{"id":4846,"date":"2021-09-17T15:29:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T19:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/?p=4846"},"modified":"2024-05-17T11:57:21","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T15:57:21","slug":"aronia-cultivation-and-research-on-the-umes-research-and-education-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/connections\/aronia-cultivation-and-research-on-the-umes-research-and-education-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"Aronia cultivation and research on the UMES Research and Education Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UMES chemistry professor, Dr. Victoria Volkis<\/strong>, has conducted aronia research slightly over a decade in partnership with Dr. Andrew Ristvey, an extension specialist for commercial horticulture at Wye Research and Education Center<\/a> in Queenstown, Md.  Four years ago, they enlisted the help of extension specialists with UMES\u2019 Small Farm Program <\/a>to grow aronia on the UMES Research and Education Farm on Stewart Neck Road in Princess Anne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe planted some bushes with wider distances between rows so that it would be convenient for demonstrations to farmers and students and in anticipation of future machine harvesting,\u201d Volkis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volkis, as principal investigator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture\u2019s Research and Extension Experience for Undergraduates summer internship at UMES, uses the farm\u2019s aronia plot as a demonstration and study site for student projects.  Aronia from UMES plants are also used by Volkis\u2019 research group for antifouling research for a U.S. Navy project she leads as the Navy\u2019s Minority Serving Institution Distinguished Faculty Fellow (2021-24) and in developing aronia power drinks.  In collaboration with Dr. Simon Zebelo, an entomologist at UMES, Volkis is studying the use of aronia pulp for pest control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a recent trip to the farm, Volkis and students Keith Bratley, Teemer Barry and Riham Alhad along with UMES Extension<\/a> specialists, Henriette den Ouden (specialty herbs consultant) and Dr. Nadine Burton (alternative crop specialist) picked 53 pounds of berries.  Community members have stopped by the farm and picked approximately 30 pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe harvest from the berries at UMES definitely exceeded our expectations,\u201d den Ouden said.  \u201cAronia is easy to grow as it does well in a variety of soils and requires sun, but will tolerate partial sun.  Irrigation is recommended for dry periods and for first year plants.  Also, keep weeds away from young plants by using a ground cover or straw. It\u2019s a fun berry to grow in your backyard with the added advantage of pretty flowers in the spring as a member of the rose family.\u201d         <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For commercial growers, they suggest connecting with UMES\u2019 Small Farm Program before buying plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAronia is a native plant and native plants generally are used as a food source for a wide variety of insects and animals, so be aware that it is vulnerable,\u201d den Ouden said.  \u201cThere are organic and non-organic pesticides on the market to prevent most damage. If your environment has a deer problem, definitely start with fencing in your area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Reaping the benefits of your cultivation efforts is potentially challenging, she said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPrepare for labor intensive picking August through September. Harvesting machines are available, but can be cost prohibitive. Additionally, have your plan ready for the harvest. The berries taste slightly sour and astringent and can\u2019t be sold as easily as blueberries or cherries. Use the first limited harvest to create a product and marketing plan.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volkis, who was born in Russia before immigrating to Israel, makes wine from aronia berries with a recipe she inherited from her father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are many recipes with aronia as an ingredient, particularly wine,\u201d Volkis said.  \u201cMany farmers compete with each other for their recipe to be the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on educational and research activities at the UMES Research and Education Farm, contact Dr. Nadine Burton at nmburton@umes.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gail Stephens, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, gcstephens@umes.edu<\/a>, 410-621-3850.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Teemer Barry, a senior and NOAA Scholar, is
involved in Volkis’ research lab with aronia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Specialty Herbs Consultant Henriette den Ouden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Taking a break from harvesting aronia berries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A perspective of the size of aronia berries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UMES chemistry professor, Dr. Victoria Volkis, has conducted aronia research slightly over a decade in partnership with Dr. Andrew Ristvey, an extension specialist for commercial horticulture at Wye Research and Education Center in Queenstown, Md.  Four years ago, they enlisted the help of extension specialists with UMES\u2019 Small Farm Program to grow aronia on the UMES Research and Education Farm…Read more Aronia cultivation and research on the UMES Research and Education Farm<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","wds_primary_category":45,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,68],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-4846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-connections","category-september-2021-connections"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4846"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4846\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4846"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=4846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}