Virginia’s Land Grant Universities Conduct Critical Research for the Next Generation

In partnership with: Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Virginia’s land grant universities were established to research and address local challenges and disseminate that information to the public. Virginia Tech and Virginia State University are doing just that as they conduct critical research for the next generation of farmers and consumers with cost-saving and environment-protecting solutions.

Farming Bioplastics

At Virginia Tech, Zhiwu “Drew” Wang, Ph.D., associate professor and Extension specialist, conducts groundbreaking research to convert food waste into items people use every day. According to Wang, nearly 40% of food produced in the U.S. ends up in landfills. This results not only in greenhouse gas emissions but also carries an annual $165 billion in economic loss from the food, water, energy and chemicals spent in the food supply chain. Additionally, 65% of plastic also finds its way to landfills.

“In the landfill, food converts into greenhouse gas, and plastic left to break down over time becomes microplastics,” Wang says. “These plastics will occupy the landfills for hundreds of years, and the microplastics released along with landfill leachate will eventually harm the environment.”

Wang and a team of researchers at Virginia Tech are conducting a three-year pilot study on bioplastics made from food waste. To create bioplastic, researchers utilize microorganisms to convert food waste into biopolymers – organic polymers produced by living organisms made from biomolecules like carbohydrates, proteins and fats – which then get processed into bioplastics.

“I farm lots of bacteria to eat the food waste, and the bacteria grows lots of ‘fat,’ namely biopolymers,” Wang says. “Next, I open the bacteria cell walls, and they release their fat and then I process or refine that bacterial fat into bioplastics.”

The outcome of this innovative project will be a process that delivers economically feasible bioplastic products made from food waste.

See more: Virginia’s Top Agricultural Commodities

Aerial Agriculture

Vijay Singh, Ph.D., assistant professor of weed science at Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, puts aerial drones to work in the fields.

“Previously, aerial drones were used in agriculture only for mapping and classification of weeds and pests,” Singh says. “But recently, more use cases are being explored, such as pesticide and fertilizer applications and cover crop seeding.”

Currently, commercially available drones have a carrying capacity of up to 55 pounds.

“Skipping a preemergence or postemergence application of herbicides due to wet soil is very common, and later on, weeds become larger and difficult to control,” Singh says. “Aerial drones can be used even when soil is wet or in areas inaccessible by tractors.”

With research showing drone application had 30% greater efficacy over traditional methods like backpack spraying, this technology could lead to potential savings of $10 to $25 per acre.

Producers can even use the same drone for both spraying and seeding simply by swapping a liquid tank with a spreader. Singh sees a future for aerial drones where ground robots and a swarm of drones work in tandem to spray a field with real-time operations.

See more: Virginia Welcomes the Future of Food with Controlled Environment Agriculture Farms

Strawberry Shelf Life

At VSU, Associate Professor Toktam Taghavi, Ph.D., conducts research critical to both farmers and consumers developing pre- and postharvest practices to extend the shelf life of strawberries. One of the factors affecting strawberry shelf life is clean plant material.

Micropropagation is the process of mass-producing clean plant material that is genetically identical from a single parent plant using tissue culture techniques.

While the process has been around since the late 1900s, it is being used today to change how food is grown by making it easier to produce high-yielding, clean plant material.

“It is very exciting to see how the next generation uses the sophisticated tools they have to address the challenges that society faces.”

– Toktam Taghavi, Virginia State University

“The process creates plants that are disease- and pest-free, which are capable of producing higher yield,” Taghavi says. “A good quality tissue culture plant also provides good quality fruit. Therefore, high-yield and high-quality fruit improves the shelf life of strawberries and reduces fruit waste.”

The researchers hope to inspire the next generation while also making it easier for the farmers, thus benefitting the consumers.

“It is very exciting to see how the next generation uses the sophisticated tools they have to address the challenges that society faces,” Taghavi says.