AgNet DEMO

Category: Organic

  • UGA researcher to study potential use of essential oils in organic blueberry production

    There is currently little to no science-based information on the efficacy and safety of most essential oils in pest management of fruit crops like blueberries, so a multistate team is working together to learn more.

    By Josh Paine for UGA CAES News

    Organic fruit and vegetable growers want to meet the recent uptick in national consumer demand, but they need additional tools to battle pests and diseases that often accompany organic crop growth.

    One such tool may be the use of essential oils. That’s why the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded a nearly $2 million grant to a team of scientists for an Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative project to study the degree to which essential oils can help suppress certain pathogens and pests.

    Jonathan Oliver, assistant professor in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the UGA Tifton campus, is part of the team of 15 scientists who will work on this project nationwide. Researchers from the University of Florida, Clemson University, the University of California, Riverside, the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and the USDA Agricultural Research Service will collaborate on the project.

    In his role as a small fruit pathologist in the Department of Plant Pathology, Oliver will investigate the use of essential oils in organic blueberry production, the state’s top fruit crop.

    “Blueberries are the highest value fruit crop in Georgia, and organic blueberry production represents a growing proportion of our total acreage,” said Oliver. “Nonetheless, organic production of blueberries in Georgia faces many challenges, because our hot, humid climate is ideal for many disease issues including fruit rots and leaf spots. Our growers need better tools to help them manage these disease problems.”

    Funding for the four-year research program will support scientists with expertise in fruit crop management and physiology, plant pathology, entomology, postharvest biology and organic production.

    To carry out the project, scientists will:

    • Evaluate the plant safety and horticultural impact of essential oils in managing diseases in fruits including blueberries, peaches, mangos and avocados.
    • Begin to test plant disease efficacy claims of essential oil products marketed for organic producers.
    • Evaluate organically certified plant essential oils on targeted pathogens such as algal stem blotch, brown rot, scabs, gray mold and powdery mildew.
    • Determine the efficiency of essential oils on fruit shelf life through postharvest testing.
    • Test the efficacy of essential oils against insects including scales, thrips and mites, although arthropod pests are not the primary focus of this research.

    After they gather their new data, participating scientists will communicate the results of their research to organic fruit farmers and those who grow conventional crops, so that those producers can rapidly adopt any new practices. Scientists will also evaluate the effectiveness of the project through continuous feedback from stakeholders.

    “Through this research project, we hope to provide Georgia growers with the information they need to make decisions regarding the use of essential oils as a part of their organic fruit disease management program,” said Oliver. “Since Georgia is the largest producer of blueberries in the Southeastern U.S. and one of the top producers in the nation, providing Georgia growers with information and tools for safe and effective organic disease management has the potential to have a broad impact in Georgia and on the Southeastern organic blueberry production industry as a whole.”

    Organic food sales topped $50 billion in the U.S. in 2018. Statistics from the Organic Trade Association tell part of the story of this growing market: fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops combined to make up 36.3% of total organic sales, up 5.6% from the previous year.

    For more information from UGA about blueberry production, see site.caes.uga.edu/blueberry.

    Part of this article was adapted from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).

  • Building Better Soil

    A cover crop mix of sorghum and sunn hemp produces positive results for Honeyside Farms.

    By Tiffany Bailey and Ida Vandamme

    It was about 18 months ago when we began planning our first crop to be planted on our newly certified organic field at Honeyside Farms in Parrish, Florida. The field was previously used for pastureland. It was easy to see that we would be starting from a soil structure that is common in our area: very sandy with low amounts of existing organic matter. We quickly learned that building these soils would need to become a priority.

    It can be common for issues to surface during the first few months of converting from perennial pastureland to vegetable production, and that is exactly what we experienced. Our first major problem was due to the microbe populations living in the soil. We were tilling the land for the first time in possibly decades, and we believe that practice turned the existing microbial ecosystem on its head.

    Without the introduction of good bacteria and fungi suited for vegetable farming, our organic crops were especially vulnerable to disease pathogens coming from infected seeds, neighboring farms and even on our equipment and shoes. It was a huge challenge! But, over time, we began to build up the proper microbe population for our farm. Planting cover crops proved to be an important part of building healthy soil.

