ADAPTING AND EXPANDING HIGH TUNNEL ORGANIC VEGETABLE PRODUCTION FOR THE SOUTHEAST

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: TERMINATED
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1013077
• Grant No.: 2017-51300-26813
• Project No.: FLA-HOS-005634
• Proposal No.: 2017-02475
• Program Code: 113.A
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2017
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2022
• Grant Year: 2017

Project Director
Zhao, X.

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
G022 MCCARTY HALL
GAINESVILLE,FL 32611

Performing Department
Horticultural Sciences

Non Technical Summary
High tunnel production systems hold unique potential to address the challenges of organic vegetable production in the Southeast by providing an economical protected agriculture system that may help growers overcome many disease and pest problems and soil and water management issues that currently limit their chances of success, while promoting local food systems. This project builds upon a collaborative effort of the University of Florida, University of Georgia, Florida A&M University, and USDA-Agricultural Research Service. We address seven research and four outreach objectives in an integrated approach to address key needs for organic vegetable production in high tunnels. The long-term goal is to develop a strategic plan for research and extension in organic high tunnel vegetable production to address a more complete range of needs. We used interviews and surveys with organic vegetable growers using high tunnels to identify research needs and the key crops of interest. The biological research has four components: (1) environmental management for temperature and humidity, (2) crop management for season extension and multiple cropping, (3) soil and nutrient management, and (4) disease and pest management. The combined data will permit assessment of the interactions between these components of the high tunnel production system. Data from on-station and on-farm trials provide the basis for economic assessment of all biological research. We generate stakeholder involvement through an advisory panel of growers, non-profit organizations, Extension personnel, NRCS, and for-profit companies involved in high tunnel technology. Panel members assess the biological research, conduct on-farm trials, and participate in outreach activities. Extension activities include on-site field days, on-line educational materials that provide growers with the ability to observe field trials throughout the year, and traditional venues like workshops. We analyze additional data from surveys, on-farm trials, on-site field days, and users of on-line outreach materials to understand barriers to adoption of high tunnels and to the specific management practices that we examine. By building a strong partnership with organic producers and other stakeholders, this project will target long-term environmental and economic sustainability.

Animal Health Component

0%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

40%

Applied

40%

Developmental

20%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
205	1499	1060	40%
216	1499	1130	20%
216	1499	1160	20%
601	1499	3010	20%

Knowledge Area
601 - Economics of Agricultural Production and Farm Management; 205 - Plant Management Systems; 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1499 - Vegetables, general/other;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems); 1130 - Entomology and acarology; 1160 - Pathology; 3010 - Economics;

Keywords

cropping system

economics

high tunnel

organic vegetable production

pest and disease management

Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of the project is to develop sustainable high tunnel systems to promote the growth and expansion of organic vegetable production in the Southeast. This project will focus on the following 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 and dynamics in organically managed high tunnel systems; (3). Determine the influence of integrated nutrient management practices on nutrient use efficiency and soil quality in high tunnel organic vegetable production; (4). Monitor and characterize plant pathogens 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; and (7). Analyze on-farm economic viability of high tunnel organic vegetable production and identify the factors influencing high tunnel adoption among organic growers.

Project Methods
Our research process, outreach activities, and evaluation of project impacts depend on building a network of active partners and collaborators, starting with those who played a key role in determining the priorities for this project. Our systematic, integrated process for stakeholder involvement, assessment, and outreach is designed to achieve three objectives. First, we want to form and support an active, informed advisory panel of farmers, extension agents, representatives of farmer organizations, and companies involved in providing goods and services for high tunnel users. Second, we want this panel to play a critical decision-making body in both the research and outreach components of this project, including on-farm trials, evolution of research protocols, and mobilization of growers. Third, we want the panel to assist us in the formation of additional collaborative efforts to address the needs of organic high tunnel users. Our partners include non-profit organizations representing farmers (Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc. and Georgia Organics), county extension agents, farmers, NRCS, and the Florida Black Farmers Association. We will clearly define their role, establish responsibilities, ensure transparency, and empower the stakeholders represented on our advisory panel to make decisions affecting project implementation. The outreach plan, on-going stakeholder involvement in the project and beyond, and assessment of the research are highly integrated in this project and is based on establishing a diverse, authoritative advisory panel that plays a key role in setting project priorities, conducting on-farm research, and supporting outreach activities. On-farm research includes several on-farm trials each year where growers select specific components of the on-station research to test on their own farms. Dissemination of what we learn occurs through traditional venues (field days), workshops and conferences, but will incorporate on-line materials primarily in the form of short videos that allow producers to follow the developments in the field research throughout the growing season. The project outreach includes four key components: (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; and (4). Adoption of the management options generated by this research.

Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience includes certified organic vegetable growers, transitional organic producers, growers who are interested in organic vegetable production, high tunnel growers, producers interested in using high tunnels for organic vegetable crops, beginning farmers and ranchers interested in organic production, scientists and researchers, educators, Extension personnel, agricultural service providers, agricultural consultants, and industry representatives. Project findings are also expected to be of interest to small- and medium-scale farmers, urban producers, minority and limited-resource growers, economically disadvantaged growers, undergraduate and graduate students in horticultural science, plant and soil sciences, entomology, plant pathology, and agricultural economics and other related programs, high school teachers and students interested in agricultural science, home gardeners, and backyard growers. Changes/Problems:While we were able to achieve the project objectives, we also encountered some problems and challenges that impacted the project implementation and outreach. Our project timeline had to be adjusted due to the delay infunding disbursementand project account establishment for all the PIs. High tunnel installation was not completed as initially scheduled because of the funding issue and other problems encountered during the construction process, causing a delay in starting the research trials. We also encountered some personnel change at the University of Georgia, as one of the co-PIs left the university. However, it did not cause any major impact on the project, as another co-PI at the University of Georgia was able to take the lead to complete the project activities. On Oct. 10, 2018, the high tunnel structure used for research and demonstration trials at the Florida A&M University Research and Extension Center (Quincy, FL) was destroyed due to Hurricane Michael, a category three storm that caused considerable damage to the area. Hurricane-force winds that entered through the top vent roofing component of the structure were strong enough to lift the roof assembly and damage the end walls. The high tunnel structure was rebuilt in Apr. 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges to completing planned research activities during 2020 and 2021. For example, restrictions that were implemented due to COVID-19 resulted in delays and complications in crop management, harvest, and laboratory work as well as data collection during the research trials. In some cases, we were unable to access the research trial in a timely manner to examine the crops and conduct experimental measurements. Disease, pest, and nutrient management was also negatively affected when travel to the research site became restricted and limited farming assistance to on-station trials was available. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and maximized telework mandated byUSDA, our USDA-ARS researcher on the project team was unable to complete field studies as originally planned. Because of the impact of COVID-19, the grower survey response rate was much lower than expected. Nevertheless, we collected responses from 45 growers and obtained valuable information on their attitude toward high tunnel adoption. We plan to continue collecting more data beyond the project period to enrich the grower survey data set in order to obtain more representative samples. Due to the pandemic, we also had to postpone the Extension agent survey, which will be completed in 2023. Our Extension and outreach programs and activities were significantly impacted by COVID-19. We had to cancel several in-person field days, workshops, and research assessment events. The no-cost extension allowed us to provide in-service training and organize project workshops in a face-to-face format in 2022. We conducted the third and fourth advisory panel meetings virtually via Zoom. The third research assessment was conducted in a hybrid format where participants completed their field observations in person and participated in a facilitated discussion via Zoom. We conducted the fourth and fifth research assessments in a virtual format where participants completed their observations using photos, entered their responses in an online instrument, and then participated in a facilitated discussion via Zoom. We will produce two additional virtual field day videos to replace field days we were unable to host due to COVID-19 restrictions. Conducting on-farm trials also became a major challenge because of the pandemic. We revised our on-farm trial protocol to accommodate contactless data collection and reduce the number of researchers in the farmers' fields. The on-farm high tunnel trials that focused on disease and pest monitoring turned out to be quite successful, and every participant commented that they benefitted from this outreach effort and would participate in a future on-farm trial. