I’ve been browsing through the pages of the Botany and Plant Pathology department at Purdue, and it looks like they’re doing some really interesting work on weed science. Here’s one thing I noticed on the page of Dr. Carole Lembi: “One of her most current interests is the study of the ‘bale of hay’ method of algae control. Farmers have known for a long time that if they throw a ‘bale of hay’ into a body of water, the algae problems will clear up. What is the scientific basis for this control? How much hay has to be thrown in? What types of hay are most efficacious? What kinds of algae are controlled? These are all questions currently under investigation.”
Farmers may have known it for a long time, but it’s news to me. Maybe we should give this a shot next summer.
– posted by Niels
