Location: Vegetable Research
Project Number: 6080-22000-031-041-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2024
End Date: Aug 31, 2026
Objective:
Evaluation and identification of vegetable crop germplasm and varieties suitable for controlled environment agriculture (CEA) production using NFT systems and potential diseases that can affect them.
Approach:
The major objective of this project is to evaluate and identify vegetable crop germplasm accessions available from USDA ARS PI stations and commercially available varieties suitable for controlled environment agriculture (CEA) production using NFT systems. In addition, since these are new systems, we will also evaluate potential diseases that can occur on vegetable crops in CEA that use NFT systems where water is flowing continuously. USDA ARS, U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston has vegetable crops germplasm (Plant Introductions) of many crops (cucumber, watermelon peppers etc). In addition we will request for vegetable crop germplasm (squash, tomato, leafy greens etc.) from USDA GRIN PI stations for the trials. The core collections of select vegetable crop will be evaluated in CEA pods, high tunnels or greenhouses using NFT system. Replicated trials will be conducted and the experiments will be repeated. Data on yield, quality, time to harvest, chlorophyll in leaves, diseases that occur, disease ratings etc. will be recorded. Vegetable samples will be sent to outside labs for nutritional analysis.These ecperiments will help identify potential variety or plant introductions that will be suitable for cultivation in CEA. It will also help identify potential diseases that can impact cultivation in CEA that use NFT systems in the southeast regions.
