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Research Tours

Dwarf trees, living mulch and "bug maps" are among the cutting-edge research projects that will be highlighted in guided tours of the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center during Penn State's Ag Progress Days.

The free 30-minute bus tours, which leave every 20 minutes throughout each day, will take visitors through Penn State's horticulture, plant pathology, agronomy and entomology research farms, as well as the USDA Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Laboratory research farm.

On the horticulture farm, visitors will see an experimental orchard where apple trees are growing on wires, trellises and poles. The Penn State Low Hedgerow Trellis System is part of an effort to grow smaller dwarf and semi-dwarf trees, which can reduce the need for large equipment, make labor more efficient and reduce the amount of pesticides needed to protect the crop.

Other horticulture plots include research on the use of clear plastic mulch in the production of sweet corn; on how plastic mulch and trickle irrigation affect the yield and quality of melons, peppers and tomatoes; and on ways to encourage beneficial fungi that can help plants utilize soil phosphorous while helping to protect their roots from pathogens.

On the plant pathology farm, the tour will feature studies aimed at helping growers eliminate, manage or reduce crop damage from diseases. Visitors will see an orchard containing 68 varieties of ornamental crabapple trees, which are part of a long-term study of apple diseases.

Penn State's Ag Progress Days features more than 500 acres of educational and commercial exhibits, tours and machinery demonstrations. It is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, with extended hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Admission and parking are free.