Horticulture

The mission of the horticulture program at the ESAREC is to improve the efficiency and productivity of vegetables and small fruit systems in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The current emphasis of my laboratory is the evaluation of production practices that maximize plant yield and quality while minimizing the detrimental effects of abiotic stressors. Currently, my research efforts are divided into three categories with multiple projects within each group: 1. Conventional production systems for vegetables and small fruits, 2. Precision agriculture applications to vegetable systems, and 3. New specialty crops and production systems.

• Conventional production systems for vegetables and small fruits:

Determination of crop coefficients for potatoes, tomatoes, and green beans in the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Kaolin clay applications for heat mitigation in summer-grown tomatoes in Virginia.

Planting dates and N-rates interactions for potato production.

Evaluation of potato cultivars for the northeast USA.

Cover crop mixes for nematode management in potato production.

• Precision agriculture applications to vegetable systems:

Evaluation of crop indexes for determination of N rates in potatoes under different irrigation regimes.

Evaluation of Eddy covariance method and soil moisture sensors as determination methods for irrigation requirements in early spring tomatoes.

• New specialty crops and production systems:

Green tea: a new specialty crop in Virginia.

Determination of plant densities for tomatoes under open high tunnels in Virginia.

Compost applications for bell pepper production under high tunnels

New bed architectures for tomato and strawberry production in the southeast.

Integration of vegetable system and photovoltaic cells