Are rivers the livers of watersheds? Should farmers plant cider apples to thwart pests in orchards? Come find out from scientists with the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire, who will present their latest research at the 2020 New Hampshire Farm, Forest, and Garden Expo.

Researchers with the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire have launched a multi-year research project to investigate how droughts may impact Northern forests, which play a critical role in protecting and regulating water resources.

A pathologist with New Hampshire Diagnostic Veterinary Lab at the University of New Hampshire recently diagnosed the fungal disease Valley Fever in a rescue dog from Arizona. It is the first time the lab has diagnosed this disease in a dog in the state. The disease, which is treatable, is endemic in the Southwest and rarely seen in native New England dogs.

In the first study of its kind, new research from the University of New Hampshire shows that crop rotations, in isolation from other management factors, can increase the functions performed by soil microbial communities that benefit plant growth. The study was conducted by researchers with the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station.

NH Agricultural Experiment Station researcher Rick Cote at the University of New Hampshire has received a USDA grant to expand his research on parasitic nematodes, or roundworms, which cause approximately $100 billion in annual global crop damage. Researchers are hopeful that one day their work will lead to the development of next generation nematicides, or chemical pesticides that will provide farmers with a new way to safely manage these agricultural pests.

Our researchers and graduate students are working on more than 50 research projects to serve the Granite State. Here are a few highlights from 2019. 

AndréBrito, associate professor of dairy nutrition and management, and researcher with the NH Agricultural Experiment Station, discusses his research project Feeding Field Peas to High-Producing Lactating Dairy Cows at the 2017 NH Farm and Forest Expo.

Come learn about the commercial production of kiwiberries in New England from Will Hastings, vineyard manager and research technician for the NH Agricultural Experiment Station’s Kiwiberry Breeding and Research Development program. Based at the University of New Hampshire, the program is the first of its kind in the nation and has established itself as a global leader in the genetic improvement of the crop.

New Hampshire farmers looking to grow colored bell peppers in high tunnels will be pleased to learn that researchers from the NH Agricultural Experiment Station found many varieties produced excellent, high-quality fruit in a research trial conducted at the experiment station’s Woodman Horticultural Research Farm.