    COVER CROPS OFFER BIG BENEFITS

    Cover crops are a very helpful tool in aiding and maintaining this transition. Unlike perennial pastureland, cover crops for vegetable farming are annual, covering the ground for a few months at a time (very convenient for your off season when it’s not practical to grow your main crop). Cover crops grow very fast, covering and protecting the soil from erosion.

    Root mass grows down, infiltrating, breaking up compaction, improving structure and excreting exudates that condition the soil and attract good bacteria. Above ground, leaf matter adds literally tons of biomass that contributes to organic matter when broken down and attracts all kinds of beneficial insects and wildlife. There are so many more benefits to cover crops; these are just the main ones.

    COVER CROP OPTIONS

    Honeyside Farms has grown sorghum-sudangrass, sunn hemp, buckwheat and cowpeas for cover crops. As an organic farm, we preferably use organic seed. However, organic cover crop seed is not always widely available. Most certifying agencies will make exceptions when certified organic seed is not available.

    Sunn hemp is probably our favorite cover crop. According to a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education publication, sunn hemp can produce 5,000 pounds of dry matter per acre and 120 pounds of nitrogen per acre. That’s enough slowly available nitrogen to feed some crops from start to finish without needing to add any extra nitrogen.

    Sorghum is also very beneficial. The sorghum-sundangrass hybrid is more productive in biomass and leaf matter, which is more beneficial as a cover crop than grain sorghum. Sorghum-sudangrass has been recorded to produce up to 18,000 pounds of dry matter per acre. The roots are perfect for scavenging any leached nutrients from the previous crop and putting them within reach of the next crop, thus minimizing pollution and making effective use of nutrition. Sorghum is also known to suppress diseases and nematodes by breaking up their life cycle and producing compounds toxic to them.

    Cowpea is a legume. As a climber, it can be a nice addition to any tall cover crop mix like sunn hemp and sorghum. We have seen that cowpeas and buckwheat can provide significant sources of nectar and food for beneficial insects that we want to attract to the farm. Buckwheat acts as a great short-term cover and easily breaks down. It’s perfect for the 40- to 50-day gap between crops when other covers would take too long.

    COVER CROP MANAGEMENT

    When planting, it’s important to broadcast the proper amount of seed per acre. If the seed is planted too thin, one can miss out on biomass production. But there is no need to waste seed and money planting too thick. Before applying any fertilizer to the cover crops, we take samples and follow what the soil report recommends at planting.

    The best time to knock down the cover crop is when the biomass is optimized, but before the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio gets too high and before seed set to prevent weeds. We allow a few weeks to let the cover crop break down enough so that it is not tying up nitrogen that should be available for our main crop. Sometimes before planting a cover crop, we can tell that this timing will not match when we need the field ready to grow a crop. But we find it better to still plant cover crops and gain some of the benefits rather than let the land sit bare and gain nothing or possibly even lose valuable soil due to erosion. Allow a few weeks to let the cover crop break down enough that it is not tying up nitrogen that should be for your main crop.

    Most challenges come from what is limited by resources, time and practicality. Nothing will be gained if no time is taken to plan for cover crop management. But with proper intention and planning, planting cover crops will provide long-term benefits for many seasons to come.

  • United Fresh Releases Fresh Facts on Retail Report

    A new report covers the increasing popularity of e-commerce and the unprecedented rise of in-home consumption triggered by COVID-19, including the continued growth of fresh fruit and vegetable sales.

    Pictured is the strawberry cultivar, Keepsake.

    United Fresh Produce Association released its Q2 2020 issue of FreshFacts on Retail this week. The report measures retail price and sales trends for the top 10 fruit and vegetable commodities and other value-added produce categories. The report says growth continues in fruit and vegetables as sales surge across categories driven by consumers seeking versatile cooking and salad staples for home meal preparation, and healthy home snack options.

    Meanwhile, packaged salads are a top-selling organic produce commodity, followed by apples and strawberries. Consumer response to value-added fruit remains muted, while value-added vegetable sales grew. Products typically consumed in group settings declined, while products that are more challenging for consumers to handle and prepare at home drove consumer interest.

    (From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)

  • Shallow Subsurface Drip Irrigation for Organic Growers

    Figure 1. Shallow subsurface drip irrigation is laid with a drip tape layer to a depth of 4 to 5 inches in organically grown lettuce.

