Marlee Trandel-Hayse

EDUCATION

• 2020 – PhD, Horticultural Sciences, North Carolina State University
• 2016 – MS, Horticulture Production, Southern Illinois University
• 2014 – BS, Animal Science, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• 2014 – BA, Chemistry, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 2023-Present, Assistant Professor — Postharvest Physiology of Specialty Crops, Auburn University
• 2022-2023, Research Molecular Biologist (Postdoc) — Impact of Preharvest Systems on Postharvest Quality of Specialty Crops, United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Services
• 2020-2022, Postdoctoral Research Scholar — Postharvest Physiology, North Carolina State University

HONORS AND AWARDS

High nutritional quality, good texture and long shelf-life are critical for consumer acceptance of fruit and vegetable crops. As the assistant professor of Postharvest Physiology at Auburn University, my program’s research addresses the impact of preharvest systems and how they affect postharvest quality. I am most interested in following nutrient composition, volatiles, flavonoids/non-flavonoids, vitamins, carotenoids, anthocyanin and other secondary metabolites in crops grown in Alabama and the southeast USA. My program will also assess shelf-life variability and changes in internal flesh quality in crops like blueberry, tomato, cucumber, peach and leafy greens. My program is looking for motivated and independent undergraduate and graduate students – preferably candidates with experience in plant extraction and analytical instrumentation.

• HORT 5140/6140  – Postharvest Physiology and Technology, 3 credit hrs

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

• Trandel-Hayse, M., S. Johanningsmeier, H. Oh, M. Iorizzo and P. Perkins-Veazie. 2023. Blueberry cell wall polysaccharide composition of three distinct fruit firmness phenotypes. ACS Food Science and technology, 3, 11, 1920-1930.
  Doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.3c00284

• Ingram, T., Sharpe, S., Trandel, M., Perkins-Veazie, P., Louws, F. J., and Meadows, I. 2022. Vigarous rootstocks improve yields and increase fruit sizes in grafted fresh market tomatoes. Front. Hortic., 22, 1-11. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fhort.2022.1091342

• Trandel, M., S. Johanningsmeier, J. Schultheis, C. Gunter and P. Perkins-Veazie. 2021. Cell wall polysaccharide composition of grafted ‘Liberty’ watermelon with reduced incidence of hollow heart defect. Frontiers Plant Sci., 12:1-19. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.623723

• Trandel, M., P. Pekins-Veazie, J. Schultheis, C. Gunter, S. Johanningsmeier and E. Johannes. 2021. Grafting watermelon onto interspecific hybrid squash reduces hollow heart disorder. Acta Hortic., 1302, 225-232. Doi: https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2021.1302.30

• Trandel, M., J. Schultheis and P. Perkins-Veazie. 2020. Predicting hollow heart incidence in triploid watermelon (Citrullus lanatas). HortScience, 7, 1-5. Doi: https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI15361-20

• Vigardt, A., Trandel, M., Chaudhary, H and Walters, S.A. 2020. Impact of vermicompost fertilizer on spinach yield and nutritional components. Modern Concepts & Developments in Agronomy, 6(4), 657-663.
• Trandel, M., S. A. Walters and P. Perkins-Veazie. 2019. Stable isotope analysis as a tool to determine nitrogen Fertilizer Source. Modern Concepts & Developments in Agronomy, 5(1);492-498.
• Trandel, M.A., A Vigardt, S.A. Walters, and M. Lefticariu. 2018. Nitrogen isotope composition, nitrogen amount and fruit yield of tomato plants affected by the soil-fertilizer types. ACS Omega, 3(6); 6419-6426.