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Our project provided diverse opportunities for training and professional development. The high tunnel organic vegetable production research and demonstration sites established at the University of Florida Plant Science Research and Education Unit (Citra, FL), Florida A&M University Research and Extension Center (Quincy, FL), and the University of Georgia Horticulture Research Farms (Watkinsville and Tifton, GA) played a key role in facilitating project dissemination by allowing the researchers to offer a variety of on-site training events throughout the project period. The researchers, Extension experts, and educators on this project team have been actively involved in creating and developing various training and professional development programs. In addition to conducting regular grower-level training sessions and providing in-service training to Extension agents, we also organized research farm tours for high school students and growers in the new and beginning farmers and ranchers program to provide basic training in protected agriculture, high tunnel systems, vegetable production, organic farming, and field research setup. Five educational workshops have been held to discuss a wide range of topics related to season extension, high tunnel structures and environmental control, organic vegetable production and management in high tunnels, and economic analysis. We also engaged several Extension agents in moderating workshop sessions and providing hands-on demonstrations at the high tunnel workshops to help further enhance their practical skills. A Zoom video conference call with Extension faculty at Purdue University was conducted to discuss organic crop production research in high tunnels. In addition, we hosted a professor from the University of Puerto Rico-Utuado for her sabbatical visit to develop collaborative research and Extension projects on pest management in vegetable production under high tunnels. Through this partnership, we delivered a presentation at the online high tunnel workshop to specialty crop growers in Puerto Rico. We incorporated research findings from this project into teaching modules of undergraduate courses on organic and sustainable crop production at the University of Florida. We recruited several undergraduate students to participate in project research activities, which helped cultivate their interest in organic agriculture research and develop their basic skills for performing field and laboratory work. We also hosted an undergraduate summer research intern at the University of Florida to engage the student in carrying out an independent study as part of the high tunnel organic tomato production trial. Interdisciplinary training opportunities have been offered to many graduate students who are active members of this project, including three Doctor of Plant Medicine (DPM) students, one M.S. student and two Ph.D. students in horticultural science, one M.S. student and three Ph.D. students in food and resource economics, and one Ph.D. student in interdisciplinary ecology. We guided them in leading and conducting various research activities such as designing and implementing research experiments, disease and pest monitoring, identification, and management, soil and plant sampling, fruit quality assessment, data collection and statistical analysis, cost and return analysis, designing and conducting surveys, writing reports and manuscripts, and presenting research findings. Their research activities are interconnected through field trials and teamwork that serve multiple objectives across different disciplines. The graduate students presented their research progress during our monthly project meetings and also actively participated in a series of project Extension and outreach events and activities. One of the graduate students played a major role in organizing field research trial assessment and advisory panel meetings. The graduate researchers have presented project results at local, regional, national, and international scientific conferences, and they authored or co-authored research and Extension publications. This project has provided a unique opportunity for graduate students to interact with growers and Extension agents and develop multifaceted professional skills in a transdisciplinary context. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The outreach program was focused on the following components: (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; and (4) adoption of the management options generated by this research. We have widely disseminated project results through the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Florida, Florida A&M University, and the University of Georgia. Local and regional educational programs including field days, training sessions, and workshops have been conducted featuring the research conducted in this project. In Florida, we engaged Extension agents in outreach programming. In Georgia, a co-PI on the project team met with Extension agents from all districts to discuss the ongoing research related to this project so that the clientele most interested in this research could be reached by local educational programming. We were also invited to some grower meetings and outreach events in other states where project information was discussed. In addition to Extension and outreach talks, we have presented project information on different topics through Extension publications and newsletter articles that are accessible online. A website was also created for project dissemination, and we have updated it throughout the project. We are finalizing our virtual field day videos and topical videos showcasing the research. Two videos have been completed and posted to YouTube, and we will produce four virtual field day videos and eight project videos by summer of 2023. Research findings have been communicated with the scientific community through a number of presentations at local, regional, national, and international conferences during 2018-2022. Some of the project results have been published in refereed journals, and more are in the pipeline. The advisory panel also played an essential role in project implementation and dissemination. We recruited five members for the project advisory panel (two organic producers and three agricultural service providers) and held the first advisory panel meeting on Mar. 28, 2019 in Gainesville, FL. We recruited three additional members for the advisory panel (two organic producers and one agricultural service provider) and held the second advisory panel