Researchers with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture have received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, administered through the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, to support three fruit crop research projects. The funding will support disease management, production system evaluations, and pest control strategies for strawberries, blackberries, and muscadine grapes.
One project focuses on developing management practices for Neopestalotiopsis, or NeoP, an emerging strawberry disease that reduced Arkansas yields by 10–20% in 2025, with some growers losing entire crops. Associate professor and extension specialist Aaron Cato said NeoP is a new, more aggressive species not previously described in strawberries. It damages leaves, fruit, and crowns and can kill plants before fruiting.
"There are a lot of growers doing well, but we want to keep it that way," Cato said. He and colleague Amanda McWhirt will develop integrated pest management strategies, including varietal resistance, cultural controls, and fungicide rotation, and share results with growers through field trials and extension programs.
Another project, led by horticulture associate professor Ryan Dickson, evaluates an annual blackberry production system using primocane varieties in containers and soilless substrates. Dickson said the system could extend harvest windows and reduce disease pressure from fusarium. The study will measure the effects of planting dates, cane tipping, and shade on yield and quality, with results presented at upcoming Arkansas grower events.
A third project, led by food science associate professor Renee Threlfall and McWhirt, aims to support the development of the state's fresh-market muscadine grape sector. The research includes pest management evaluations of 15 muscadine and hybrid varieties and collaboration with local growers to expand production.
"These efforts will expand fresh-market muscadine grape production in Arkansas and increase the availability of this healthy, native grape," Threlfall said.
Threlfall also co-directs a national breeding initiative to cross muscadine and Vitis vinifera grapes to develop new cultivars with thinner skins, seedlessness, and improved fresh-market quality.
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture awarded a total of US$336,560 for six projects across the state. Applications requesting more than US$1.79 million were submitted, with selections made based on measurable outcomes, feasibility, and alignment with specialty crop priorities, according to the department.
Source: Stuttgart Daily Leader
