Browsing by Author "Samtani, Jayesh Bharat"

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    An Economic Comparison of High Tunnel and Open-Field Strawberry Production in Southeastern Virginia and A Joint Estimation of Acreage Planted to U.S. Major Crops
    Mbarushimana, Jean Claude (Virginia Tech, 2022-06-07)
    This thesis covers two separate studies. The first study, chapter 2, was conducted to evaluate whether there are additional economic returns from producing strawberries in the high tunnel compared to the open-field in Southeast Virginia. We develop and compare budgets for eight strawberry cultivars grown in the two environments and sold under three marketing strategies (pre-pick wholesale, pre-pick retail, and U-pick). Almost all cultivars in the high tunnel generated negative net revenues regardless of the marketing strategy. In contrast, net revenues from open-field cultivars were always positive. In the second study, chapter 3, we used a fractional multinomial logit model to estimate the effect of crop revenues, input costs, and fuel ethanol production on the joint acreages planted to eight U.S major crops (barley, corn, cotton, peanuts, rice, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat). We found a positive and statistically significant marginal effect of the expected peanuts' revenue on its acreage share. The expected corn revenue had a negative average marginal effect on soybean acreage share, and the effect of expected wheat revenue was positive on cotton acreage share and negative on rice acreage share.
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    Evaluation of anaerobic soil disinfestation using brewers spent grain and yeast inoculation in  annual hill plasticulture strawberry production
    Liu, Danyang (Virginia Tech, 2021-04-14)
    Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a promising alternative to chemical fumigation to control soil-borne plant pathogens and weeds. This research focused on evaluating several locally available carbon sources for ASD on weed control, evaluating the performance of brewers' spent grain (a promising carbon source) under field conditions, and evaluating whether yeast addition enhanced the effectiveness of ASD treatments. A series of greenhouse trials were conducted at the Southern Piedmont AREC (Agricultural Research and Extension Center). The greenhouse trials were conducted in PVC tubes, 20 cm tall and 15 cm in diameter. The first set of trials evaluated ASD conducted over 21-day periods of ASD using locally available carbon sources. The carbon sources included brewer`s spent grain, buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), paper mulch, peanut (Arachis hypogaea) shells, rice bran, sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum drummondii), and waste coffee grounds applied at 4 mg of C/g of soil. The targeted weed species included common chickweed (Stellaria media (L.) Vill.), redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), and yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.). All ASD treatments significantly reduced weed viability compared to the non-treated control. The yeast amendments enhanced weed control over ASD without yeast. The second set of greenhouse trials was focused on ASD using brewer`s spent grain, and on evaluating ASD at the half and one-third carbon dose rates. The target pests were the same weed species in the first set of trials, and Pythium irregulare was added as an additional target pest. This set of trials indicated yeast enhanced addition the effect of BSG in ASD on both weeds and P. irregulare, indicating the potential to reduce carbon input necessary for effective ASD. A follow-up, two seasons, open-field trial conducted over two growing seasons at the Hampton Roads AREC focused on understanding the effects of ASD on weed density and strawberry fruit yield and fruit quality in annual hill strawberry production. The treatments included ASD at standard or half carbon dose rates, with or without yeast. Fumigation (80% chloropicrin + 20% 1,3-dichloropropene) and non-treated plots were used as control groups. Weed suppression with ASD was consistent for most of the broadleaf weed species, and total weed counts were significantly reduced compared to non-treated controls. Yield from ASD with yeast was higher than ASD without yeast and non-treated control in one growing season, while the increase in yield did not occur in another growing season. Yeast may have potentially enhanced the yield effects of ASD but lacked consistency. Yeast may have the potential to enhance ASD effectiveness.
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    Flavor and Quality Characteristics of Two Primocane-bearing Blackberry Cultivars as Impacted by Foliar and Shade Application
    Xu, Tianyou (Virginia Tech, 2023-07-28)
    Blackberry (Rubus spp.) is a popular fruit due to its delightful taste and notable health benefits. With a growing demand for regional blackberry production, this study aims to provide Virginia blackberry growers with information on the effectiveness of pre-harvest foliar treatments and shade application on yield, white drupelet disorder, post-harvest attributes, and the aroma profile of two blackberry cultivars, Prime-Ark® Traveler and Prime-Ark® Freedom. The field study was repeated in the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Virginia Beach, VA, in a completely randomized design. Grower standard control (GSC), shade cloth with 30% light reduction (SHA), calcium (CAL), and salicylic acid (SAL) foliar applications were randomly assigned to each variety. Fruit yield and physicochemical attributes of the blackberry were collected and analyzed, and aroma-active compounds in blackberries were identified by use of headspace-solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfaction (HS-SPME-GC-MS-O). Shade cloth significantly reduced the white drupelet disorder (WDD) in Prime-Ark® Freedom but it also reduced the total soluble solid content (°Bx) and °Bx/% titratable acidity (a ratio indicates the sweet and sour balance for fruit) for both cultivars. No significant improvement was found in the TSS, TA, firmness and yield of blackberries treated with CAL and SAL. In total, 16 consistent aroma-active compounds were found across treatments for both varieties and growing seasons. Foliar and shade application did not alter the aroma profile of either blackberry cultivar. However, higher volatile contents were found in 2021 than in 2022, possibly due to climate variation. A clear distinction on aroma profiles of the above two cultivars were also observed: PrimeArk® Freedom was higher in compounds possessing "fruity" and "floral" notes, while PrimeArk® Traveler featured more "green" and "fresh" characteristics. Regional berry growers should be more conservative when adopting foliar and shade applications due to potential seasonal variations surpassing the significance of agronomic treatments.