    By Tim Coolong

    Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) has been around for many years in a variety of different iterations. Most typically, SDI refers to a permanent drip system installed fairly deep (18 inches) and is used for irrigating agronomic crops such as corn or cotton.

    In many cases, vegetable crops are too shallowly rooted for a traditional SDI system, but some processing tomatoes are grown using SDI. However, a shallow SDI system, where drip tubing is buried at a depth of 4 to 6 inches (Figure 1), may be a tool that both conventional and organic vegetable growers can use.

    ADVANTAGES

    For organic growers, the ability to use shallow SDI offers two main advantages. The first is that crops can still be shallowly cultivated during the season without worrying about cutting drip tape. Second, having drip irrigation buried can allow for wetting of the root zone without excessive wetting of the soil surface. During dry seasons, this can reduce weed pressure (Figure 2).

    Figure 2. Acorn squash is grown with shallow subsurface drip irrigation (left) and surface drip (right). While this crop was grown conventionally with herbicide, notice the lack of grass weeds in the shallow subsurface drip irrigation plot compared to the surface drip. Earlier in the season, when this picture was taken, the surface drip-grown plants were slightly larger, but that difference subsided later in the season.

    Studies have also reported an increase in rooting depth and fertilizer use efficiency with shallow SDI. Many companies make drip tubing layers. University of Georgia (UGA) research has even used bed shapers/plastic layers to form beds and lay buried drip tube without using plastic mulch. In studies conducted with shallow SDI during a single season, no difference was seen in flow rate or clogging due to roots growing into the emitters. To keep costs low, 10-mil thick drip tubing was used since researchers only planned to use it for a single season. More permanent SDI systems use much thicker walled tubing.

    LIMITATIONS

    While shallow SDI can be a good tool for helping organic growers reduce weed pressure and improve cultivation, there are some potential limitations. UGA studies found that when comparing shallow SDI to surface drip, transplants with smaller (i.e., shallower) root balls initially grew quicker when planted into surface drip plots — particularly when weather conditions were dry and hot — promoting stress.

    Many of the studies were conducted on loamy soils. It is likely that the lack of capillary movement of moisture on sandy soils may limit the use of shallow SDI in those situations. Further, the shallow SDI system did not wet the surface adequately to germinate seeded crops.

    Lastly, although leaks were not common, rodents did chew into the buried drip tubing on occasion. Nonetheless, based on experience working with shallow SDI, it is a useful tool for organic vegetable farms.

    More details on the role of shallow SDI on weed management can be found online (see www.intechopen.com/books/weed-and-pest-control-conventional-and-new-challenges/using-irrigation-to-manage-weeds-a-focus-on-drip-irrigation) in “Using irrigation to manage weeds: A focus on drip irrigation.”

  • Funding Available to Help with Organic Certification

    COLUMBIA – South Carolina farmers and food processors who want to pursue organic certification may qualify for reimbursement through a grant administered by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. 

    Weathers

    “Organic certification can help agribusinesses find new customers and expand to new markets, and we’re happy to be able to help,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers.  

    The Organic Certification Cost Share Program will reimburse producers and handlers of agricultural products up to 50% of the operation’s total allowable certification costs, up to a maximum of $500 per certification scope: crops, livestock, wild crops, and handling (i.e., processing). The deadline to apply for reimbursement for the current fiscal year is Dec. 18, 2020. 

    “This program is a big help in offsetting the expenses of becoming a USDA certified organic producer and the yearly inspections required to maintain the organic certification,” said organic beef farmer Leland Gibson of Gibson Organic Farms. “I try to encourage many farmers to get their farms transitioned into organic production, and one common response is that farmers hesitate to get organic certification because of the cost. My response is to mention the Organic Cost Share program.” 

    SCDA also has three other cost share reimbursement programs available as projects of the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, including one that offsets the cost of installing an affordable Cool Bot cold storage unit; and two that support businesses through the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Audit process. 

    To apply for reimbursement programs through SCDA, visit agriculture.sc.gov/grants. 

  • Integrating Biological Controls for Root-Knot Nematodes, Weeds in Organic Farming

    University of Georgia CAES picture/Swelling (galls) produced by the root-knot nematode on the roots of okra grown on an organic farm in Georgia.

