Fayetteville, Arkansas
May 21, 2008
An integrated management approach
to organic horticulture requires a new way of looking at fruit
and vegetable production, according to scientists at the
University of Arkansas
System's Division of Agriculture.
"It's a very holistic system that I like to call 'horticulture
homeopathy'," said Curt Rom, professor of horticulture.
Extension horticulturalist Elena Garcia led two two-day
workshops for county extension agents in May to share what she,
Rom and other scientists have learned from comprehensive
research programs at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment
Station, USDA and land grant university systems in other states.
The training sessions are part of the Arkansas research and
extension program designed to move new science-based information
directly to organic fruit and vegetable producers.
Rom leads a research team in two projects with USDA funding
through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE) Southern Region. "Best Management Practices for Organic
Orchards" seeks to develop effective management of soil quality
and pest control that not only stay within USDA guidelines for
organic production, but also are based on long-range goals for
sustaining profitable agricultural production.
A second project, "Off-Season Organic Berry Production using
High Tunnels," is a collaborative project with the University of
Georgia. Growing berries under the shelter of translucent fabric
tunnels protects them from cooler temperatures and harsh weather
in order to begin the production season earlier and extend it
later. Arkansas researchers are working with blackberries and
raspberries; Georgia scientists are working with blueberries.
Garcia leads a Southern SARE-funded training program, "Building
Organic Horticulture Extension Training Capacity in the
Southeast," in cooperation with U of A Pine Bluff and land grant
universities in South Carolina, North Carolina and Alabama. She
said the research and extension programs work hand-in-hand.
"It's an integrated organic program to develop new science and
technology and get that information to growers as it develops,"
Rom said.
Rom and Garcia said they have come to view the organic system
holistically in the sense that everything is connected and soil
quality is the crux.
"You can't just look at how much nitrogen is needed to maximize
yield," Garcia said. "You have to look at how that added
nitrogen will affect disease or pest control."
Rom said the system requires planning farther in advance than
traditional agricultural systems.
"This is not just problem management," Rom said. "It's problem
avoidance. We're looking at how to make decisions now that
prevent soil fertility or pest control problems from occurring
later on. Management practices have to be scheduled ahead for
multiple years in order to sustain soil and avoid pests or
diseases."
Rom said such an integrated approach requires the integration of
many disciplines. The horticulture scientists include Rom,
Garcia and research technicians Heather Friedrich and Jason
McAfee. Collaborators in the Division of Agriculture include
entomologist Donn Johnson, agricultural economist Jennie Popp,
soil scientist Mary Savin and plant pathologist Terry
Kirkpatrick. |
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