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Horticulture |
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Rongcai Yuan, Assistant Professor (Ph.D., University of Massachusetts) Research programs: My research focuses on the issues that restrain fruit crop productivity, quality, and orchard profitbility, with emphasis on tree fruit crops. My goal is to understand fruit abscission including young fruit abscission and pre-harvest drop, fruit thinning, fruit development, flowering, and their interaction with environmental factors using physiological and molecular approaches, and to utilize new understanding of the environmental, physiological, molecular, and cultural limitations to productivity to help fruit crop growers improve cultrual practices and fruit quality in economically feasible ways. I am also interested in the evaluation of other horticultural fruit crops that might serve to diversify horticultural enterprises in northern Virginia.>/p> Extension programs: My outreach and extension program will be based on delivery of value to the commmercial fruit crop growers and the public, and address the needs of fruit crop industry in Virginia. Emphasis will be placed on educating and training growers and Cooperative Extension agents about new orchard management tactics and new research findings. In order to achieve this, timely, novel, and educational information on orchard management practices will be delivered to fruit growers and the public using orchard meeting, fruit school, workshop, orchard visit, printed material, phone call, and especially electronic media including e-mail and website. I will often evaluate the impact of my extension program by different ways such as end of meeting questionnaires (relevance, quality, usefulness), telephone survey, or mailed questionnaires. Then I can improve my extension program. In short, it is imperative for me to remember the importance of profitability to the growers. |
Tree Fruit Pathology |
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KEITH S. YODER, Professor (Ph.D., Michigan State University) Responsible for tree fruit pathology research and extension efforts throughout the Commonwealth. Objectives: To provide the Virginia tree fruit industry with information for economical disease management, emphasizing orchard monitoring and timely use of management measures to reduce overall chemical inputs. To advise growers of changes in fruit pesticide regulations which affect operations in Virginia. The research and extension activities in tree fruit pathology are complementary. All research is based on perceived commercial needs and research findings continue to provide the basis for extension recommendations. New technological inputs into disease management recommendations are generated by the research / extension efforts summarized below. |
Entomology |
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J. CHRISTOPHER BERGH (Ph.D., University of New Brunswick) Research programs: The entomology program encompasses both applied and basic research, focussing on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tactics in high value horticultural crops. Program development currently emphasizes the potential impacts that regulatory changes under the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) may have on tree fruit pest management. Responses to these changes include research on the fit of newly registered chemistries in pest management programs, the potential for resurgence and management of secondary pests, and novel, non-conventional management tactics. Where possible, research is focussed on pests that span two or more commodities (tree fruit and other high value horticultural crops including ornamentals, small fruit, and greenhouse crops). Extension programs: The entomology extension program seeks to promote grower adoption of IPM tactics and best-use practices. Timely dissemination of information about regulatory and research issues, pest biology, phenology and management utilizes both traditional and modern approaches, incorporating information technology and the electronic medium. |
Viticulture |
TONY K. WOLF, Professor (Ph.D., Cornell University) Extension programs: My extension responsibilities are to educate commercial grape growers and train Cooperative Extension agents in interdisciplinary measures that improve grape quality and vineyard productivity. I use workshops, shortcourses, field meetings, and a variety of written media to disseminate information. To the extent possible, I also address individual requests for information and assistance. I directly assist Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) faculty-agents with grape-related problems and provide in-service agent training. Some of this activity was of a regional nature in 2002. I fund and direct a full-time viticulture extension assistant, most recently Ms. Alison Hectus, to assist with basic viticulture questions. I direct graduate students with applied grape research. Much of this effort has regional impact, in that there are no comparable viticulture programs in the mid-Atlantic region. Extension activities are currently linked to the VCE program, "Fruit Industry Sustainability." I have further supported my "outreach" activities with applied research of problems that confront the Virginia and national grape and wine industries.
Research programs: My research interests are broad and reflect the multi-disciplinary challenges faced by the Virginia wine grape industry. Previous research focused on methods of grapevine canopy management that affected grape and wine quality, cold hardiness investigations, and inter-disciplinary collaboration with entomologists and plant pathologists to reduce pest problems. Current research includes wine grape variety and clone evaluations, collaborative studies of crop load effects on grapevines, grape and wine quality, and training system comparisons. Brief descriptions of principal, current research efforts follow the link above. |
Grape Resources Facts and figures, educational materials, and useful links. |
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Virginia Cooperative Extension |