Using academic databases to vet gardening information

Fact or fantasy?
Finding the science behind
garden practices and products

Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott
WSU Extension Urban Horticulturist

Seminar roadmap

Evaluating information
Searching academic
databases
Case studies
Now what?

Types of information
Scientific - peer reviewed,
academic audience
Example - Journal of
Environmental
Horticulture

Gray - not peer reviewed,
professional audience
Example – American
Nurseryman


Popular – not peer reviewed,
general audience
Example – Organic
Gardening


What about anecdotes?
One person’s
observations

Useful for identifying new
areas of research

Moving past anecdotes
Control variability
Replicate treatments
Repeat experiment
Request confirmation

Assess gray and popular
literature with the CRAP test!*

(And if you still have questions, consult with
Extension specialists)
*Adapted from Meriam Library, CSU @ Chico State
www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/evalsites.html

Credibility
Relevancy and
currency of author’s
qualifications?
Publisher: academic,
specialty, self-
published?
URL: .edu or .gov? Or
.com?

Relevance
Subject and scope of
research?
Intended audience?
Geographic or other
constraints on
usability?


Accuracy
Science-based?
Objective?
Current?
Well-written?


Purpose
Educational or
commercial?
Political,
ideological,
cultural, religious,
or personal
biases?

Academic databases
AGRICOLA - agricultural
CAB – agricultural, forestry
BIOSIS – biological
GREENfile - environmental
Web of Science (ISI) – science
citation index

Choose a topic
Wireworms
Hydrogen peroxide
Mowing leaves into lawns


Advice to gardeners?
“Fill a nylon sock with
sprouted wheat, bury it
in the area you intend
to sow to corn, then
dig up the sock (now
infested with
wireworms) and
dispose of it.”

Wireworm bait traps

Used to assess
infestations
and determine
means of
control


Advice to gardeners

A bait trap can detect the presence
of wireworms, but it is not itself a
demonstrated means of control

Advice to you
Consider setting up
and running an
experiment to test
whether traps can
reduce wireworm
damage in a
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/icm/
controlled setting 2003/4-21-2003/trapwire.html


Advice to gardeners?
Damping off
“One tablespoon of 3%
hydrogen peroxide per
quart of water [applied
to soil] is sufficient.”
(Source:
davesgarden.com)


Thousands of web
sites recommend
H2O2 for prevention
of damping off of
seedlings.


Use of H2O2 in soil science
Rehabilitate soils
contaminated
with heavy
metals and oil
Used to remove
OM from soils
during analysis


Articles relevant to pathogens
Seed microorganisms in three species of pine and techniques of
disinfection.
Vázquez Collazo, I.; Ciencia Forestal en Mexico, 1996, 21, 79, 61-85.
Hydrogen peroxide was not a good pine seed disinfectant, although
treating seeds for 40 and 60 minutes reduced microorganism
presence on the three pine species by 8 and 15% respectively.

Pathogenic seedborne Fusarium oxysporum from Douglas-fir.
Graham, J. H.; Linderman, R. G.; Plant Disease, 1983, 67, 3, 323-325.
The fungus was isolated from 1-5% of the seed from 2 of 6 Pseudotsuga
menziesii sources examined. Isolates were recovered from both
washed and H2O2-treated seed.


Advice to gardeners
Hydrogen peroxide is
part of a plant’s
cellular response to
stress
Soil-applied hydrogen
peroxide has no value
as a fungal inhibitor

Photo credit: TAMU

Question from gardeners
“Is there any benefit or
harm from mowing
fallen leaves into the
lawn, rather than
bagging and disposing
of them?”

Photo credit: OSU


Relevant research
Several recent articles in both peer-
reviewed and professional
publications
Multi-year field studies in
geographically diverse regions,
including Michigan and Missouri
Initial research appears to be on
whether practice is harmful; results
encourage further work on benefits


Research findings
No negative effects found in any study,
even when “excessive” mulch applied
Better turf color through winter
Improved weed control
Increased OM content of soil
“Research clearly indicates that the
practice of mulching leaf litter into
existing turfgrass canopies provides
benefits for the soil and the turfgrass
plant.”

Advice for gardeners
Use your lawn mower
or other shredding
device to create a fine-
textured leaf mulch for
your lawn

Photo credit: UMinn


Write up your results
Blog or other online posting
Newspaper or magazine article
Extension fact sheet
Scientific journal article


Using academic databases to vet gardening information

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