Sowmya (Shoumo) Mitra

Title: Assistant Professor

Department: Horticulture/Plant and Soil Science

Room: 2-210

Phone: (909) 869- 2989

E-Mail: smitra@csupomona.edu

Home Page: http://www.csupomona.edu/~smitra

Tenure: Started as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2001

Education:

Ph. D. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1999
M.S. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1997
B.S. (Hons): Gold Medal B.C.K.V, West Bengal, India, 1994
Major: Agricultural Engineering and Soil Science

Biography:

Joined as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture/Plant and Soil Sciences in 2001. Primary responsibilities include teaching (50%) and research (50%) with turfgrass management. Before joining Cal. Poly, Pomona I worked as a Product Manager for Eco Soil Systems, Inc. at their corporate headquarters in San Diego, CA. Job responsibilities include management, research, and product development of proprietary biological products for golf, athletic turf, sod, and agriculture divisions. Other responsibilities include coordination of all university research trials, product evaluation, national training, education, and increase awareness among sales representatives and customers. My primary goal was to reduce the use of pesticides on golf courses and increase the use of alternatives mainly biological control.

Research Interest:

Research areas of interest are turfgrass physiology mainly environmental stress management, soil and water quality, the fate of pesticides in the environment and biological control of weeds and turfgrass diseases. Also interested in irrigation design, automated fermentation and delivery of microorganisms through irrigation systems.

Publications:

Scientific Referred Publications:
S. Mitra, P. C. Bhowmik, and B. Xing. 2001. Physical and chemical properties of soil influence
the sorption of the diketonitrile derivative of isoxaflutole. Weed Sci: 49(3):423-430.
S. Mitra, P. C. Bhowmik, and B. Xing. 2000. Sorption and desorption of the diketonitrile
metabolite in soils. Environ. Pollu. 108:183-190.
S. Mitra, P. C. Bhowmik, and B. Xing. 2000. Spectroscopic study of the sorption of
isoxaflutole and its diketonitrile metabolite in dissimilar soils. Bull. Environ.
Contam. Toxicol. 64:518-525.
S. Mitra, P. C. Bhowmik, and A. Idnurm. 2000. Using RAPD markers to identify genetic
variation in quackgrass (Elyrigia repens) biotypes. Ann. Appl. Biol. 136:253-258.
S. Mitra, P. C. Bhowmik, and B. Xing. 1999. Sorption of isoxaflutole on five different soils
varying in physical and chemical properties. Pestic. Sci. 55:1-8.
S. Mitra and P. C. Bhowmik. 1999. Effect of growth stages on quackgrass (Elytrigia repens)
control in corn (Zea mays) with rimsulfuron. Weed Technol. 13:37-42.
P. C. Bhowmik, S. Kushwaha, and S. Mitra. 1999. Response of various weed species and
corn (Zea Mays) to isoxaflutole. Weed Technol. 13:504-509.

Publications in Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings:
S. Mitra, P. C. Bhowmik, and B. Xing. 2001. Sorption-Desorption hysteresis of the
diketonitrile derivative of isoxaflutole by dissimilar soils. 18th Asian-Pacific
Weed Science Society Conference. 18(2):647-655.
P. C. Bhowmik, M. Swarcewicz, and S. Mitra. 2001. Bioassay for isoxaflutole detection.
18th Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society Conference. 18(2):663-670.
S. Mitra, E. Pedersen, M. Rogers, and J. Turner. 2001. Effect of using Azospirillium
brasilense and a microbial food source on the root development of coolseason turfgrasses.
The Brighton Crop Protection Conference-Weeds, 2001. (1):15-22.
S. Mitra, E. Pedersen, M. Rogers, and J. Turner. 2001. Biological weed control of Poa
annua with Xanthomonas campestris pv. Poannua. The Brighton Crop Protection
Conference-Weeds, 2001. (1):49-54.
Doyle, J. M., S. Mitra, and E. A. Pederson. 2000. Early market experiences involving novel
approaches to commercializing and delivering bacterial inoculants. Proc. of the 5th
International PGPR workshop, Cordoba, Argentina.
S. Mitra, P. C. Bhowmik, and B. Xing. 1998. Synergistic effects of an oil and a surfactant in
influencing the activity of rimsulfuron in weed control. Proc. Fifth Int. Symp.
Adjuvants for Agrochemicals. 5(1):298-304.

Scientific Articles for Trade Journals:

S. Mitra. 2001. Managing salts in soil and irrigation water. Golf Course Management.
69(1):70-75.
S. Mitra. 2001. Controlling salt buildup in golf course greens. Golf Course Management.
(In Press) 69(5).
S. Mitra. 2000. Salts influence the health of turf. Golf Course Management. 68(7):64-67.

Special Honors Or Awards

" Outstanding Young Scientist Recognition Award: The American Chemical Society (ACS)-Agrochemicals Division in 1999. Received the award at the 217th ACS national meeting, March 21-25, 1999 in Anaheim, CA. The Outstanding Young Scientist award was presented by the Division of Agrochemicals in recognition of the research conducted with herbicide resistance.

" Excellence in Teaching Award: Certificate of appreciation for demonstrating excellence in teaching as evaluated by students in PLSOIL 115 in 1998 and 1999. Taught undergraduate courses for the Division of Continuing Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

" Outstanding Presentation Award: In the Graduate Student Research Presentation competition at the Northeast. Weed Science Society's annual meeting in Newport, Rhode Island in 1997. Received second prize for presenting research data on the effects of rimsulfuron on quackgrass (Elytrigia repens) control in field corn.

" Travel award: Graduate School, University of Massachusetts, to present a research paper at the annual meeting of the Weed Science Society of America at Orlando, Florida in 1997. Received the travel award to present research data on the effects of oil adjuvants and surfactants on the activity of rimsulfuron in quackgrass (Elytrigia repens) control.

" Travel award: The American Chemical Society, Agrochemicals division in the Young Predoctoral Research Scientist category to present a research paper at their national meeting at Dallas, Texas in 1998. The paper examined the effect of rates of oil adjuvants in enhancing the activity of rimsulfuron. A mathematical model was developed with the research data.

" Invited Presentation: Invited to participate in a discussion on Round Up Ready Corn at an academic seminar organized by Monsanto Co. at Baltimore, Maryland in 1997. Presented a paper on the potential of transgenic crops mainly Round Up Ready Corn. Summarized research data on glyphosate resistant corn under New England growing conditions. Participated in a group discussion to formulate proper weed management strategies for Round Up Ready Corn under different growing conditions.

" University Scholarship: Basis of merit for four years (1990 to 1994). Ranked as # 1 student based on the G.P.A each year. First in Dean's Honor List for all eight semesters of undergraduate education (1990 to 1994). Received tuition waver and scholarship for books and supplies.

" Gold Medal: Received Gold Medal for securing the First Class First position in the graduating class of 1994 as the # 1 student based on the cumulative G.P.A. for four years of undergraduate study. It is the highest honor given by the university.

MEMBERSHIPS:

Member of Weed Science Society of America (WSSA), Northeastern Weed Science Society (NEWSS), American Chemical Society (ACS), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), Agronomy Society of America (ASA) and the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi.

 

 

01/31/02