Kristopher Criscione

• Nursery production
• Soilless substrates physics and hydrology
• Container rootzone management
• Root-substrate interactions
• Ornamental plant water relations

• Ph.D. Plant, Environmental, and Soil Science (Horticulture), Louisiana State University, 2024
• M.S. Plant, Environmental, and Soil Science (Horticulture), Louisiana State University, 2021
• B.T. Plant Science, State University of New York at Cobleskill, 2019

My Research and Extension program is focused on improving resource management in commercial containerized crop production to (1) augment operation profitability while (2) minimizing ecological footprint across the industry.

The focal points of my research program are to optimize current management practices (e.g., irrigation, agrochemicals, substrates, containers) and reduce production time through augmented and optimized containerized root systems. This is facilitated through a blend of fieldwork (nursery or greenhouse) and laboratory analysis, with the goal of participating in interdisciplinary collaborations across agricultural and engineering systems throughout the state of Virginia, nationally, and internationally.

My program demonstrates the mission, visions, and values within the College of Agriculture and Life Science, namely ensuring that agricultural systems continue producing profitable yields with ROI’s in sustainable approaches across local- and global issues.

Research

The problem: The nursery and greenhouse container industries invest significant efforts to maximize shoot growth yield and quality. However, considerably less effort is dedicated towards optimizing container root development. Roots have a major influence on crop health, and in container production, plant salability and yield are often limited by the developmental stage of the root system. Despite this importance, their growth is often overlooked by academic and industry researchers because roots are difficult to visualize and quantify. As a result, producers and investigators have fundamentally created latent bottlenecks, postulating hidden limitations on production efficiency and sustainability. Root systems grown today only represent a fraction of the optimization that can be achieved; yet we lack the tools and knowledge to better manage root productivity.

My lab focuses primarily on understanding how container roots grow and develop, with aims towards improving efficiency in nursery and greenhouse production. We explore the relationships in the container that occur between root development (morphology, physiology, and architecture) and (i) irrigation delivery and scheduling; (ii) soilless substrate physical and chemical properties; (iii) fertilizer placement and concentration; (iv) rootzone temperatures.

We also explore novel and practical methods to practical methods to “fill” the container faster through agrochemical applications.

A portion of my lab is understanding how we can engineer container root systems help increase the shelf-life of container ornamentals.

Below is a summary of my research interests to assist the Virginia and global nursery industry to (1) meet consumer demand with (2) decreased access to conventional resources while (3) remaining competitive in the industry.

• Soilless substrate hydraulic properties
• Containerized root development
• Root-substrate interactions
• Irrigation scheduling and delivery
• Fertilizer scheduling, formulation, and placement
• Rootzone temperature management
• Plant water relations under optimal and stressed conditions
• Shelf life of containerized crops

Extension

My Extension appointment is driven by the indicated needs of the Virginia nursery industry. The primary goal of my extension program is to ensure stakeholder engagement and that solution-driven research is being conducted for immediate adoption by operations and growers.

My lab conducts applied research experiments that are industry-relevant, and we present this information to the industry in the form of extension articles, trade-magazines, workshops, and in-service trainings to homeowners, growers, Master Gardeners, and Agriculture and Natural Resource (ANR) Extension agents.

We also disseminate research experiments, preliminary results, and published findings through a blend of networking platforms such as LinkedIn or in virtual media outreach like 60 Seconds of Growth.

Assistant Professor | 2025-present Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

1. 1. Criscione, K.S. 2025. A case-study of irrigation pondwater and soilless substrate quality across nine large nurseries in Eastern Virginia. Hort. Tech. (in press)
2. 2. Criscione, K.S., J.S. Fields, and R. Stewart. 2025. Stratified substrates generate faster oxygen supply to the rhizosphere than traditional substrates when moisture is present. Soil Sci. Soc. J. Amer. (in press).
3. 3. Brennan, M.J., K.S. Criscione, J.A. Olichney, J. Ding, Y. Fang, N. McDowell, and B.T. Wolfe. 2025. Hydraulic constraints to stomatal conductance in flooded trees. Oecologia 207, 154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-025-05789-y
4. 4. Fields, J.S. and K.S. Criscione. 2025. Exploring sub-strata flexibility and peat reduction in stratified substrates using wood fiber. Hort. Tech. 35: 739-744. 10.21273/HORTTECH05683-25
5. 5. Fields, J.S. and K.S. Criscione. 2025. Increasing Substrate Packing Density Can Improve Petunia Root Development. Hort. Tech. 35:636-638. 10.21273/HORTTECH05660-25.
6. 6. Criscione, K.S., J.S. Owen, and J.S. Fields. 2025. Stratified soilless substrates decrease the vertical gravitational water gradient altering Helianthus root morphology. Plant Soil. 10.1007/s11104-025-07385-8.
7. 7. Fields, J.S., K.S. Criscione, and J.S. Owen, Jr. 2024. Assessment of substrate physical properties in bark- and peat-based stratified substrate systems. Hort. Sci. 59:1823-1827. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI18188-24
8. 8. Criscione, K.S. and J.S. Fields. 2024. Root growth and development in soilless culture – A review. Acta. Hort. 10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1389.1
9. 9. Fields, J.S., K.S. Criscione, and J.S. Owen. 2024. Conventional Sphagnum peatlite substrate can be reduced by 50% in stratified substrate systems while growing equivalent size and quality Pentas lanceolata. Scientia Horticulturae, 331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2024.113121.
10. 10. Criscione, K.S., J.S. Fields, J.S. Owen, Jr, and T. Gentimis. 2024. Stratified substrates enhance water storage and distribution between irrigation events. Soil Sci. Soc. J. 88, 387–402. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20636.
11. 11. Fields, J.S., J.S. Owen, Jr., A. Lamm, B.E. Jackson, J. Altland, L. Oki, J. Samtani, K.S., Criscione, and Y. Zheng. 2023. Establishing North American specialty crop growers current use of soilless substrate and future research and education needs. Agri. 13, 1727. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13091727
12. 12. Fields, J.S. and K.S. Criscione. 2023. Pine bark particle separation improves as screening moisture content decreases. Hort. Sci. 58:1068–1074. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17205-23
13. 13. Fields, J.S. and K.S. Criscione. 2023. Stratified substrates can reduce peat use and improve root productivity in container crop production. Hort. Sci. 58:364-372. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17019-22
14. 14. Criscione, K.S., J.S. Fields, and J.S. Owen Jr. 2022. Root exploration, initial moisture conditions, and irrigation scheduling influence hydration of stratified and non-
15. stratified substrates. Horticulturae. 8:826. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8090826
16. 15. Fields, J.S., K.S. Criscione, and A. Edwards. 2022. Single-screen bark particle separation can be used to engineer stratified substrate systems. Hort. Tech. 32:391-397. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH05018-22
17. 16. Criscione, K.S., J.S. Fields, J.S. Owen Jr., L. Fultz, and E. Bush. 2022. Evaluating stratified substrates effect on containerized crop growth under varied irrigation strategies. Hort. Sci. 57:400-413. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI16288-21