POPLARVILLE – Leisure gardeners and horticulture industry professionals can learn about new plant varieties, insect and disease control and the latest research findings during an Oct. 10 field day in Poplarville.

The 40th annual Ornamental Horticulture Field Day will be at the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station.

Experts from the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service will give research updates, introduce outstanding variety trial performers and present All-America Selections winners.

Other topics include sanitation practices for disease management in the nursery, termites around the home and garden, new crape myrtle cultivars and findings on endangered native plants. Participants will tour the trial gardens.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. in the main field building. Registration is $10 per person and includes lunch and refreshments. The program begins at 9:30 a.m. and concludes with door prizes at 2:10 p.m.

Individuals with a category III or category X commercial applicator’s certification expiring within 12 months after the field day can earn recertification credit by attending. To earn recertification credit, participants must bring their certification number.

For more information, contact Gene Blythe at 601-403-8774 or ekb59@msstate.edu. The South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station is one of five research stations managed by MSU’s Coastal Research and Extension Center. The station is located at 711 W. North Street, across from Pearl River Community College. For detailed directions, call 601-795-4525.