'ROOTS IN RESEARCH' Newsletter
LESREC - Poplar Hill & Salisbury Facilities - Yield of 2022
We are proud to present you with the first edition of a series of annual newsletters showcasing the university of applied research and hands-on educational programming that happen at the University of Maryland Research and Education Centers across the state. These facilities provide a living-laboratory space to carry out research addressing the real-world problems facing our farmers from issues like invasive species, climate change, economics, and environmental conservation. The information produced from these research projects is shared with the scientific community and directly to the public through journal articles, extension newsletters, and many other formats, but compiling summaries of all of the work done at each facility in one publication here gives a snapshot of how many projects are carried out at each research farm every year.
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Poplar Hill and Salisbury Weather Station
Weather data for Poplar Hill and Salisbury are displayed on our website. The information can be displayed by month, or by the year in a printable format. To compare weather data averages by the month or year, check out our website! If your research requires this data in a different format, please contact Sheila Oscar (soscar@umd.edu) and she will help to get the information you are requesting.
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Pollinator / Vegetative Buffers Demo Day Was a Success!
Jonathan Moyle, Poultry Science Specialist
Put on by the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, Delmarva Poultry Association, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, and University of Maryland Extension, poultry growers and others came out to learn how these buffers can capture dust, shade houses, deter Canada geese and other wild fowl (preventing spread of disease), absorb excess nutrients before they reach local waterways, and reduce maintenance costs and time on their properties.
Held here at the Lower Eastern Shore Research & Education Center (LESREC) in Salisbury, participants enjoyed a beautiful day, where they heard from experts and shared a meal generously provided by DCA and the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance.
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Disease and Nematode Management Field Day
Tuesday, August 2, 2022, 8:30 – 10:30 am
Educational Speakers at LESREC included: Dr. Sarah Hirsh, Dr. Haley Sater, and Dr. Alyssa Koehler.
Outreach topics:
• Nematode Management • Watermelon Spacing and grafting
• Updates on herbicide resistant weeds • Management of Fusarium
Vegetative Buffers Field Day- Poultry Farmers Educational Speakers at LESREC included : Dr. Jon Moyle, Dr. Haley Sater and Dr. Emily Zobel.
Outreach topics:
• Miscanthus education • Avian influenza • Vegetative buffer benefits
Dairy Field Day Activities Included:
• Vet demonstrations • How to handle scours • Compost barn education • Soil fertility/forage education by Drs. Amanda Grev/Nicole Fiorellino
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2022 Annual Report
Overview of the Northeast Region IR-4 Program The Northeast Region of The IR-4 Project is a collaboration between the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP), University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) and North Carolina State University (NC State). The IR-4 Project Headquarters (HQ) is located at NC State in Raleigh, NC. The Regional Director’s office is located at UMES in Princess Anne, MD. Read more>>
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Evaluation of Grafted Watermelon for Fusarium Wilt Management
Ben Beale-Extension Agent, St. Mary’s County, Alan Leslie-Extension Agent, Charles County, Haley Sater-Extension Agent, Wicomico County
Fusarium Wilt, caused by the soil borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum is becoming more problematic in seedless watermelon production in Southern Maryland. Unfortunately, there are few effective management options for this soil borne disease. Read More >>
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LESREC Cucumber Beetle Pest Management Trials 2022
David Owens, University of Delaware Extension Specialist, Agricultural Entomology, owensd@udel.edu; 302 698-7125
Cucumber beetles are one of the key insect pests affecting watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, squash, and pumpkins throughout the country. They transmit diseases such as bacterial wilt to many (watermelons are resistant to wilt), and they feed on rinds which can render the fruit unmarketable. Insect pest management for cucumber beetles involves regular early season scouting and early to mid-summer scouting. Read More>>
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Implementing Growing Trials to Better the Practice of Growing Popular Grown Crops of the Region
David Armentrout - Facility Manager, Salisbury and Poplar Hill (LESREC)
As the Facility Manager for the Lower Eastern Shore Research and Education Center located in Salisbury, MD, and in Quantico, MD, I believe it is important to implement growing trials to better the practice of growing popular grown crops of the region. In doing so, as the Facility Manager, I can increase my knowledge and experience in successfully perfecting the cultural practices needed for such crops. In 2022, I specifically looked at demonstrating Pumpkins (‘Pumpkin Variety Trial’), Sweetcorn (‘Sweetcorn Comparison and Insecticide Timing Trial’) and Cantaloupe/Watermelon (‘Cantaloupe and Watermelon on White vs. Black Plastic Culture Comparisons’). In 2022, I also worked with Dr. Jeff Pettis looking at ‘Strategies and Evaluation of Honeybee Survival at LESREC’. The experience and knowledge gained in implementing such demo-trials allows myself to better suit researchers in growing similar or related crops in future trials. In addition, such demo-trials are an added bonus during Facility tours.
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Role of Rhizobial Diversity for Drought and Herbivory Tolerance in Soybean
Authors: Brendan Randall (PhD student), Kelsey McGurrin (Faculty Specialist), and Karin Burghardt (Assistant Professor)
Research team: Burghardt lab members from the Department of Entomology in collaboration with Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and UNC-Greensboro researchers, and Dr. Nicole Fiorellino (Director of the UMD soybean variety trial).
Increasing the diversity of soil bacteria interacting with a plant may help decrease insect herbivory, especially during droughts (link). To follow up on this work, our team collected data within the University of Maryland Soybean Variety Trial from 2019-2022 at four UMD RECs (Fig 1. Poplar Hill, Clarksville, Wye, and Keedysville). Read More>>
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Final Report for Maryland Soybean Board 2021 Grant - Evaluating Soybean Variety Performance and Response to Deer Grazing
PI: Luke Macaulay, Wildlife Management Specialist, University of Maryland Extension, Co-PI: James Lewis, Agent, Caroline County, University of Maryland Extension, Co-PI: Nicole Fiorellino, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland
Summary: Our study sought to better understand deer herbivory of forage soybeans. Our original proposal sought to understand 1) what varieties of soybeans can produce the best yields under heavy herbivory, 2) what varieties can best withstand deer grazing, 3) what varieties can attract deer away from conventional crops, and 4) estimate the costs and potential benefits of using particular varieties to attract deer away from conventional crops. Read More>>
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Emerald Ash Borer Biocontrol via Interactions with Native and Introduced Parasitoid Wasps
Devin Jameison, University of Maryland
The emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis) is an invasive beetle species that has wrought immense havoc upon ash trees in deciduous forests across the eastern US and Canada. First detected in Michigan in 2002, EAB was detected in Maryland just one year later, although the pest likely escaped detection for at least a decade. It is estimated that EAB has caused billions of dollars in environmental and industry damage (Kovacs et al. 2010). Read More>>
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