Felipe Barrios

Felipe Barrios Masias

Associate Professor

Summary

My interest focuses on plant-environment interactions and how traits affect resource use efficiency at the ecophysiology and community levels. Different morphological, physiological and phenological traits are responsible for the improved crop performance observed in the last few decades, but little information is known about them. Understanding how traits interact and the tradeoffs related to crop performance under different environmental conditions can help breeders and crop managers to implement strategies for crop adaptation to future climate change scenarios. In addition, the study of traits can contribute to improve crop productivity under low input systems, e.g., some organic systems and traditional farming in developing countries. Integrating plant traits with practices that rely on above- and below-ground diversity, niche differentiation and species complementarity and competition, among others, can contribute to increase yields by the efficient use of resources and minimizing the impact to the environment.

My research program focuses on finding solutions to constraints in horticultural production of arid and semi-arid regions in the world. I take an integrative approach to sustainable production and prioritize needs of farmers and other stakeholders to find ways that our production systems are efficient in the use of resources and become more profitable. I am interested in plant functional traits and identifying genotype/cultivar trait associations that favor crop performance under particular environments and management practices (i.e., GxExM interaction). My goal is to conduct participatory research with an emphasis on applicable outcomes that improve the chances for success of horticultural production in arid regions such as Nevada.

Education

B.S., Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Peru, 1997
Ph.D., University of California, Davis, 2012

Publications

Book Chapter(s)

Fact Sheets

Journals

Assessing the sensitivity and repeatability of permanganate oxidizable carbon as a soil health metric: an interlab comparison across soils

2020

Geoderma

Wade, J., Maltais-Landry, G., Lucas, D., Bongiorno, G., Bowles, T., Calderón, F., Culman, S., Daughtridge, R., Ernakovich, J., Fonte, S., Giang, D., Herman, B., Guan, L., Jastrow, J., Loh Hoe Hin, B., Kelly, C., Mann, M., Matamala, R., Miernicki, E., Peterson, B., Pulleman, M., Scow, K., Snapp, S., Thomas, V., Tu, X., Wang, D., Jelinski, N., Liles, G., Barrios-Masias, F., Rippner, D., Silveira, M., Margenot, A.

Variations in xylem embolism susceptibility under drought between intact saplings of three walnut species

2018

Tree Physiology

Knipfer, T., Barrios Masias, F.H., Cuneo, I. J., Bouda, M., Albuquerque, C., Brodersen, C., Kluepfel, D., McElrone, A.

Transcriptomic and metabolic responses of mycorrhizal roots to nitrogen patches under field conditions

2012

Plant and Soil 350:145-162

Ruzicka, D.R., Hausmann, N.T., Barrios-Masias, F.H., Jackson, L.E., Schachtman D.P.

Cultivar mixtures of processing tomato in an organic agroecosystem

2010

Organic Agriculture, 1:17-30

Barrios-Masias, F.H., Cantwell, M.I., Jackson, L.E.

Efectos del biol (Abono organico líquido) en la producción de hortalizas. In ‘Vertientes del pensamiento agroecológico: Fundamentos y aplicaciones’

2009

(Ed. Altieri, M.) pp. 291-307. Sociedad Latinoamericana de Agroecología (SOCLA), Medellín, Colombia

Siura, S., Barrios, F., Delgado, J., Dávila, S., Chilet, M.

Presentations

Research Reports

Melon Grafting and Irrigation

2024

Desert Farming Initiative - University of Nevada, Reno

Barrios Masias, F., Kratsch, H.

This research evaluates the effects of melon grafting and irrigation management on production in Washoe and Churchill Counties. Funded by the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education...

Melon Research

2024

Extension, University of Nevada, Reno

Moe, J., Kratsch, H., Barrios-Masias, F., Hanson-Mazet, W., di Santo, H.

DFI was awarded funding through the state’s Specialty Crop Block Grant program for a three year project to investigate and determine best melon varieties, evaluate best production techniques and...

Special Publications

Melon Survival, Yield and Quality in Nevada's High Desert Climate

2024

Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, SP-24-02

Moe, J., Kratsch, H., Barrios-Masias, F., Hanson-Mazet, W., di Santo, Heinrich

This study evaluated melon varieties and agricultural practices for melon production in the high desert. Conclusions identify melon varieties that demonstrated advantages in terms of plant survival,...

Technical Publication

Physico-chemical changes evaluation of three cherimoya varieties (Annona cherimola Mill.)

1999

Iberoamerican Magazine of Post-harvest Technology, v.1 n.2, Sonora, Mexico

Parodi G., Barrios F., Bedersky K.