologist/Diagnostician position announcement , Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 2009; accessed June 1, 2010 The Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station is a separate agricultural research agency, founded in 1887 and part of the University of Connecticut, which also receives state and federal funding.
Historic campus in New Haven The experiment station's main facility in the Prospect Hill area of New Haven dates from 1882 when it became the permanent home of the first state agricultural experiment station. The station had been founded at Wesleyan University in 1875Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Connecticut State Library and moved to Yale in 1877 as it became associated with the Sheffield Scientific School.
By 1882, the station needed more space, and Sheffield needed its space back. A property at the top of Prospect Hill was purchased and buildings built, using a $25,000 appropriation from the state legislature. The buildings include the Osborne Library, built in 1882-83 and believed to be the oldest building at any state agricultural experimental station, and the Johnson Laboratory, which has notably large brackets supporting its wide overhanging eaves. The station was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964, recognizing its significance as the first state agricultural station in the nation. and
For much of its history, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station worked closely with the Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station, which was founded in 1887 at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.
The main campus in New Haven currently houses the activities of six departments: Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Genetics, Entomology, Environmental Sciences, Forestry and Horticulture and Plant Pathology and Ecology.
Recent research activities
Analytical Chemistry The founding department of the Station, Analytical Chemistry began its work in 1875 testing fertilizer and later seeds, animal feed, human foods, drugs, and pesticides. This work continues today, and is organized into two categories: food safety and environmental monitoring. The department works with State and Federal agencies to improve pesticide and toxin screening of food sold in Connecticut. The department also has the capability to test for environmental contaminants and toxins in toys and other consumer products at very low concentrations. They test soils for heavy metals, and are investigating the cycling of organic pollutants in the environment, with an emphasis on phytoremediation issues. Additional investigations on the impact of nanoparticles on agricultural crops and on the potential contamination of the food chain are also being undertaken. Work has also been conducted in collaboration with Biochemistry and Genetics as well as colleagues from the Valley Laboratory to investigate which seed crops are best suited for the production of biodiesel in Connecticut.CAES 2008 Director's Report Recently, the department has been working with the US FDA on the testing of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico for chemical by-products of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station 2009-2010 Record of the Year
Biochemistry and Genetics Biochemistry research began at the station in 1888 with the appointment of Thomas B. Osborne and Samuel W. Johnson to study plant proteins. Today, the department focuses largely on plant genetics to identify and clone beneficial plant genes to improve crop species. Recent work includes the control of soil-borne pests by cloning genes from plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) that enable plants to protect their roots from nematodes. Work is also conducted on elucidating the genetic basis for photosynthetic performance in plant leaves (10). Furthermore, the department helps protect honeybee colonies by developing early-detection tests for American Foulbrood(AFB) disease, and establish protocols to control the causal bacterium. This department was blended with other departments starting in 2015.
Entomology The department is continuing its pioneering research on Lyme disease and its vector in Connecticut, the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis); biological control of ticks using the fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae; and has developed new testing methods for tick-borne illnesses in humans, wildlife and domesticated animals. Every year, thousands of ticks are sent in from around the state to be tested for disease agents.The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Accomplishments 2011 The department also conducts research on the biology and control of exotic insects, including the invasive Asian long-horned beetle and emerald ash borer, looking at the chemistry of tree selection and mating behavior. The Entomology department supports agricultural production in Connecticut with integrated pest management (IPM) efforts, helping reduce pesticide use.
Environmental Sciences The Experiment Station has conducted research on mosquitoes and the diseases they carry since 1909. This work is carried on today within the Environmental Sciences Department (formerly “Soil and Water”). Mosquitoes are collected from around the state of Connecticut then tested for West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis and other disease-causing agents. Researchers have also undertaken an effort to map the distribution of invasive aquatic plants within the state and investigate methods to control their growth and spread. Scientists are also conducting research on Phytoremediation, which focuses on the ability of certain cucurbit species to remove persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs and DDT from soil. The department also tests soil samples sent in by Connecticut businesses and residents.
