WT researchers receive grant to investigate new ways of growing strawberries

CANYON, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — West Texas A&M University researchers are studying new ways of growing strawberries across Texas and the south-central United States after winning a federal grant.

Officials said the WT team, led by Dr. Nathan Howell, WT's Bell Professor of Engineering, won a $37,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Research Initiative.

According to WT, strawberries have traditionally been grown in a shorter season in Texas, where temperatures don't generally rise above 80 degrees Fahrenheit or below freezing.

"Texas-based strawberry farmers can't grow their business predominately due to our climate," Howell said. "To increase their production capacity and begin to earn profits, farmers can either grow on more land or grow for longer periods of time."

Howell said almost all strawberries are grown in California and Florida, where temperatures remain moderate throughout the year.

WT officials state that Howell's team will gather information from several events over the next year to determine the farmers' needs, learn about any barriers, and interrogate the farmers' attitudes about producing strawberries in controlled environmental settings.

Howell said the research could potentially find ways to grow strawberries using far less water than traditionally used.

WT officials said the team will seek funding for a larger grant following the year-long study that could explore ways to encourage Texas farmers to use new methods to grow strawberries.

Officials state that the WT team has also worked with researchers from Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Lubbock and Dallas and researchers from Texas Tech University and Mississippi State University.