Commercial Horticulture

PRIORITIES FOR THE COMMERCIAL HORTICULTURE TIP TEAM

Compiled by Brian A. Kahn, Team Leader, and endorsed by a majority of the team. 11/29/05.

These priorities are not in order of importance.

1. Support for cultivar evaluation Rationale: Selection of adapted cultivars is the first step to successful crop production. It also is a cornerstone of integrated pest management. Adapted cultivars suffer less stress and thus are less susceptible to attack by pests. Oklahoma’s extremely variable climate is especially problematic to many horticultural crops. This also limits the value of trial data from other states. Vegetable cultivar development and availability are particularly dynamic because most crops are not perennial. Existing cultivars are dropped by seed companies every year, and continued evaluation is needed to assure the availability of current recommendations for proven cultivars. Cultivar evaluation has traditionally been supported largely through appropriated funds (e.g., Hatch). This support is dwindling, yet the need for the information is greater than ever now that Oklahoma producers are looking to horticultural crops as alternatives to traditional field crops.

2. Horticultural crops as part of rotation plans with agronomic crops Rationale: The Crop Management TIP team identified the need for integrated and intensive research and extension activities on crop rotations as a major theme. The Commercial Horticulture TIP team supports this effort and anticipates future cooperative projects. Horticultural crops will not work in every field crop rotation scheme. Irrigation must be available for almost any type of horticultural crop production, and some soil types that will produce a field crop are unsuitable for most short-term horticultural crops. However, horticultural crops offer pest management benefits in a rotation (most major field crops belong to just two families, the Poaceae and Fabaceae, while major vegetables alone come from at least 11 families in addition to these two). They also offer the potential of a high-value return on a portion of a producer’s land.

3. Support for E-Extension Rationale: While there is a need to develop further information in a number of areas, there also is a need to organize existing information and to make it more easily available to the public.

  1. Links to fact sheets on a wider array of horticultural crops. This would include those
for which OSU fact sheets are not available. b. Development of a crop production guide for new producers of horticultural crops. This would need to include information from Agricultural Economics. It was recommended that the “Should I Commercially Grow Fruits and Vegetables?” series be updated, and included in the crop production guide. c. Other key areas were identified where more information should be available, such as:
    1. Marketing horticultural crops and products. ii. Labor issues – procuring workers, regulatory compliance, mechanization.

Continued on next page

4. “Seed to market” production of high-value alternative horticultural crops Rationale: New crops and new-use agriculture present great opportunities to expand agricultural profitability in Oklahoma. The changing population demographics in Oklahoma (and indeed in the region) open up new opportunities for crops like cilantro and spice peppers. At the same time, a research thrust area is being developed in ambient temperature/low pressure extraction that will link to a company planning to locate in the Oklahoma Technology and Research Park. Teams can be assembled to integrate efforts from production, harvesting, postharvest handling, and processing. This priority objective also provides opportunities for competitive grant funding in areas such as nutraceuticals, biologically-based pesticides, and OCAST.

5. Sustainable and/or organic production of commercial horticultural crops Rationale: As energy costs continue to increase and pesticide registrations are lost, sustainability of agricultural production becomes even more of an issue. At the same time, interest in organic food production is growing. The USDA’s Economic Research Service noted that organic farming has been one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture since the 1990’s. A 2004 national consumer survey found that 43% of respondents bought organic produce “often”, and consumption is growing. Organic produce offers a high-value niche market that some Oklahoma producers may be well positioned to capture. Even small-scale or part-time farmers can potentially make a return with organic produce due to its high value and expanding customer base. Potential outlets include farmers markets, gourmet restaurants, local grocery stores, and international markets. The availability of certified organic research plots at WWAREC will expand opportunities for studies in this area.

Team Coordinator
Brian Kahn
355A Ag Hall
405-744-7585

Team Administrator
Dale Maronek
360 Ag Hall
405-744-5415