|
If you ever find yourself in Ecuador, make sure that you stop by the Peter H. Graham Inoculant Laboratory in Quito. In 2000, the lab
was named in Graham's honor to recognize research he coordinated during the 12 years of a Bean/Cowpea CRSP project in Ecuador. The
project identified and corrected zinc deficiencies over much of the bean production areas in the north of the country, developed new
more productive bean varieties, and established an inoculant facility in Quito.
|
|
|
Zinc deficiency sites in Los Andes, Ecuador |
|
Graham's experience in Latin America goes back more than 30 years, beginning in 1971 when he and his wife Rosemary left their native
Australia (Perth) to work at the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) in Cali, Columbia. Living on a new continent was a
remarkable experience for the entire family. The Graham's two boys were ages 4 and 8 when they moved to Colombia, grew up learning both
English and Spanish, and with Colombian, American, and European school friends. "My kids are not just bilingual," Peter notes, "they are
bicultural." Their third child, a girl, was born in Colombia. It seems their unique upbringing suited the kids just fine - all three
children boast a Ph.D. of their own today (all in agricultural related fields).
Peter recalls the joys and perils of living in a foreign land. "There was trout fishing 20 minutes away," he reminisces. "But you
also had to be careful because security, even then, was a problem. With the country becoming more dangerous as the drug trade
increased, and with his children close to University age, Peter accepted a position as a professor in SWAC (soil biology) and moved
to Minnesota in 1982.
|
Graham examining round headed bush clover at the prairie research plots in Becker, MN. |
|
Here, Peter has the opportunity to continue his scientific research; research that centers on the symbiotic relationship of legumes
and rhizobia. These bacteria enter the root systems of certain legumes and form nodules. They act like nature's own fertilizer
converting nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form the plant can use in place of fertilizer nitrogen.
"My goal is to help farmers increase their yields without increasing their costs," Graham explains, pointing to recent increases in the
cost of fertilizer nitrogen. He is concerned that soybeans in the Midwest often get less than half their nitrogen from symbiotic
relationships with bacteria. Making use of rhizobia is a more sustainable form of agriculture and more environment-friendly.
Peter's research has other applications as well. He recently started a project with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT),
who use native prairie plants, including legumes in roadside revegetation and wetland mitigation programs.
|
If native prairie areas can become self-sustainable, highway roadsides could be made both attractive to look at, and less expensive to
maintain. If all goes well, highways of the future could be lined with lead plant, Canadian milk vetch, showy tick trefoil, white
indigo, and purple and white prairie clover. Peter is conducting this research at an experiment station in Becker, MN. "The prairies
are beautiful," he said. "They are a real joy to work in."
To help share his work with other scientists, Graham and colleague Jenni Swenson initiated the Rhizobium Research Laboratory in 1998
(www.rhizobium.umn.edu). The laboratory maintains a collection of over 1,000 strains of
rhizobia sharing these with farmers, researchers, and commercial manufacturers. The collection is important because the correct strain
must be matched with the correct plant for successful nitrogen fixation. Inoculating with the wrong type of bacteria is like putting
the right key into the wrong lock. The Web site also provides information on methods of inoculation, and contacts within the inoculant
industry.
|
Peter enjoys both the research and teaching components of his position. The variety of research keeps him interested in his work and
he likes that applied aspects of this research are particularly likely to be of benefit in third world countries where nitrogen
fertilizer is often limited. "Something very simple," he maintains, "can be magnified many times over."
Peter has been involved in the teaching of Soil Biology, and especially nitrogen fixation in Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and
Uruguay, and enjoys teaching and working with students from all over the world.
|
|
|
Graham at Dame Edith Clavell Glacier in Jasper National Park, Canada
2003. |
|
Many of his graduate students come to the department because he has experience in South America (and is equally comfortable talking in
Spanish or English). "Meeting students helps you stay young," he insists.
|
Graham (center) rafting on the Yellowstone River in 2004 with Carroll Vance (left) and Michael
Kahn. |
|
But that's not the only thing that keeps him young. Graham is an avid swimmer and tries to get to the campus pool 3-4 times a week. He
also enjoys visiting art galleries, long walks, and exploring national parks in the United States and Canada. Now, with grandchildren
in St. Louis and Des Moines, the Grahams travel even more. Who knows, maybe these visits are inspiring a third generation of PhDs.
|
|
Return to: The College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences : U of M Home
