Extension/Outreach Projects

Hard cider has long been enjoyed here in New England. After a brief hiatus in popularity, it has made a significant comeback. This gives apple growers in the region a new marekting aopportunity. However, there is still a lack of knowledge around which apple cultivars for cider grow best in this region. This project is desined to gain insight onto six different apple cultivars grown specifically for cider production; from growth habits to best harvest timing all the way down the line to the finished fermented product and how it is recieved by consumers. 

A modern, pedestrian apple orchard system(s) comparison using a disease-resistant rootstock (Geneva 11) and variety (Crimson Crisp) was planted in 2022 at the UMass Orchard. The multi-leader systems comparison includes super-spindle (single leader), bi-leader, and multi-leader cordon. Annual data collection to include fruit quality and yield as well as casual observation of training systems differences.

Advanced apple variety selections from the Midwest Apple Improvement Association breeding program are being planted as they become available and casually evaluated for tree growth and fruit characteristics. In the past, numbered selections have been named, giving apple growers a heads-up on new apple variety selections worthy of planting in their orchards.
 

Dr. Maria Gannett (Extension Weed Specialist) and Matthew Bley (Extension Educator) have been awarded funding from the Massachusetts Fruit Growers' Horticultural Research Fund. Quinstar 4L has been demonstrated to provide excellent control of bindweeds on the West coast and Chateau EZ is a new formulation of Chateau SW, which will be phased out of production in the coming years. Their project aims to document the field efficacy of these pre-emergent herbicides, Quinstar 4L and Chateau EZ, at different rates. They also will also investigate the benefits of nitrification inhibitors when applied with standard ammonia fertilizers. Since ammonia is blueberry’s preferred form of nitrogen, by slowing the process of nitrification we hypothesize that weed pressure will be reduced as off-target fertilization is reduced. Their work at the Cold Spring Orchard will evaluate these different controls in combination with one another to develop season-long weed management recommendations.

This research project will examine the factors that influence how lower-income individuals and households make a variety of energy-related decisions, including consumption behaviors and sourcing choices.

The Massachusetts Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is part of a national effort to improve the nutrition and health of low-income families with young children.

http://www.umass.edu/safefoodfarm2kid/Good nutrition is important for growing children. Incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables at an early age is the best way to develop healthy eating habits that will last for a lifetime.  However, young children are at a greater risk for food borne illness if fresh produce is not handled properly.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, plant based food products were responsible for approximately 46% of all foodborne illnesses from 1998 – 2008. Through a USDA NIFA grant, the project investigators identified the produce-handling practices, attitudes, and knowledge of early childcare educators and foodservice staff in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  Nearly half the centers assessed used some combination of farm visits, planting gardens, serving local produce, holding taste tests or conducting nutrition education.  Only 63%, however, reported that children always wash hands after picking garden foods; and only 50% used clean containers to harvest fruits and vegetables.  These results were used to develop and implement a food safety curriculum in two formats:  an interactive online program as well as in-person workshops.

UMass Clean Energy Extension is coordinating with DOER and the State Geologist Stephen Mabee and Five College Professor Michael Rhodes, Department of Geosciences, to conduct geological explorations to identify potential near surface bedrock for direct geothermal heating in Massachusetts.

The Clean Energy Extension has reached out to MassDEP and received its public database of over 7000 boiler and turbines permitted across its four state regions.  The extension will use this database to develop a GIS depiction and analysis of the boilers to target businesses and institutions for CHP, renewable thermal, and district energy opportunities.

To investigate the potential for large-scale energy storage in the Massachusetts electrical supply as the penetration of non-dispatchable renewable energy sources increases.

To study potential for sequestration of forest carbon in agricultural soils in Massachusetts, based on availability of woody biomass, availability of suitable soils for biochar application, commercially available pyrolysis technology, and estimated biochar production cost.

Few athletic field studies have been conducted to relate actual field conditions as well as maintenance practices to reported injuries.  The aim of this study was to determine the level of use that an athletic field will sustain before field conditions begin to affect the playability and safety of the field.

Named and numbered peach and nectarine selections are under casual evaluation and demonstration at the UMass Cold Spring Orchard. Most of them are varieties/selection from Paul Friday/Flaming Fury and Rutgers/Adams County Nursery breeding and variety introduction programs. Data collected includes flowering, yield, and fruit quality (size, color, firmness, brix, maturity, and taste/consumer acceptance), and  pest susceptibility. Results/variety recommendations are available to growers at meetings, personal consultation/visits to UMass Orchard. 

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Best Management Practices are commonly implemented on golf courses to minimize the movement of pesticides and nutrients. One such practice is the use of vegetative filter strips (VFS) to intercept runoff and help protect the quality of groundwater and adjacent surface water. Research at UMass is ongoing to identify the best-suited plant material and most appropriate planting techniques to ensure effective vegetative filter strips.

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One of the key missions of the UMass Extension Turf Program is to promote natural resource protection through responsible turf management. The following featured videos profile current UMass research for which the primary focus is the conservation and protection of one of our most precious natural resources: water.

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Lawn and recreational turf can require significant amounts of irrigation to maintain turf function and use. Practices that lower water requirements are especially important as water restrictions and demand for water increase. Scheduling irrigation according to actual turfgrass water use rates (ET) reduces waste by replacing only the amount of water lost from the rootzone to turfgrass use. Reference ET values obtained from weather stations must be adjusted using crop coefficients (Kc values) to achieve a more accurate estimate of actual turf ET. This research seeks to address the current lack of ET data and Kc values specific for climatic conditions and management of recreational turf typical of New England.

To further develop the Smart Solar concept in which solar electric systems are made capable of self-regulating their power output based on the needs of the larger grid, resulting in greater solar penetration and increased grid stability.

Lack of knowledge regarding Resistance Management (RM) and pesticide Modes of Action (MoA) was identified by providers as a hindrance to their ability to educate growers on these topics.  Most (>80%) extension specialists surveyed have never attended formal classes on RM and MoA during their academic or professional careers.  The project will address this need by conducting 4 webinars, providing Moodle resources, and producing a PowerPoint teaching module and accompanying video. The webinars will provide interactive, educational forums that focus on the basic principles of RM and MoA while also highlighting areas of special concern for Northeastern agriculture. Augmenting the training with the Moodle platform will allow attendees to confirm their common ground of understanding and knowledge, from which they can then extend to the grower community.  To ensure that a unified approach to RM is taught across the region, participants will be provided with a core module that will serve as the “seed” by which they can then develop a presentation that is tailored to the particular needs of any specific commodity group. 

In 2018, Extension personnel from the Universities of Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island documented production practices and took soil and leaf samples from 20 tomato high tunnels in those 4 states, with support from the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers' Association. Soil and tissue samples were analyzed at the Universities of Maine and Massachusetts labs. View the project report for guidelines for optimizing tomato production based on the data collected. NOTE - this project surveyed current practices and conditions in a variety of tunnels; additional research is needed to quantify the impact of different management and fertilization practices.

We worked with Massachusetts growers on a broad range of activities related to Integrated Pest Management for diversified vegetable and fruit farms. One of the core components of this project is working with several 'mentor farms,' who grow both fruits and vegetables and are open to expanding their use of advanced integrated pest management techniques as well as working with us to better understand how a diversified farm can use IPM.  We also conducted field trials on-farm and at our research farm on IPM methods identified by growers as their priorities each year. We shared what we learn on each of these farms by holding twilight meetings, posting pest alerts, and writing IPM articles for publication on our websites, newsletters, and facebook page.