McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY
McNeese State University graduate student, Kayden Smith, is investigating how watermelons and potatoes grow with conventional fertilizer compared to organic.
“My research consists of growing watermelon and potato crops using regular fertilizer and organic fertilizers such as cattle manure,” Smith said.
Smith, a graduate student from Scott who is earning a master’s degree in environmental and chemical sciences, is looking at overall crop yield and which planting method provides better overall quality.
“The way we’re testing for quality is using a brix refractometer which detects the amount of dissolved solids, primarily sugar, inside the potato or watermelons,” he said.
The research is part of a graduate assistant position that Smith found by asking about opportunities. The work is part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture specialty crop block grant at McNeese’s Fuller Farm in Kinder. The grant began in 2022, and several other graduate students have conducted research under the grant.
“I am interested in this research because I see the word organic being thrown around at the grocery store and to my knowledge is usually more expensive. I wanted to perform a test to see if there is a reason why organic is considered better from a quality and quantity standpoint,” Smith said.
The grant is for specialty crops so Smith focused on watermelons and potatoes. He says everyone loves a good watermelon on a hot summer day, and potatoes are an important part of crawfish season.
“The most interesting part of my research so far is the results from the potato harvest. We got almost double the number of pounds from the conventional plots than we did from the manure plots,” Smith said. “We have mixed overall numbers in terms of quality, but overall, it seems like conventional is better than sustainable farming practices. However, our fertilizers for the organic plots were free while we had to pay for fertilizer for the conventional plots.”
Smith chose McNeese for his undergraduate degree in agricultural sciences because he was interested in going into the agricultural field. He wanted a place where his professors knew him, and at McNeese, he found that he built genuine authentic relationships with them. Smith stayed for his graduate degree for the same reasons.
“Even after you’re finished with their classes, the professors still treat you like family and will help you out with almost anything,” he said.
Smith plans to work in environmental science research or become an agricultural science teacher at a local high school.
“The major thing I want people to know is to get involved and network. The number of opportunities I have been presented at McNeese have connected me with people all over the state. You build up connections in places you might not have ever heard of, and when you have a system like that in place, it’s so much easier to find a job, study group or true lifelong friends.”
