Virginia Tech Research Center Receives Grant To Study Organic Production
October 14, 2014 The Alson H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Winchester, VA, was recently awarded a $38,000, two-year grant by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences as part of the USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
“The market for organic apples continues to increase, yet the production of organic apples is virtually nonexistent in Virginia,” Greg Peck assistant professor of horticulture at Virginia Tech University tells The Northern Virginia Daily. “We’re hoping to fill the information gap to allow those who really want to grow organically to be able to do so more successfully.”
The research will focus on what rootstocks are best suited for organic production in Virginia. Peck plans to trial 10 different roostocks.
“In Virginia, apple farmers have to contend with up to 20 different diseases of apple trees or apple fruit,” Peck tells the newspaper. “It’s very difficult to manage, whether traditional or organic, and there are a lot fewer materials to choose from.”
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