    By Maria M. Lameiras for CAES News

    While weeds and plant parasites are a concern for all agricultural producers, organic farmers are doubly challenged to combat these problems without chemical solutions. Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a University of Georgia researcher is working to discover and integrate biological products and cover crops to control nematodes and weeds in organic vegetable production.

    Since joining the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 2017, assistant professor of plant pathology and UGA Cooperative Extension nematologist Abolfazl Hajihassani’s lab has surveyed more than 400 vegetable fields in 29 Georgia counties for plant-parasitic nematodes and found 10 genera of nematodes. Hajihassani’s group found that root-knot nematode is the most prevalent based on distribution, soil population density and incidence, which is why he has focused his research on this particular pest.

    “In certified organic production or on farms transitioning to organic, growers are not allowed to use chemicals. Producers have to use non-chemical procedures, which means that their management approach is very limited,” said Hajihassani, project director for the grant. “In this project we are trying to integrate a couple of techniques that we know have some efficacy as a single technique against nematodes and weeds to see if combining these strategies will result in the best management of nematodes and weeds and a higher crop yield than the growers’ standard practices.”

    The three-year, $500,000 grant is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Organic Transitions Program (ORG), which is designed to improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers, as well as those who are adopting organic practices.

    Root-knot nematodes can enter a plant’s roots and move through its cells, where they grow, produce eggs and cause the roots to swell. This reduces the plant’s growth and yield potential in a relatively short timeframe and can lead to severe yield losses for organic farmers. South Georgia’s sandy soils allow root-knot nematodes to reproduce frequently because they can move easily through the soil’s loose texture and infect almost all vegetable crops. If the nematodes can’t be controlled in organic production systems, the producer may have to abandon the field and move operations to an uninfected area.

    As part of the study, the team will cooperate with Raffi Aroian, a professor of molecular medicine at University of Massachusetts Medical School to identify native strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crystal proteins, which have nematicidal tendencies against root-knot nematodes.

    “The lab we are working with at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has been working on Bt strains for years, but they have never used these strains against plant-parasitic nematodes. They are going to give us some strains that have had efficacy against nonparasitic nematodes and we will screen those strains in the lab and greenhouse to find out the most effective for root-knot nematode control,” Hajihassani said.

    In addition to the Bt strains, the team will research the use of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) — nematodes that can kill other nematodes — and their bacterial metabolites to try to control root-knot nematodes.

    “There are two known species of entomopathogenic nematodes that produce bacterial metabolites and we are trying to find out which one of those species or their metabolites have nematicidal efficacy against the root-knot nematode,” Hajihassani said.

    Because weed control is another concern for organic production and farmers cannot use chemical herbicides, the team will test several cultivars of summer and winter cover crops in the field for the greatest nematode- and weed-suppressive qualities.

    “We know which species and cultivars of winter and summer crops have suppressive effects against different common species of root-knot nematodes, in particular the southern and peanut root-knot nematodes. In field conditions, we need to find out the optimum timing for cover crop termination in our environments to get maximum suppression of weeds and nematodes,” he said. “Understanding the role of all these factors will help us integrate the best practices of cover cropping with the most effective bacterial or microbial combinations and commercial biological products for the control of nematodes and weeds in organic vegetable production systems.”

    UGA researchers who are co-project directors on the grant are Ganpati Jagdale, UGA Extension nematologist; Timothy Grey, crop and soil sciences professor and UGA Extension weed specialist; Juan Carlos Diaz-Perez, horticulture professor; and Gregory Colson, agricultural and applied economics associate professor. David Shapiro-Ilan of the USDA Agricultural Research Service is also a co-project director on the grant.

    For more information on research being performed by the Hajihassani Nematology Research Group, visit site.caes.uga.edu/nema.

  • Ampersand® Adjuvant Can Reduce Organic Herbicide Use Rates by Half Without Sacrificing Performance

    BOCA RATON, Fla. /PRNewswire/ — Attune Agriculture, the leader in combining agriculture and food science to create products using hydrocolloid technology, announced that its OMRI listed adjuvant, Ampersand®, can reduce the use rate of organic herbicides by 50%, while maintaining the same level of performance as high use rates.

