Adapting and Expanding High Tunnel Organic Vegetable Production for the Southeast Region

Pak choi grown organically in a high tunnel at the UF/IFAS Plant Science Research and Education Unit in Citra, FL
Pak choi grown organically in a high tunnel at the UF/IFAS Plant Science Research and Education Unit in Citra, FL
(PC: H. Gair)

Research Objectives

  1. Assess the efficacy of environmental control measures including shading, ventilation, and other cooling approaches on crop growth, yield, and quality of organically grown solanaceous vegetables and leafy greens under high tunnels

  2. Optimize planting time for high-tunnel produced tomatoes and leafy greens for early production and season extension and examine its impacts on nutrient availability in organically managed high tunnel systems

  3. Determine the influence of integrated nutrient management practices on nutrient dynamics and use efficiency and soil health in high tunnel organic vegetable production

  4. Monitor and characterize plant pathogens (e.g., stem blight and leaf mold) infecting high priority organic high tunnel crops, and integrate biological products and cultural practices into organic vegetable disease management for high tunnels

  5. Monitor population of arthropod pests and beneficials in high tunnel organic vegetable cropping systems

  6. Develop cultural and biological alternatives for managing whiteflies and aphids

  7. Analyze on-farm economic viability of high tunnel organic vegetable production and identify the factors influencing high tunnel adoption among organic growers

Outreach Objectives

  1. An expanded network of farmers, farmer organizations and stakeholders that can share and access information about high tunnel organic vegetable production

  2. Continuing farmer and stakeholder participation in research and extension about high tunnel organic vegetable production

  3. Increased understanding of farmer and stakeholder decision making

  4. Adoption of the management options generated by this research

This work is supported by Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative grant no. 2017-51300-26813 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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