The University of Kentucky Research and Education Center (UKREC) at Princeton, part of the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, has served Kentucky’s agricultural community for a century, supporting Kentucky’s fruit, vegetable and nursery crop growers through robust horticultural research and outreach programs.
The University of Kentucky Research and Education Center (UKREC) at Princeton, part of the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, has served Kentucky’s agricultural community for a century, supporting Kentucky’s fruit, vegetable and nursery crop growers through robust horticultural research and outreach programs.
The horticulture program at UKREC began in 1925 through the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, when superintendent Samuel Lowry planted an acre of tomatoes. Within the first few years, the station had planted more than 1,000 peach and apple trees, as well as plots of strawberries and raspberries, reflecting growers’ interests across Western Kentucky.
Lowry’s reports stated that research in the early decades emphasized variety trials, soil fertility, pruning, pest control and cultural practices tailored to regional conditions. In response to commercial and home plantings of apples, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries and bush fruits, UKREC positioned itself as a valuable source of tested recommendations and hands-on expertise.
Read more at: University of Kentucky
Strawberry research was an important part of the UKREC horticulture program for the first 50 years. Many staff and community neighbors were recruited to harvest the berries for data collection and to sell to regional markets. (Photo Credit: UKREC)