Forestry and Horticulture New crops suited to Connecticut (such as Chinese cabbage, calabaza, and heirloom tomatoes as well as cultivars of wine grapes and different viticulture methods are being investigated. Scientists have also studied white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) behavior in hopes of keeping these animals away from highways to prevent vehicle-deer collisions, and to reduce damage to tree saplings, crops, and gardens. The department has surveyed certain forest plots every decade since 1927 (with the exception of 1947), providing information about how forests change over long periods of time. Researchers have also investigated techniques for crop-tree management that both increases yields and improves forest health. Department scientists are currently investigating the association of Japanese barberry (an invasive shrub), white-footed mice, and Ixodes ticks that carry the Lyme disease organism and other human pathogens in the state's forests, and cost-effective means to control invasive plant species.
Plant Pathology and Ecology The plant pathology and ecology department works to expand knowledge of ecological interactions of plants, pathogens, and their environment to develop management strategies for plant pathogens with minimal use of pesticides. Current research includes investigating the use of nanoparticles of metal oxides on plant diseases, deciphering the role of soil protists in crop health, investigating the genetic structure in natural populations of a fungus causing perennial cankers of birch, understanding the genetics of pathogenic bacteria, and protecting CT vineyards from new viral pathogens. The department also runs a full service Plant Diagnostic Information Office and serves as the official seed testing laboratory for the state of Connecticut.
Valley Laboratory Previously referred to as the “Tobacco Substation,” the Valley Laboratory in Windsor, CT has a long history of improving the cultivation of tobacco leaves in Connecticut for use as fine cigar wrappers. The “Tobacco Laboratory,” (now simply the Valley Laboratory) building was completed in 1941. Today, research covers areas such as the production of biofuel crops, invasive plant management, developing integrated pest management (IPM) methods for Connecticut nurseries, and management of the exotic hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae).
Lockwood Farm The research farm is named after William Raymond Lockwood. He was a resident of Norwalk, CT who willed his estate to CAES,CAES 125th Anniversary Program proceeds from the sale of which went towards the purchase of 20 acres of land in the Mount Carmel area of Hamden, CT in 1909(12). During the mid-twentieth century, James G. Horsfall (former Station Director) used the farm to test organically-derived fungicides as a replacement for the heavy metals used to treat plant diseases at the time.Obituary: James G. Horsfall, Leading Plant Pathologist, 90 Since 1931, the farm managers have taken daily, systematic weather measurements which provide information that can be used to study Connecticut's climate. Many plant varieties and growing methods are tested. Every year in August the farm hosts the annual Plant Science Day.
Griswold Research Center The most recent addition to the CT Agricultural Experiment Station's holdings, Griswold Research Center, encompasses 14 acres of farmland in Griswold, CT and an additional parcel of forest in the adjacent town of Voluntown, CT. Transferred from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2008, current activities on the property include studies of cold-hardy grape vine varieties, the cultivation of rapeseed for biofuel production and the biocontrol of soil nematodes. There is also an office for the State Bee Inspector, who monitors Connecticut's honeybee populations.
Station directors The station has had just ten directors during its history: Dr. Wilbur Olin Atwater (1875–1877) Dr. Samuel William Johnson (1877–1900) Dr. Edward Hopkins Jenkins (1900–1923) Dr. William L. Slate (1923–1947) Dr. James G. Horsfall (1948–1971) Dr. Paul E. Waggoner (1972–1987) Dr. John F. Anderson (1987–2004) Dr. Louis A. Magnarelli (2004–2013) Dr. Theodore G. Andreadis (2013–2020) Dr. Jason C. White (2020–present)
Notable scientific contributions
Amino acids and the discovery of vitamins In 1909 station chemist Thomas B. Osborne began collaborating with Lafayette Mendel of Yale University to test the nutritive value of the proteins that Osborne had isolated from crop seeds.