Current Research
• Cotton research, including the New Mexico Cotton breeding program, precision organic cotton production, cottonseed oil used for food and fuel, and gossypol-free (“glandless”) Cotton to provide both robust lint and better cottonseed byproducts.
• Research On insecticides, foliar fertilization, fertilization, and irrigation for pecan.
• The IR-4 Project Helps provide effective pes
t control options for food crop producers while ensuring safe and healthful fruits, nuts, and vegetables for consumers.
• The Nematology Lab Program focuses on plant-parasitic nematodes, which are persistent and often serious pathogens of many New Mexico crops.
• W**d Science research provides sustainable, reduced-risk pest management practices that enhance food safety and maintain market competitiveness for New Mexico-grown crops.
• The NMSU Onion breeding program is one of only two active, public onion breeding programs in the United States Releasing cultivars and/or germplasm lines. One of the program’s objectives is the continued development of onion cultivars that allow New Mexico Growers to compete in other onion markets in the United States.
• Using Alfalfa in crop rotations helps stabilize soils, improve water quality, and reduce fertilizer, pesticide, and fuel inputs, making it a critical component of sustainable agriculture. Alfalfa Hay constitutes most of the diet for New Mexico’s rapidly expanding dairy livestock industry. Research at the Center works to develop drought-tolerant alfalfa cultivars for New Mexico growing conditions.
• Aquaculture Research to determine the feasibility of using a mix of algae and cottonseed meal to grow saltwater Pacific White shrimp indoors in aquatic systems.
• The NMSU Chile pepper breeding program creates high-quality, non- GMO cultivars for New Mexico’s Chile pepper food industry and value- added products, increasing growers’ incomes throughout the state.
• Research examining plant/soil microbiomes and how changes in a soil microbial community influence plant growth and the development of plant/soil microbiome synergies. Research to determine the efficacy of using mustard seed meal to fight Phytophthora Blight and Verticillium Wilt afflicting our chile crops. Collaborators, Sponsors, and Contributors
• New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum
• NM Chile Commission
• NM Chile Association
• CaJohn’s Food
• Mrs. Renfro’s Food
• Border Foods
• Biad Chili
• Cervantes Enterprises
• Jurado Inc.
• Vilmorin Seed
• Seminis Seed
• IR-4 Specialty Crop Pest Management Program
• New Mexico Cotton Growers Association
• Mesa Farmers Cooperative
• USDA Cotton Ginning Lab
• New Mexico Dry Onion Commission
• NM Hay Growers Association
• New Mexico Department of Agriculture
• NM Pecan Growers Association
• Western Pecan Growers Association
• Cotton Inc.
• Sun Valley Inc.
• Savage Equipment
• Linwood Nursery
