Dr. James Altland

While working as an extension agent at Oregon State University, there was a great need by the Oregon growers for more science-based information on the growing substrates they were using in container production. I started a methodical analysis of the chemical and physical properties of Douglas fir bark used in those substrates. I continue to work with container substrates, exploring ways to better understand the biological properties as well as the chemical and physical. I am also interested in how to better predict substrate stability for long-term crops.

My specific interests are in the chemical, physical, and biological properties of container substrates and how they can be managed and modified for sustainable crop production. Recent research has focused on chemical amendments to that reduce the amount of phosphorus (P) leached from containers. Other research has explored novel physical components to replace expensive and non-sustainable substrate materials currently being used. A major emphasis of current research is to better understand the biological properties of container substrates by documenting how management practices affect the microbiome. Using amplicon sequencing techniques, we observe the change in microbial communities over the production cycle of crops exposed to different management practices. 

I started my career as an extension agent at Oregon State University. After 5 years, I moved to Ohio to join the USDA-ARS research unit in Wooster, OH. Quickly after joining ARS, I became adjunct faculty at the Ohio State University in HCS.

Working Group Chair for Substrate Analysis in the International Society of Horticultural Science

American Society for Horticultural Science

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