meeting on Mar. 3, 2020, in Tifton, GA. In 2021, we recruited five additional members for the advisory panel (three Extension agents and two agricultural service providers) and held the third advisory panel meeting virtually via Zoom on Mar. 3. We held our fourth and final advisory panel meeting virtually via Zoom on Mar. 14, 2022. Project research objectives and activities were presented to the advisory panel for their feedback on research design, project outreach, and stakeholder engagement. In addition, we asked the advisory panel to assess our project progress andprovide recommendations for research implementation. The advisory panel meeting report and research presentation slides were distributed to the research team and advisory panel members. We have collaborated with Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc. and Georgia Organics to seek their input. Project dissemination was also conducted through field research assessment. We conducted our research assessment in Citra, FL at the University of Florida Plant Science Research and Education Unit on Apr. 25, 2019 (ten participants), Nov. 5, 2019 (six participants), and Mar. 16, 2021 (nine participants). We recruited eight participants and conducted the fourth research assessment on Apr. 22, 2021 virtually via Zoom. The final research assessment was conducted on Aug. 25, 2022 (four participants) virtually via Zoom. The research assessment provided a great opportunity for farmers and agricultural service providers to evaluate the experimental treatments tested in field research trials and identify potential benefits and limitations of our research. The research assessment reports were distributed to the research team and participants and were posted on the project webpage. In addition, we recruited five farmers to conduct five on-farm trials in Florida from Oct. 2021 through June 2022. Participants collected weekly pest data through passive trapping using sticky cards. Participants also scouted and collected disease data through collection of plant tissues (fruit, foliage, or roots) as needed. Weekly pest counts were conducted, and results were sent to participants on a weekly basis. We conducted follow-up interviews to get feedback from participants about the benefits and challenges of participating in the on-farm trials. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Research objectives 1, 2, and 3 on environmental control, planting dates, and integrated nutrient management:The 2-year high tunnel organic basil, lettuce, and arugula trials (Watkinsville, GA) with transplanting dates in mid-Sept. and early Oct. showed that earlier planting increased lettuce and basil yields but reduced the yield of arugula. Shade cloth (30%) and fogging systems did not impact crop yields. Shaded high tunnels showed lower air and soil temperatures than non-shaded tunnels, while fogging systems increased canopy leaf wetness. Planting date and shading exhibited greater impacts on leaf nutrient contents than fogging. The 2-year high tunnel organic tomato trials (Tifton, GA) evaluating shade net (black, silver, and no shade control) and plastic mulch (black and white) treatments demonstrated that both black and silver nets improved plant growth during the summer due to reducing temperatures inside the tunnel. However, shade nets reduced fruit yield in contrast to the uncovered tunnel because of decreased light in tunnels with nets during the tomato fruiting stage. While plant growth was enhanced by white vs. black mulch, plastic mulch color did not affect tomato yield components. The multi-season high tunnel organic leaf lettuce trials conducted in Quincy, FL compared 15 cultivars for yield performance and heat and bolting tolerance. Plant health was improved by the high tunnel environment compared to open field production. Top performing lettuce cultivars were identified in high tunnel and open field systems. The high tunnel organic grape tomato trials (Citra, FL) showed greater fruit yields with early planting (late Jan.) than late planting (early Mar.), and yield improvement by using vigorous rootstocks was also compromised by late planting. Although fruit nutrient contents based on dry weight were increased by rootstocks for both plantings, grafted tomato fruit sensory quality tended to decrease with late planting. Another 3-year (2018-2021) high tunnel organic vegetable cropping system study (Citra, FL) was completed to examine the influence of integrated nutrient management practices on plant growth, crop yield and quality, nitrogen availability and use efficiency, and soil health under Florida sandy soil conditions. Cowpea cover crop (with fallow control) was planted each summer, followed by pac choi (fall), lettuce/spinach (winter), and tomato (spring). Compost (cow manure-based compost, yard waste-based compost, vermicompost, and no compost control) and organic fertilizer (granular vs. liquid) treatments were applied in pac choi and tomato production. Cowpea cover crop showed limited effects on improving vegetable yields and soil health. Using liquid organic fertilizer and compost helped improve nitrogen use efficiency and vegetable yields. Compost and granular organic fertilizer application exhibited positive impacts on long-term soil health enhancement. Research objectives 4, 5, and 6 on disease and pest management:In the 3-year high tunnel study in Citra, FL, powdery mildew (Psuedoidium neolycopersici) was detected in 2019, while tomato leaf mold (Passalora fulva) was identified as the major disease in 2020 and 2021. Other diseases with very low incidences included Sclerotinia stem rot (Sclerotinia spp.) and gray mold (Botrytis cinerea). The dominate pathogen was found to be highly dependent on seasonal conditions and management