Virginia Tech. Small Fruit Program at Hampton Roads AREC

My lab. has been diligently harvesting strawberries four times per week since mid April. Each harvest is graded, sorted, weighed, recorded and entered. It is quite a process and no easy task, but these plants and the fruits give us so much joy and satisfaction. We are looking forward to analyzing data for treatment effects next. Our yields are not the highest this season, but we are consistently tasting some of the sweetest fruits ever!

Last week, we were happy to host students and faculty from Delaware State University at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center. We exchanged information on research and science and discussed future collaboration opportunities.

have become a popular backyard plant across Virginia over the past decade, and it was about time to share information on fig production. At Virginia Cooperative Extension, we are pleased to announce the release this article. Thanks to my student Amy Burnett for taking the lead on this! .

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Virginia fruit growers navigate aftermath of sweeping spring freezes – News, Features, and Videos WINCHESTER—With crop damage ranging from disruption to devastation, fruit growers across Virginia have felt the strain of an exceptionally frigid spring.

Strawberry season arrives in Virginia Beach with strong crop, steady prices Strawberry season has arrived in full force across the Pungo and Back Bay area, with farmers reporting healthy crops.

Great progress made by researchers at Cornell University with picking of strawberries.

https://www.morningagclips.com/soft-robot-gripper-picks-ripe-fruit-without-bruising/

Soft Robot Gripper Picks Ripe Fruit Without Bruising ITHACA, N.Y. — When assessing the ripeness of fruit, sight and smell can tell you a lot, but the best indicator is often how the...

Sharing the video featuring several of us in VA extension and VA strawberry growers talking about a relatively new disease Neo-P and how that is affecting strawberry growth and production in recent years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP7tzN7UjOQ

Strawberry Disease Threat: How Virginia Growers Are Fighting Neo‑P NeoP, a fast-spreading fungal disease, devastated parts of Virginia’s strawberry crop in 2025, cutting seasons short and forcing some farms to shut down harv...

Neo-P, a fast-spreading fungal disease, devastated parts of Virginia’s strawberry crop in 2025, cutting seasons short and forcing some farms to shut down harvest entirely. Now, with the 2026 crop emerging, growers, Extension agents and researchers are working together to understand the disease, improve plant health and prevent another statewide outbreak. From identifying early symptoms to aggressive fall management and improved nursery practices, farmers are putting lessons learned into action. While Mother Nature always brings uncertainty, this year’s plants look stronger, cleaner and more promising across the commonwealth.

📺 Watch the full story in the comments.

It was great to spend a good part of the day yesterday with my colleague Dr. Mengjun Hu- Small Fruit Plant Pathologist University of Maryland and show him my program and the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center

We are now in our third week of spring fertigating . Our plants now have many open blooms. Yesterday, we harvested leaf tissue samples to send to tissue testing lab.. The results will help us determine if our fertigation needs any adjustments. We plan to cover our plots for tonight.

Enjoyed talking about blueberries earlier this week!!