    Ampersand is a unique adjuvant formulated with hydrocolloids that provides superior deposition, adhesion, evaporation control and wash off resistance.  The result is less drift, more spray to the plant, more product on the plant and more active ingredient in the plant.

    Trials with three leading organic herbicides demonstrated that the addition of Ampersand is able to significantly boost the performance of costly active ingredients. Comparison plots were sprayed with tank mixes containing Suppress® at 6% alone and again with a significantly reduced rate of Suppress at 3% plus Ampersand. Both plots showed comparable results in weed control. Trials performed with Homeplate® had remarkable results as well. Homeplate at a high use rate (@ 6%) compared to a low use rate (@ 3%) with the addition of Ampersand had the same level of control. In both trials, Ampersand was able to increase the level of performance of the 3% use rate to match the level of control at the 6% use rate.

    Though very different in composition than Suppress and Homeplate, Ampersand’s performance with Weed Slayer® was strong as well.  Ampersand with a low use rate of Weed Slayer (@ 1%) showed the same performance as Weed Slayer at a high use rate (@ 2%).

    Across the board, the addition of Ampersand allows an organic herbicide use rate reduction of 50%, and can reduce the overall treatment cost by 40% per acre.

    “Ampersand allows organic herbicide usage at the lowest labeled rate while achieving performance and cost savings,” says Ed Quattlebaum, Ph.D, Director of Product Development at Attune Agriculture. “Organic growers have limited options, all of which are costly. The addition of Ampersand to these herbicide spray programs just makes economical sense.”  

    Ampersand is registered for use in all 50 states. 

    About Attune Agriculture, Inc. Born from over 100 years of hydrocolloid expertise, Attune Agriculture combines deep roots in food science and agriculture to create products dedicated to providing the world with agricultural tools that are both performance-based and safe for the environment and the people who use them. For more information, please visit www.attuneag.com.

  • New NIFA-Funded Research to Examine Cover Crops in Organic Vegetable Production Systems

    Maltais-Landry

    By: Kirsten Romaguera, 352-294-3313, kromaguera@ufl.edu

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture just announced funding for a project comprising an interdisciplinary team from the University of Florida. The three-year project, “Quantifying the nitrogen cycling benefits of different cover crops across different Florida organic vegetable production systems,” received a $496,271 grant as part of USDA-NIFA’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative.

    Principal investigator Gabriel Maltais-Landry, an assistant professor in the UF/IFAS soil and water sciences department, tells us more about the project and what it hopes to accomplish.

    What is the Idea Behind This Project?

    One of the key practices used in sustainable agriculture is the use of cover crops that replace bare fallow periods when no crops would typically be grown. The objectives vary: originally meant to reduce soil erosion, cover crops are now also used to control weeds and other pests in addition to providing nutrient cycling benefits, which is my main interest.

    Explain More About Nutrient Cycling

    Crops depend on essential nutrients to grow; one of these is nitrogen. In organic systems, it can be difficult to supply enough nitrogen to crops in an economically viable way because synthetic fertilizers are prohibited. Oftentimes, legume cover crops can help, as they fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. If we can retain that nitrogen within a system and transfer it to a cash crop, that could reduce the need for inputs, whether that’s fertilizers, amendments, etc., and their associated costs.

    Nitrogen can also affect natural ecosystems, as excessive nitrogen can have adverse environmental consequences on our springs and other aquatic systems.

    Describe the Study Design

    This project is specifically focused on vegetables, which we grow here in Florida in the fall, winter and spring. Our cover crops, then, grow during the hottest and wettest part of the year, which is different from most other U.S. systems when cover crops are grown during cooler months.

    We’re going to use three cash crops for this study, which are representative of important vegetable types grown in the state: bok choy is a Brassicaceae or cole crop; cucumber is cucurbit; and bell pepper is a Solanaceae. They also have different nitrogen demands and different growth forms. The plantings will all be done at a certified organic field [at the UF/IFAS Plant Science Research and Education Unit] in Citra.