techniques. Using a tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) resistant cultivar and grafting with the disease-resistant rootstock demonstrated their effectiveness for tomato disease management. Although TYLCV was not observed, tomato chlorosis virus (TCV) and tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) were detected. High tunnel crop producers will need to be vigilant of other opportunistic and novel diseases that can impact crop yields while they focus on controlling the major diseases encountered. The survey of plant diseases in high tunnels was also completed at five commercial farms in Florida. Early blight (Alternaria spp.) and Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici) were the major diseases identified, which differed from those observed in the on-station trials. Our findings provide a knowledge change in that it has made researchers and stakeholders more aware of the variation we see in diseases related to high tunnel production. Multiple biological products for disease management were used in the on-station trials along with cultural practices; however, the variability in disease presence did not lead to any conclusive results. Selection of resistant cultivars including grafted plants and incorporation of non-host rotational crops will be critical to organic tomato high tunnel disease management, and biological fungicides may be incorporated with accurate disease diagnoses. The most captured pests on sticky cards were whiteflies and thrips during the on-station trials in Citra. Aphids, leaf miners, and planthoppers were also detected, but their numbers were significantly lower than whiteflies or thrips. Visual inspections of plants revealed the presence of various stink bug species. All life stages were observed both on foliage and fruit with some fruit showing feeding damage as they matured. Other minor pests included armyworms, tobacco hornworms, and garden fleahoppers. The most common beneficial insects found on the sticky cards were parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Apocrita); notable families included Aphelinidae, Braconidae, Mymaridae, and Scelionidae. Parasitoid wasps were consistently collected throughout each season with larger numbers found toward the beginning and the end of the season. High tunnel trials in Quincy, FL and Tifton, GA identified sweetpotato whiteflies, aphids, and thrips as the major insect pests and showed the potential of companion planting of flowering plants and cover crops (e.g., marigold, sweet alyssum, buckwheat) to attract beneficial insects (e.g., big-eyed bugs, ladybeetles, lacewings, whitefly parasites Encarsia spp. and Eretmocerus spp.) and enhance biological control in high tunnel organic vegetable production. The "push-pull" technology evaluation in a high tunnel organic tomato trial (Quincy, FL) included citronella, garlic society, and lemon grass as the "push" component and green leaf volatiles (GLV) as the "pull" component. Marigold and basil plants and commercial "preda-lure" volatiles were used to complement the push-pull strategy by enhancing the beneficial insect population. Results suggested that the push-pull technology complemented with the use of flowering plants and commercial attractants of beneficial insects may be part of an IPM program to control major insect pests in high tunnel organic vegetable production. Repellent plants and attractive flowering plants together with commercial "preda-lure" were further assessed in another high tunnel organic leafy green trial. Different GLVs were also tested as attractants of sweetpotato whiteflies and cis-3-hexenyl acetate was shown to be attractive.? Research objective 7 on economic analysis and high tunnel adoption:Based on the on-station trials, we developed budget sheets for estimating high tunnel construction costs and analyzing the costs and benefits of high tunnel organic vegetable production. Sensitivity analysis and breakeven analysis were also carried out to estimate the impact of different factors (e.g., transplant price and tomato price) on the net return of grafted and non-grafted tomato production using high tunnels. A grower survey was conducted in FL and GA to understand growers' perceptions and attitudes toward using high tunnels in organic crop production. While many organic growers recognize the benefits of high tunnels for improving organic vegetable production, there is a critical needfor developing Extension and outreach programs to provide more technical support regarding soil and nutrient management, disease and pest control, and crop and cultivar selection.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Nian, Y., R. Zhao, S. Tian, X. Zhao, and Z. Gao. 2022. Economic analysis of grafted organic tomato production in high tunnels. HortTechnology 32:459-470.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Gong, T., X. Zhang, J.K. Brecht, T. Serrano, C. Sims, J. Colee, and X. Zhao. 2022. Instrumental and sensory analyses of fruit quality attributes of grafted grape tomatoes in high tunnel organic production systems. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 102:7268-7281.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Gong, T., X. Zhang, J.K. Brecht, Z.E. Black, and X. Zhao. 2022. Grape tomato growth, yield, and fruit mineral content as affected by rootstocks in a high tunnel organic production system. HortScience 57:1267-1277.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Laur, S., A.L.B.R. da Silva, J.C. D�az-P�rez, and T. Coolong. 2021. Impact of shade and fogging on high tunnel production and mineral content of organically grown lettuce, basil, and arugula in Georgia. Agriculture 11:625. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/7/625.