July Update From the NC Alternative Crops & Organics Program

— Written By and last updated by
en Español / em Português
Español

El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.

Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.


Português

Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.

Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.


English

English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.

Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.

Collapse ▲

7/28/20 – Written by Margaret Bloomquist, Research Associate, and Katie Learn, Research Assistant in the North Carolina Alternative Crops and Organics Program

Consistent 85-65° temperature splits and afternoon storms roll us into the end of July. We love hearing about what’s going on on your farms. Thank you for sharing in our virtual journey of what’s happening in Jeanine Davis’s program this summer!

Plants

The organic cowpea variety trial is beginning to sprout. It was planted last week at the Mountain Organic Unit of the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, NC. We are evaluating 11 varieties and their associated insects. This is part of the Southeast Organic Partnership with Tuskegee University.

Woman planting broccoli transplant in field

We transplanted 23 broccoli lines and varieties to evaluate them for stress tolerance and quality as part of our ongoing Eastern Broccoli Project with Cornell University. This photo was taken July 15th, 2020 at the Mountain Research Station.

A hand holding a freshly cut broccoli head over the plant

Harvests were recently completed for our 2020 on-farm broccoli yield trial. Five new public lines and one private breeding line produced beautiful heads in the midst of the summer heat. Quality was comparable with the market standard “Emerald Crown.” This trial is another component of the Eastern Broccoli Project. Thank you to Irma’s Produce for hosting! The non-profit, Bounty and Soul received the extra produce.

Hop cones on a hop plant

Our hops breeder, Dr. Luping Qu, is excited about the number of cones this new cross has produced. Several important factors he considers when choosing plants to breed for our region is side-arm length, internode length, disease resistance, cone yield, and brewing quality. We have several on-station and a number of on-farm trials of his latest selections for the Southeast region. Look forward to releases expected in the coming years.

Young floral hemp plants on white plastic mulch in the field

A view of the western NC State University hemp floral strain trial in early July. Flower initiation is ongoing for select varieties (strains). We are seeing variation between strains and are gathering interesting information during our weekly data collection. This study is located in Buncombe County, in partnership with Green River Botanicals. Check out one of the other eastern locations of the NC State University hemp strain trial via this Facebook post with Dr. David Suchoff.

Goldenseal plant in the woods with a ripe berry

Goldenseal, (Hydrastis canadensis) berries are ripening in our research woods in western North Carolina. Several of the populations have been harvested and re-seeded for propagation and for future distribution and education. For information on our Woodland Stewards program, contact Margaret_Bloomquist@ncsu.edu. This project is associated with the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farming Coalition.

Reviewed by Jeanine Davis, NC Alternative Crops and Organics Program, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University on 3/1/2022.