    Sunn hemp, a legume, will be our main cover crop, which is an interesting one because farmers like to use it for its nematicide properties – it reduces nematodes in the soil. Grasses are another common type of cover crop, but grasses don’t break down as quickly as legumes and some are even known to tie up nitrogen during their slow decomposition. So, we’ll be looking at Sunn hemp grown alone or in combination with other cover crops to see if mixtures could extend the duration of nitrogen release during cover crop decomposition. We’ll be looking into how much of that nitrogen actually goes to the next crop.

    It’s not just about the nitrogen and cover crops, though. We’ll also compare nutrient management approaches: one that’s based on composted manure because that’s often what farmers rely on primarily, just for the sake of cost; as well as a more integrated approach that uses different fertility sources.

    Who is Joining You in This Research and What Are Their Roles?

    Chris Wilson (assistant professor of agronomy) will provide expertise in the quantification of nitrogen fixation and nitrogen transfer to subsequent crops. Microbes are an important driver of nitrogen cycling, so Sarah Strauss (assistant professor of soil microbiology at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee) is going to look at the microbial communities and how they affect nitrogen cycling. Zane Grabau (assistant professor of nematology) will measure the nematode communities, looking at their ecology beyond plant-parasitic nematodes. Xin Zhao (professor of horticultural sciences) is well-versed in organic systems and will evaluate the quality of the cash crops, including potential trade-offs between increasing yield and increasing the nutritive value of these food crops.

    Why is This Research Important?

    The overall goal of this project is to optimize the management of cover crops in these organic vegetable systems. We hope to provide fertility to the crop and to the soil, without oversupplying nitrogen, which can become an environmental hazard. We also want to be sure that by optimizing the system for nitrogen, we minimize negative trade-offs with other properties, whether that’s crop quality, nematode pressure or soil health.

  • As Organic Food Sales Soar, Growers Look to Essential Oils to Suppress Pests, Diseases

    UF photo/Multi-cropping at a Gainesville, FL organic garden.

    By: Brad Buck, 813-757-2224, bradbuck@ufl.edu, 352-875-2641 (cell)

    Organic food sales topped $50 billion in the United States in 2018. Statistics from the Organic Trade Association tell part of the story of this growing market: Fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops combined to make up 36.3% of total organic sales —  up 5.6% from the previous year.

    Naturally, farmers want to meet consumer demand. But they may need to use essential oils to battle pests and diseases that often accompany organic crop growth.

    That’s why the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded a nearly $2 million grant for a project led by Ali Sarkhosh, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of horticultural sciences at the main campus in Gainesville.

    Sarkhosh and a team of 14 other scientists from five universities and the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) will study the degree to which essential oils can help suppress certain pests and pathogens.

    Researchers from the University of Florida, Clemson University, the University of Georgia, the University of California-Riverside, the University of Hawaii at Manoa  and the USDA-ARS will collaborate on the project.

    “Due to long periods of warm temperatures and high humidity that are characteristic of Florida, Hawaii, Southern California, Georgia, South Carolina and other parts of the southeastern United States, diseases are common,” Sarkhosh said. “Therefore, organic production of fruit crops in these regions is difficult because diseases cannot effectively be controlled without synthetic pesticides. This project will evaluate the plant safety and horticultural impact of essential oils (EOs) for disease management and will begin to test plant disease efficacy claims of EO products currently marketed for organic producers.”

    Funding for the four-year research program will support scientists with expertise in fruit crop management and physiology, plant pathology, entomology, postharvest biology and organic production.

    In the project, scientists will:

    • Evaluate the plant safety and horticultural impact of essential oils in managing diseases in fruits including blueberries, peaches, mangos and avocados.
    • Begin to test plant disease efficacy claims of essential oil products marketed for organic producers.
    • Evaluate organically certified plant essential oils on targeted pathogens such algal stem blotch, anthracnose, brown rot, scabs, gray mold and powdery mildew.
    • Determine the efficiency of essential oils on fruit shelf life through postharvest testing.
    • While arthropod pests are not the primary focus of this research, researchers also will test the efficacy of essential oils against insects including scales, thrips and mites.

