UK Horticulture Research Farm Twilight Tour is July 28

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 10, 2015) — From traditional to organic fruit and vegetable production, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Twilight Horticulture Tour will have something to interest just about anyone.

The UK Horticultural Research Farm in south Lexington is home to dozens of projects and variety trials, many of which the tour will showcase July 28. Three concurrent tours — vegetable tour, fruit tour, and a tour for sustainable agriculture vegetables, fruits and ornamentals — will repeat twice from 6 p.m. until dark.

"We will be able to show growers our latest research and hopefully give them some ideas of things they can do themselves," said John Strang, UK extension horticulture specialist. "This is such a great opportunity to really explore all the projects on the farm."

Strang said tour participants will have a chance to learn about research involving traditional and sustainable/organic growing practices.

Vegetable tour stops include:

·         Winter squash variety trial

·         Downy mildew sentinel plot

·         Watermelon anthracnose and pollinators

·         Evaluation of new pepper accessions for capsicum

·         Glucosinolates in arugula and mustards

·         Tomato breeding for mite resistance

·         Sugar enhanced sweet corn variety trial

·         Summer cover crop demonstration

·         Trap crops for stink bugs

·         Pumpkin plasticulture demonstration

·         Muskmelon variety trial

·         Triploid watermelon cultivar trial

Fruit tour stops include:

·         Kentucky Mesonet Weather Station and prediction models

·         Apple herbicides and haskap, blueberry and dwarf sour cherry variety trials

·         Bitter rot in apples

·         Ten years of UK grape research

·         Matted row strawberry variety trial

Stops on the sustainable vegetable and fruit tour include:

·         Evaluating slow-release aluminum sulfate for blue flowers in hydrangea and drone agricultural applications

·         Organic mixed vegetables for Community Supported Agriculture

·         Organic apple production study

·         Moveable high tunnels

·         Controlling cucumber beetles and squash bugs in muskmelons and winter squash with meso tunnels

·         Furrow guidance machine system for organic vegetable production

Tours will start at the research center parking lot. Cold drinks and melons will be available for participants.

The Twilight Tour is open to the public but is aimed at fruit and vegetable growers. For more information, contact Pam Compton at 859-257-2909 or pscomp1@uky.edu.

The UK Horticultural Research Farm is located on the south side of Lexington approximately one block west of the intersection of Man o' War Boulevard and Nicholasville Road (U.S. 27). The entrance to the farm, Emmert Farm Lane, is off Man o' War Boulevard at the traffic light opposite the entrance to Lowe's and Wal-Mart.

MEDIA CONTACT: Aimee Nielson, 859-257-7707.