Research is focused on variety development, quality evaluation, and disease, insect, and weed management. Soybean ranks second in the state in overall sales value of crops. This very important agricultural commodity is grown on about 500,000 acres in Virginia. Therefore, the soybean research program has been greatly expanded by our Soybean Specialist. The soybean variety-testing program has undergone significant expansion and the numbers of research tests have increased at the center and throughout the state.
Work continues at the center with melons and sweet corn.
While the majority of research work with vegetables will remain at the Eastern Shore AREC vegetable work is conducted at this center due to the close proximity to the Farmers Market that opened in Southampton County in 1998. There are a number of small vegetable farms with producers developing niche enterprises. Soils at the Tidewater AREC are sandy loams that are ideal for peanut production and adequate for other crops. Yields of the principal row crops grown at the Tidewater AREC are typical for the Tidewater Region of Virginia, although to the north of this region on the Pamunkey soils much higher yields are attainable. Weather Trends Weather data for 2000 are shown in Table 3.