Dean A. Kopsell, an associate professor in the Plant Sciences Department, was lead author on a recently published article entitled “Increase in nutritionally important sweet corn kernel carotenoids following mesotrione and atrazine applications.” This article was selected for a press release by the American Chemical Society in their ACS News Service Weekly PressPac for July 8, 2009. This weekly service provides leads on the latest advances in science and their impact on the business world and is released to over 2,000 media outlets world-wide. Kopsell’s ACS press release has prompted further summaries on such web sites as DiscoveryChannel.com, ScienceNews.org, and Advocates for Agriculture and now appears on close to 100 websites around the world. In the article the authors show that small doses of herbicides can benefit human nutrition by increasing healthy antioxidants in sweet corn. Kopsell and his colleagues hypothesize that minor stress from herbicides could also increase nutritionally important compounds in other vegetables.

Selected Publications

Kopsell, D.A., G.R. Armel, T.C. Mueller, C.E. Sams, D.E. Deyton, J.S. McElroy, and D.E. Kopsell. 2009. “Increase in nutritionally important sweet corn kernel carotenoids following mesotrione and atrazine applications.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(14):6362-6368.

Kopsell, D.A. and D.E. Kopsell. 2008. “Genetic and environmental factors affecting plant lutein/zeaxanthin.” AgroFOOD Industry Hi-tech 19(2):44-46.

Kopsell, D.A., T. Casey Barickman, C.E. Sams, and J.S. McElroy. 2007. “Influence of Nitrogen and Sulfur on Biomass and Carotenoid and Glucosinolate Concentrations in Watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.).” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55:10628-10634.

Kopsell, D.A., J.S. McElroy, C.E. Sams, and D.E. Kopsell. 2007. “Genetic variation in carotenoid concentrations among diploid and amphidiploid Brassica species.” HortScience 42(3):461-465.

Kopsell, D.A., D.E. Kopsell, and J. Curran-Celentano. 2007. “Carotenoid pigments in kale are influenced by nitrogen concentration and form.” Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 87(5):900-907.

Kopsell, D.A., C.E. Sams, C.S. Charron, W.M. Randle, and D.E. Kopsell. 2007. “Kale carotenoids remain stable while glucosinolates and flavor compounds respond to changes in selenium and sulfur fertility.” Acta Horticulturae 744:303-309.

Tags: Dean Kopsell • Plant Sciences