Faculty of Science and Technology
As a Lecturer at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education in Jamaica (2022-2024), I dug into the world of plant and soil science. Before that, I was a Teaching Assistant at UWI Mona, guiding level 2 biology students while also contributing to The UWI Mona Climate Study Group, delivering climate change adaptation materials for Jamaican youth and the disabled community. My journey through agriculture led me to multi-locational cassava varietal trials with the Desnoes & Geddes Foundation and to writing a climate-smart handbook for cassava cultivation. I also helped identify cocoa pollinators with the Cocoa Industry Board. Along the way, I served as a Resident Advisor at Leslie Robinson Hall—because who doesn’t love a good block lyme and waking up at 2 am to open the door for a locked-out student! I’m as passionate about student development as I am about helping farmers improve their practices.
BSc., UWI Mona Campus, 2014
PhD, UWI Mona Campus, 2022
My research interests include agronomical evaluations of root, tuber, and vegetable crops, soil science, and exploring the effects of climate change on farming practices and yield trends. I have identified the effects of physiological factors on cassava shoot production and rooting in the Multiple Shoot Removal System and determined the ideal cassava cultivars for high yields and starch production across five agro-ecological zones in Jamaica. I also assisted with calibrating and evaluating cultivars in the DSSAT-MANIHOT-Cassava model. Additionally, I've found that Scotch Bonnet hot peppers can be planted more densely for better yields than current practices suggest.
Murray, F.V. N., and J. E. Cohen. 2021. "Efficacy of shoot production of cassava using the multiple shoot removal technique for rapid propagation." The Journal of Agricultural Science 1-11. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021859621000356.
Rankine, Dale, Jane Cohen, Fradian Murray, Patricia Moreno-Cadena, Gerrit Hoogenboom, Jayaka Campbell, Michael Taylor, and Tannecia Stephenson. 2021. "Evaluation of DSSAT-MANIHOT-Cassava model to determine potential irrigation benefits for cassava in Jamaica." Agronomy Journal 1-18. doi:10.1002/agj2.20876.
S. E. J Arnold, P. Bridgemohan, G. B. Perry, G. R. Spinelli, B. Pierre, F. Murray, C. Haughton, O. Dockery, L. Grey, S. T. Murphy, S. R. Belmain, and P. C. Stevenson. 2018. "The significance of climate in the pollinator dynamics of a tropical agroforestry system." Agriculture, ecosystems & environment 1-9. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2017.11.013.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AGYg38gAAAAJ&hl=en
Plant propagation, Cassava, Rapid propagation, Softwood shoots, Nodal age, Yield, Model evaluation, Plant biomass, Rooting
