The New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas will host a chile field day Thursday, Aug. 28, at 1036 Miller Road.
Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. followed by a welcome at 8:30 a.m. Walk-in attendance is welcome, but to register online, visit https://rsvp.aces.nmsu.edu/loslunas.
“The chile field day is a celebration of New Mexican chile peppers and a showcase for the innovative research that’s underway at the Los Lunas Agricultural Science Center in support of this special crop,” said Stephanie Walker, Extension vegetable specialist. “Attendees to the event will learn about new production techniques being explored, the unique quality characteristics of different varieties and other timely chile pepper information.”
Presentations will include agrivoltaic production for chile and tomatoes by Marisa Thompson, Extension urban horticulture specialist; intercropping of chile and saffron by Saeid Zehtab, AES research director and associate professor; improving weed management in chile by Ram Singh, graduate student; an Inter-Regional Research Project Number 4 update on pest management research for chile production by Chanz Robbins, IR-4 program manager; chile mechanization research by Walker; an NMSU chile breeding program update by Dennis Lozada, assistant professor and chile breeder; New Mexico Landrace chiles by Charles Havlik, Extension tribal agriculture agent; and New Mexico green chile roasting by Danise Coon, research coordinator.
After the field day, researchers from the NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences are looking for 50 individuals to participate in a chile tasting research study. Participants will taste different varieties of New Mexico chile and help describe the flavor. The taste test will last two hours, and all materials will be provided.
If you are an individual with a disability who needs an auxiliary aid or service to participate, contact Walker in advance at 575-646-4398 or swalker@nmsu.edu.
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CUTLINE: The New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas will host a chile field day Thursday, Aug. 28. (NMSU photo by Derek Flodmand)