Hi! My name is Natasha Djuric, and I’m a third year PhD student.
Broadly, I am interested in ecology and plant diversity, and how they can be applied to make agriculture more sustainable and resource efficient. To this end, I am excited by the many lessons our dynamic ecosystems and fellow organisms have to teach us about resilience, niche partitioning, and multifunctionality. I have experience examining the influence of on-farm biodiversity in diversified vegetable and dairy farms through beetle banks and native meadows. I also have expertise in microplastic pollution in terrestrial systems, with a particular focus on soil microfiber contamination from sewage sludge and irrigation and how they affect crops.
My research at Cornell is situated within both the Sustainable Cropping Systems & Weed Ecology and Management Labs. My work focuses on weed-crop competition and how it relates to management practices. I am currently leading a multi-institutional project investigating the weed-crop dynamics of perennial grain cropping systems. In particular, I am interested in how seeding rate of perennial intermediate wheatgrass can be modified to maximize yields and improve weed suppression. I am also looking at how cover crops can help facilitate organic no-till spring wheat production.
Ultimately, I aim to promote curiosity-driven, hands-on outdoor learning at an institutional level. I strongly believe developing an intuition for and connection with nature is a critical tool to addressing systemic issues in environmental and social inequality, while developing creative, well-rounded, and compassionate thinkers. I also strive to advance management practices in agricultural systems that promote resiliency and self-regulation through adopting ecological principles.
For more information, please see my lab’s website at SCS Lab.