Category: AGRICULTURE

         RESEARCH ASSOCIATE           Summary    15+ years of research experience in agricultural research 5 years of extension experience as  a agronomic resource professional PhD in Soil Science and Crop physiology (minor) Strong experience in conducting and managing research trials of various crops Strong experience in various crop production systems Strong multidisciplinary background: customer support to field research  Strong experience in GIS web application Development using HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3 ,PHP Strong Experience in - water and nutrient management, drought stress Instruments - Licor 6400, CIRAS3, Campbell Scientific, GC, HPLC, Wireless irrigation Strong skills in the areas : Statistical design and data analysis, Agricultural extension      Highlights         x   x  x      x  x              Accomplishments          Experience      Research Associate    January 2015   to   Current     Company Name          Managing sustainable horticultural crop production through environment control Hydroponics tomato production under controlled environment of light, water and nutrients Identification and characterization of drought and nutrient stress resistance varieties University of Kentucky	2010 July - 2014 Dec Production environments: field crops, nursery, green house, high tunnels, plasticulture vegetables Conducted field trials on irrigation and nutrient management, nitrogen cycling Developed physiological models on water use for irrigation scheduling for nursery crops Strong background on growth, development and phenology of various crops Multistate USDA project in collaboration with industry on sustainable nursery practices Presented results at grower meetings, national and international scientific meetings Developed programs for automation of irrigation volume, timing and frequency Working knowledge in drip, sprinkler irrigation systems, compost spreaders, mulchers,       bed formers, chop gates Worked closely with growers and industry in obtaining first-hand information about their field Prepared successful grant proposals, technical reports, popular articles and peer reviewed papers Research Assistant        Plant and Soil Sciences Dept., Univ.  of Kentucky,          2006 Aug - 2010 May Field investigations of spatial variability on soil water storage and nitrogen status in corn and winter wheat in a no-till farmer's field Used soil water sensing capacitance probe, crop growth sensors; Green Seeker, Hydro-N sensor and Spectro radiometer to assess spatial variability at field scale Practical knowledge of field equipment: fertilizer applicators, cultivators, tractors, combines.          Agricultural Officer July    January 2004   to   February 2006     Company Name          Acted as a technical consultant for effective knowledge translation and transfer of technology.  Worked on agronomic practices for field crops and fruits, vegetables and trees.  Solved site specific soil, nutrient, pest and disease problems in the field.          Junior Research Fellow Dec    January 2000   to   December 2002     Company Name          Senior Research Fellow	Kerala State Land Use Board, Govt.  of Kerala      2003 April -2003 Oct.  Identified farming systems suitable for different agro-ecological zones of Kerala state, India.  Development of Site Specific Nutrient Management strategies for farm models of Kerala.  Investigated rice response to nitrogen fertilization in farmer's fields.  Used simulation models to transfer nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for rice tracts across soil and climatic barriers.          Research Assistant Nov    January 2000   to   May 2000     Company Name          Developed sustainable technologies to retain soil, moisture and vegetation in eroded regions using Coir Geo textiles.  Identified different types of coir geo textiles for conserving soil and water under varying slopes.          Education      PhD   :   Soil Science and Crop physiology  ,   2010    University of Kentucky   －   City        Soil Science and Crop physiology        MS   :   Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry  ,   2002    Tamil Nadu Agricultural University      India    Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry            2000    Kerala Agricultural University      India    PhD dissertation: Soil water and crop growth processes in a farmer's field
*MS theses: Modeling rice response for agro-technology transfer        Publications    Nambuthiri, S., A. Fulcher, R. Geneve. 2014. Micro-irrigation Systems for Pot-in-Pot Ornamental Nursery Production. In: M. Goyal (Ed), Micro-irrigation management in trees and vines. CRC Press. Coolong, T., S. Nambuthiri, R. Warner. 2014. Tensiometer Based Automated Irrigation For Tomato under Plasticulture. In: M. Goyal (Ed.), Micro-irrigation management in trees and vines. CRC Press. Ethan, H., S. Nambuthiri, A. Fulcher, R. Geneve. 2014. Comparing Substrate Moisture-Based Daily Water Use and On Demand Irrigation Regimes for Oakleaf Hydrangea Grown in Two Container Sizes. Scientia Horticulturae 179: 132-139 Nambuthiri, S., D. Ingram. 2014. Sustainable Ground Cover Production for More Sustainable Kentucky Landscapes. HortTech (24) 1. Nambuthiri, S., A. Fulcher, A. Koeser, R. Geneve, G. Niu. 2015. Moving toward sustainability with alternative containers for greenhouse and nursery crop production: A review and research update. HortTechnology 25:8-16. Nambuthiri, S., G. Niu, G. Bi, T. Fernandez, R. Geneve. 2015. Substrate Temperature in plastic and alternative nursery containers. HortTechnology. 25(1):50-56 Geneve, R., S. Nambuthiri, A. Fulcher and E. Hagen. 2014. Irrigation Application Efficiency Calculation of Sprinkler Irrigated Container Plants Grown under Sensor based Irrigation Scheduling. Acta Horticulturae       Skills    automation, consultant, Dec, fertilizer, grant proposals, irrigation, Managing, meetings, Modeling, Oct, PhD, processes, Research, scheduling, scientific, simulation, translation, articles