Matthew Chappell

Matthew Chappell is a Professor and Director at the Virginia Tech Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center (TAREC), affiliated with the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. Previously, he held faculty positions as Assistant, Associate, and full Professor & Extension Specialist in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia, where he conducted research and extension work on ornamental nursery crops and plant breeding.

His research interests include Plant Breeding & Genetics, Specialty Crop Production Systems, Controlled Environment Agriculture, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and Inventory Management using sUAS platforms. His work emphasizes the development of superior plant varieties, optimization of production systems, and adoption of innovative technologies such as sensor-based irrigation and drone-assisted inventory.

The most recent publications reflect a strong trend in precision horticulture, focusing on automated irrigation systems, responses to saline irrigation, plant propagation protocols, and the integration of RFID and drone technologies for nursery inventory. These works span disciplines in agricultural engineering, plant physiology, and sustainable production.

Honors and awards include multiple recognitions from the American Society for Horticultural Science and the Southern Region for outstanding extension education materials, particularly in IPM and irrigation management. He also received the UGA Horticulture Professor of the Year award and Career Advocate Recognition from the UGA Career Center.

• 2015 Southern Region of the Am. Soc. for Horticultural Sci. Extension Communications Award
• 2015, 2017, 2018 ASHS Outstanding Education Materials Award
• 2017 Southern Region Blue Ribbon Extension Publication Award (twice)
• 2017-18 UGA Horticulture Professor of the Year
• 2019, 2020 UGA Career Center Career Advocate Recognition

Dr. Chappell has led and contributed to numerous extension programs, including the Southern Nursery IPM Working Group, and has advised students in plant propagation, breeding, and sustainable horticulture. His work is supported by collaborative grants and institutional funding focused on improving economic and environmental outcomes in specialty crop production. He has been instrumental in developing experiential learning workshops and mobile applications like IPMPro to enhance grower adoption of best practices.

He leads research and extension initiatives at TAREC, working with interdisciplinary teams to advance technologies in plant inventory, irrigation efficiency, and disease management. His lab integrates field trials, controlled environment studies, and digital agriculture tools to support the nursery and ornamental industry.