University of Georgia faculty will share the latest research on cotton, soybeans, corn and other southeast Georgia crops during the annual Southeast Georgia Research and Education Center Field Day held online Aug. 12.

Research and Extension faculty will present current research conducted at the Midville facility to include agronomic, pest and disease management of row crops as well as plant breeding and variety trials.

“The Southeast Georgia Research and Education Center at Midville has always strived to provide Georgia farmers with sound and reliable agricultural research relevant to east Georgia soils and weather conditions,” said Midville Superintendent Anthony Black. “It has been an annual tradition to showcase this great research through our face-to-face field day. However, due to COVID-19, we will be offering the same program, only through virtual means.”

The 700-acre research center located in Burke County allows scientists from UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to conduct various research projects on many commodities, including wheat and small grains. UGA Cooperative Extension agents also assist with research trials in the area and disseminate timely updates to producers.

To register for the Midville Field Day or learn more, visit t.uga.edu/6b4. Registrants will receive an email containing a link to the field day presentations at a later date.

Presentation topics and faculty include:

Precision agriculture

• Implementation of variable rate irrigation models at Midville — Wesley Porter, associate professor and Extension precision agriculture specialist
• Planting speed and downforce effect on seed placement in cotton and peanuts — Simerjeet Virk, assistant professor and Extension precision agriculture specialist

Pests and diseases

• Cotton insect pest management — Phillip Roberts, Extension cotton entomologist
• Evaluating lesser cornstalk borer management tactics in southeast Georgia — Mark Abney, peanut entomologist
• Disease management for row crops — Bob Kemerait, plant pathology professor and Extension specialist

Cover crops and soil health

• Long term cover crop rotation — Peyton Sapp, Burke County Extension agent, and Pam Sapp, Jefferson County Extension agent
• Determining the relationship between cover crops and soil moisture — Jason Mallard, Screven County Extension agent
• Optimizing management practices to improve plant nutrition and soil health in cotton production systems in Georgia — Henry Sintim, assistant professor of soil fertility
• Impact of tillage practices on peanut in east Georgia — Scott Monfort, Extension peanut agronomist

Plant breeding

• Incorporating strong pest and disease resistances from wild species into elite peanut cultivars — David Bertioli, professor and Georgia Research Alliance and Georgia Seed Development distinguished investigator
• Large-scale corn hybrid trial — Corey Bryant, Extension grains agronomist
• Soybean breeding for drought tolerance — Zenglu Li, Georgia Seed Development professor in soybean breeding and genetics, and Ethan Menke, Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics doctoral candidate
• On-farm cotton variety trial, Midville with — Jason Mallard, Screven County Extension agent, and Pam Sapp, Jefferson County Extension agent

Crop management

• Cotton management systems trial — Steven Powell, Treutlen County Extension agent, and Savannah Tanner, Emanuel County Extension agent
• Evaluation of replanting strategies for cotton — R. Scott Tubbs, crop and soil sciences professor