What do 10 Ph.Ds and a bunch of soil have in common?

No, this is not the start of a joke floating around the internet, but the two have a lot in common at the Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville.

Dr. John D. Mueller, the resident director at the Edisto REC said he currently has 10 Ph.Ds running research programs at the center.

Mueller has been a professor of plant pathology for 26 years and has led the efforts to combat Asian soybean rust along the East Coast.

He has also been a leader in research and extension work on the Columbia lance nematode.

Soybean rust is a disease that causes early maturation and severe loss of crop yield, leading to extensive crop damage if left untreated. The Columbia lance nematode is a major pathogen of cotton and soybeans in the southeastern coastal region, according to the press release.

These type programs are examples of what researchers do everyday at the center.

Mueller said the main focus for Edisto REC is helping the crop growers produce more in their crops.

He said his staff tries to find the best way to grow, protect and fertilize crops to provide the highest yield for the farmers all while keeping an eye on the cost.

But not everyone knows the center is located between Elko and Blackville on U.S. 78.

"Most people just don't know we are here," Mueller said of the center.

Currently Edisto REC is helping farmers through new technology, he said.

GPS, or global positioning systems, are not just for getting directions to the nearest restaurant but are useful in many applications on a farm, he said.

For example, the soil in a field is not the same from one area of the field to the next. Some areas will need more fertilizer and some will need less, he said.

The fields are mapped using a GPS unit.

That information can be used to distribute the different amounts of fertilizer over the field, thus saving the farmer money by not using too much in any one area, he said.

An "intelligent farm" is a term being used to describe what researchers are doing with some of the technology available, he said.

This type of farming will use probes and other devices along with wireless Internet connections to show researchers and eventually farmers what parts of the field are in need of water and how much water is needed exactly, he said.

Mueller recently won the 2009 Alumni Distinguished Cooperative Extension Public Service Award presented by the Alumni for his research and leadership at the center.

Mueller said the award was given annually and this was his first time winning the honor.