Field-grown nursery crops include hundreds of species of woody ornamental (trees and shrubs) and fruit crops

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Tennessee State University $598,950 on January 15, 2026, under the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants program (CFDA 10.216) to develop best management practices for field-grown nursery crops.

The award funds research and extension activities to optimize micro-irrigation application rates and schedules for nursery crop production, identify optimal rates for organic soil amendments and fertilizers, evaluate the effects of irrigation and soil amendments on weed control practices, and establish an on-site demonstration and field day for industry stakeholder outreach. The project addresses nursery grower challenges including drought vulnerability of non-irrigated field crops and topsoil depletion during harvest of balled and burlapped stock, with deliverables designed for ready adoption by commercial nursery producers.

Performance occurs in Nashville, Tennessee, through January 14, 2029. The work builds partnerships with universities and stakeholders while strengthening research and extension programs at Tennessee State University, a historically black 1890 land-grant institution. The 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants program supports institutional teaching, research, and Extension capacity at eligible historically black land-grant universities through cooperative programs with federal and non-federal entities.

These crops provide products that are ultimately planted in commercial and residential landscapes and orchards providing numerous economic, environmental, and health benefits. Field-grown nursery crops require adequate nutrients and rainfall to maintain healthy growth and quality over the entire crop cycle, which can last several years. Most field-grown nursery crops are not irrigated, thus extreme weather events such as prolonged drought can have devastating effects and can lead to massive crop losses. Additionally, topsoil is permanently removed when harvesting balled and burlapped crops from nursery fields yet this organic matter is not being replenished. The overall goal of this project is to provide nursery growers with best management practices for utilizing micro-irrigation, organic soil amendments, and reduced fertilizer rates to produce higher quality crops. Specific objectives of this proposal are to 1) identify micro-irrigation application rates and schedules to optimize crop growth, 2) provide optimum application rates for organic soil amendments and for different fertilizers, 3) determine the effects irrigation and organic soil amendments have on weed control practices, and 4) develop an on-site nursery smart irrigation demonstration and field day for industry stakeholder outreach. This multidisciplinary project addresses program goals by building partnerships with universities and stakeholders, while strengthening research and extension programs at TSU through technologies and training. Knowledge gained from this project will generate irrigation and nutrient best management practices that can be readily adopted by commercial nursery producers.