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INVESTIGATOR: Rutto, L. K.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA 23803

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION TO BUILD CAPACITY IN HOPS DISEASE MANAGEMENT AND ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTION PRACTICES

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: This application stems directly from two challenges encountered during implementation of an integrated (research an extension) 1890 Capacity Building Grant on hops (Humulus lupulus) awarded in 2015:That disease management is going to be a bigger problem than initially anticipated and addressing the challenge calls for knowledge and skills exceeding those currently available at the applicant institution.The observation that high trellis hops production favored by large-scale commercial producers in the Pacific Northwest may not be suitable for small and limited-resource clientele served by Virginia State University (VSU).Contact with professionals and other stakeholders involved in US hops research has prepared the ground for the PI to gain knowledge and skills for addressing the challenges above through professional development. The highlight of the plan is a mini-sabbatical to the USDA-ARS Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit in Corvallis, Oregon. The PI will be hosted by Dr. David H. Gent, a distinguished Research Plant Pathologist working on integrated pest and disease management in hops. The period will also include contact with officials and members of the Association for Development of Hop Agronomy (ADHA), an association working on alternative practices including low trellis hops production and development of dwarf hop varieties. Planned activities during the 1-year period will equip the PD with knowledge, skills, and research linkages that will greatly enhance hops research at VSU and support development of alternative agronomic practices more suited to small and limited-resource farmers in Virginia and the mid-Atlantic.

OBJECTIVES: The primary goal of this 1-year professional development grant is to equip the PI with knowledge, skills, and research linkages that will enhance hops pest and disease research at VSU, and support development of alternative agronomic practices more suited to small and limited-resource farmers in the mid-Atlantic.These objectives will be addressed in two planned activities:Working with Dr. David Gent, a hops pathologist attached to the USDA-ARS Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit in Corvallis, Oregon to acquire knowledge and skills on field scouting, disease forecasting and data collection/processing required for the study of integrated pest and disease management in hops.Visiting and developing a working relationship with the Association for the Development of Hop Agronomy (ADHA) as part of a process to identify alternative hops production tools and practices more attuned to the needs and capabilities of small and limited-resource farmers served by VSU research and extension. The ADHA Head Office is located in Washington State and has a working relationship with the USDA-ARS host Dr. Gent.

APPROACH: During the one year duration of this professional development grant, the VSU Alternative Crops Program will lay the ground for planned statewide support for disease forecasting in hops by purchasing and installing additional wireless weather monitoring capacity and associated tools necessary for real-time broadcasting of weather data to hops growers in Virginia (smart sensor-equipped 3G weather stations have already been installed at VSU Randolph Farm and in Madison and Northampton counties of Virginia).In June/July the PI will travel to Oregon and spend a month at the Gent Lab. This mini-sabbatical will involve intensive training on research methods and tools associated with disease forecasting, field scouting, sample collection, disease/pest identification or detection using laboratory and molecular tools and techniques, and record keeping and reporting unique to the discipline.The scientist will also visit commercial hop producers in Oregon and Washington States, and spend time with officials and partners of the ADHA to observe ongoing research on low-trellis production of hops in the U.S. The hop yard at VSU still has capacity for additional experimental planting and the PI will explore opportunities for being included as a site for testing dwarf hop varieties developed by the ADHA. If such an opportunity were granted, it would be the only one of its kind in the east coast of the U.S.Upon completion of the mini-sabbatical, the VSU scientist will work to develop a disease forecasting program for hops growers in the mid-Atlantic using knowledge and skills acquired from training at the Gent lab. This will involve setting up a cloud-based publicly accessible website and database for weather data/information for the different hop growing regions in Virginia, revamping field collection of disease/pest data at VSU, and briefing stakeholders on future research at VSU on integrated pest and disease management in hops.

PROGRESS: 2018/03 TO 2020/02
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: A budget modification was made to allocate some of unspent funds towards purchase of a drier for hops research. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project supported the PIs second visit to the PNWin 2019, and attendance of the 2020 American Hop Convention held January 22-24 in Portland, OR How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

IMPACT: 2018/03 TO 2020/02
What was accomplished under these goals? The PI paid a second visit to the PNW region to coincide with the harvesting window for hops. Lessons learned include how commercial growers dispose non-cone biomass to avoid disease and pest spread, ongoing breeding work by industry leaders, and the logistics of postharvest handling and processing at commercial scale.

PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2018/03 TO 2020/02
Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Eriksen, R.L., L.K. Rutto, J.E. Dombrowski and J.A. Henning. 2020. Photosynthetic activity of six hop (Humulus lupulus L.) cultivars under different temperature treatments. HortScience 55(4): 403â409. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI14580-19.