Location: Southern Horticultural Research Unit
Project Number: 6062-21430-004-001-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 2, 2021
End Date: Aug 1, 2026
Objective:
To evaluate vegetables, small fruits, and various specialty crop cultivars for local adaptation along the Gulf Coast under different pest and agronomic management practices that are pollinator friendly as well as economically viable to the grower.
Approach:
A variety of local and potentially new vegetables, small fruits, and specialty crops will be planted in field plots, high tunnels, and greenhouses at the Beaumont Horticultural Unit in Perry County, MS and at the Thad Cochran Southern Horticultural Laboratory, Poplarville, MS. Additional experimental plots will be planted at the Mississippi State University (MSU) Experiment Station near McNeil, MS. Pest and beneficial insect populations, including pollinators, will be evaluated including, but not limited to, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, southern peas, okra, watermelons, hops, and grapes. Various production practices as well as insect pest population dynamics for vegetables will be evaluated in high and low tunnels as well as small garden foot prints. In addition, various cover crops will be evaluated during the off-season to maximize soil productivity and to increase pollinator populations.
