Based on this study’s results, one way to promote ramp conservation is to delay ramp harvests until about 30 days after emergence in the spring to ensure that the maximum bulb size has been reached.
It can take many years for plant populations in ramp patches like this to rebound from even modest harvests, researchers warn. With the increased interest and demand for ramps, they want to learn and promote how to best steward wild populations of the forest herb.
Lead researcher Sarah Nilson, assistant professor of biology at Penn State Beaver, shows a ramp. Ramps are valued for their strong garlic-like aroma and delicious onion-like flavor.
The biology lab at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden is where Penn State Beaver senior Alyssa Lucas spent her summer participating in a study abroad program.
