Dr. David Eliot Kopsell

Department of Agriculture - Horticulture

Contact Information:

Campus Box 5020

Phone:

(309) 438-3275

Fax:

(309) 438-5653

Email:

Office Hours:

Office:

141 Ropp Agriculture Bldg

Mon:

10:00-11:00 am

Wed:

10:00 -11:00 pm

Fri:

10:00 am - Noon

Research Interests:

Plant Nutrition and Quality Factors of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops

Specialization:

My area of research specialization is the effect of plant nutritional and environmental factors on vegetable crop quality.  Specifically, my past research has investigated the influence of plant growth factors on the phytonutrient content of leafy vegetable crops such as kale and spinach.  I am also interested in investigating the influence of plant nutrition on the quality and pest susceptibility of ornamental crops in the residential landscape.

Professional Organizations:

American Society for Horticultural Science; NACTA; Pi Alpha Xi

Profile:

I started my position here at ISU in the Fall of 2008.  It has really been a "homecoming" of sorts because I graduated from the Agriculture Department in 1993 with my B.S. in Horticulture.  It is great to be back at ISU!

I grew up in Hebron, IL on a family-owned 200-acre ornamental production nursery with my identical twin brother (who is now a professor at the University of Tennessee).  Since receiving my Ph.D. my professional experiences have included working as the state vegetable specialist for the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, working on USDA-funded basic research, private consultation with sweet onion growers all over the globe, and teaching positions at both McHenry County College and, most recently, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.