    Included among the 15 scientists who will work on the project nationwide are nine UF/IFAS researchers. They’re based at the UF/IFAS campus in Gainesville and Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) in Homestead:

    • Jeffrey Brecht, professor of horticultural sciences.
    • Philip Harmon, professor of plant pathology.
    • Danielle Treadwell, associate professor of horticultural sciences.
    • Jeffrey Williamson, professor of horticultural sciences.
    • Daniel Carrillo, assistant professor of entomology (TREC).
    • Jonathan Crane, professor of horticultural sciences (TREC).
    • Romina Gazis, assistant professor of plant pathology (TREC).
    • Bruce Schaffer, professor of horticultural sciences (TREC).

    Among other duties, Crane will bring data from the research to the tropical fruit industry.

    “This research is important because there is little to no science-based information on the efficacy and safety of most essential oils in pest management of fruit crops, including mango and avocado,” Crane said. “Only armed with sound data we can make recommendations to commercial producers on their use and crop safety.”

    After they gather their new data, scientists will communicate results of their research to those who grow organic fruit as well as those who grow conventional crops so those producers can rapidly adopt the practices. Scientists will also evaluate the effectiveness of the project through continuous feedback from stakeholders.

    “Organic fruit growers in the United States are often hesitant to embrace organic practices due to the shortage of tools for disease management,” Sarkhosh said. “The long-term goal of this project is to provide U.S. organic fruit growers with safe, organically certified compounds for disease management, and consequently improve their confidence in plant-based fungicide, bactericide and insecticide applications.”

  • Top 5 Lessons Learned From a Newly Certified Organic Grower

    Tiffany Bailey, owner of Honeyside Farms, with her brother and business partner, Paul Bispham Jr.

    By Tiffany Bailey

    At Honeyside Farms, we have been growing produce using organic practices for over 10 years. When we needed to move farm locations, we found a piece of farmland that could become certified organic. So, we decided to go for it. These are the top lessons we learned in our first year as a fully certified organic farm.

    1: RECORDS ARE YOUR FRIEND

    Before deciding to become certified organic, we spoke with many growers about the benefits and challenges of becoming certified. One of the constant negatives we heard about was intense recordkeeping. The recordkeeping has proven to be intense, but the information we have collected has been extremely valuable. We quickly discovered that we needed to plan recordkeeping into every day.

    We use a series of Excel spreadsheets on a computer to keep track of all our records. At the end of every day, our farm manager cools off in the air conditioning while updating all the spreadsheets with information from that day. This usually takes about 30 minutes. When the season is wrapping up, it has been well worth the time to sit down and analyze how the information we collected can be used to make future decisions.

    2: YOU CAN’T GROW EVERYTHING

    While it may seem obvious that different crops have different costs, it is important to evaluate the costs involved with everything from seeds to post-harvest and handling. Especially on a small scale, not all crops can bring in enough revenue to justify growing and handling them.

    This can be hard, especially when you have an item that is a customer favorite. But it is important to understand all the different types of costs so you can grow what makes sense financially. If you don’t make the money you need, you won’t be able to sell anything to your customers.

    3: NEW GROUND BRINGS NEW CHALLENGES

    If you are going to grow something on a new piece of ground, expect to deal with some new challenges. Sometimes there is just no way of knowing how something will grow until you have your first crop there. Consider growing a lower risk type of crop on the first go-around. This will give you an opportunity to assess things like drainage, nutrient retention and soil insects.

    On one of our new blocks, we discovered a heavy population of mole crickets that fed on our seedlings. It was an expensive discovery, but we did gain knowledge on how to approach new ground.

    4: CAREFULLY SOURCE YOUR LIQUID FERTILIZER

    These days, there are so many Organic Materials Review Institute products to choose from. Many liquid fertilizers have good numbers on the label but can come with some challenges related to clogging filters and drip tape. Make sure you know another grower who has used the product successfully before you commit to using it.

    You may not get everything you need in one liquid blend. You may have to apply certain nutrients through foliar applications or from a dry mix.

    5: THE WORK IS NEVER ALL DONE

    Organic farming is more work — period. You can’t just spray something and have 21 days of control. So, the field is always needing some sort of attention. And let’s not forget about the office work and recordkeeping that come along with complying with organic standards.

    It is important to make an actual list of your priorities. Manage your time well and try to create routines out of repetitive tasks so you can be as productive as possible. Make sure you are taking time to do important things instead of only doing what is urgent. Sometimes, you have to allow some little fires to burn, and that’s OK.