Project Number: 6404-21430-001-16
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 01, 2012
End Date: Aug 31, 2017

Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research is to evaluate commercial and experimental vegetable and fruit cultivars for local adaptation along the Gulf Coast under different pest and agronomic management practices.

Approach:
A variety of local and potentially new vegetables and melons will be planted in field plots at the Beaumont Horticultural Unit in Perry County, MS. Additional experimental plots will be planted at the Mississippi State University (MSU) Experiment Station near McNeil, MS. Pest and beneficial insect populations will be evaluated including, but not limited to, tomatoes, edamame, green beans, southern peas, sweet corn, okra, and watermelons. 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.