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2022 Citation: D�az-P�rez, J.C., S. Bag, T. Coolong, M. Bashyal, G. Gunawan, and H. Milner. 2022. Organic tomato grown in high tunnels as affected by shade net and plastic mulch color. Agriculture (Submitted).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Nian, Y., Z. Gao, X. Zhao, K. Morgan, and C. Moss. 2023. Intra- and inter-temporal risks in specialty crop producers technology adoption: Evidence from a high tunnel technology adoption choice experiment. American Journal of Agricultural Economics (In preparation).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Nian, Y., Z. Gao, and X. Zhao. 2023. Producers willingness to adopt high tunnels for organic vegetable production: A survey from Georgia and Florida. HortScience (In preparation).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Pitcher, A.J. and A.C. Hodges. 2023. Pest and beneficial insect abundance on tomatoes in an organically managed high tunnel in North Florida. Florida Entomologist (In preparation).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Tian, S., J.K. Brecht, B. Rathinasabapathi, and X. Zhao. 2023. Influence of nutrient management practices on crop productivity and quality in high tunnel organic leafy green production. HortScience (In preparation).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Tian, S. and X. Zhao. 2023. Effects of leguminous cover crop, organic fertilizer, compost, and grafting on organic tomato growth and yield in high tunnels. HortTechnology (In preparation).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Tian, S., J.K. Brecht, and X. Zhao. 2023. Tomato fruit quality as effected by leguminous cover crop, organic fertilizer, compost, and grafting in organically managed high tunnel systems. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (In preparation).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Tian, S., G. Maltais-Landry, and X. Zhao. 2023. Effects of integrated nutrient management on nitrogen dynamics and use efficiency of organic leafy greens in high tunnel production. Agronomy (In preparation).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Tian, S., G. Maltais-Landry, and X. Zhao. 2023. Impacts of grafting and integrated nutrient management on nitrogen dynamics and use efficiency in high tunnel organic tomato production. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems (In preparation).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Tian, S., G. Maltais-Landry, Y. Lin, and X. Zhao. 2023. Influence of integrated nutrient management on soil health in high tunnel organic vegetable production systems. Soil and Tillage Research (In preparation).
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Laur, S. 2020. Evaluating the impact of excess heat and moderating heat stress in organically managed high tunnels. M.S. Thesis. University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Tian, S. 2023. Integrated nutrient management practices for high tunnel organic vegetable production systems. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (In preparation).
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Nian, Y. 2023. Specialty crop producers risk preference, technology adoption, and adaptation to climate change. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (In preparation).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bolques, A. and J.C. Legaspi. 2022. Push-pull technology evaluation of selective vegetable crops in north Florida. 10th International IPM Symposium: Implementing IPM across Borders and Disciplines, Denver, CO.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bolques, A. and J.C. Legaspi. 2022. Leafy lettuce production with companion planting for invasive insect pest management in high tunnel setting. Symposium on Invasive Species and Pest Management. Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, San Juan, PR. (virtual presentation)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Legaspi, J.C. and A. Bolques. 2022. Eco-based pest management of specialty crops in high tunnels. Florida Entomological Society Annual Meeting, Gainesville, FL. (virtual presentation)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Legaspi, J.C., A. Bolques, and F. Ospina. 2022. Eco-based pest management: Push-pull technology and companion planting in organic vegetables. 10th International IPM Symposium: Implementing IPM across Borders and Disciplines, Denver, CO.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Legaspi, J.C., A. Bolques, and F. Ospina. 2022. Eco-based pest management of insect pests of vegetables in high tunnels. 5th International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. (virtual presentation)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Legaspi, J.C., A. Bolques, and F. Ospina. 2022. Monitoring insect pests with use of repellent and companion flowering plants in strawberry and leafy greens in high tunnel and screened structures. Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, San Juan, PR. (virtual infographic poster)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Legaspi, J.C., A. Bolques, and F. Ospina. 2022. Eco-based pest management in high tunnels. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada. (infographic poster)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Legaspi, J.C., A. Bolques, and F. Ospina. 2022. Eco-based pest management of whiteflies in high tunnels. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: D�az-P�rez, J.C., T. Coolong, S. Bag, J. Bautista, M. Bashyal, and C. Guerra. 2022. Plant growth and yield of organic tomato cultivars as influenced by shade net in high tunnel. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Chicago, IL. HortScience 57:S96.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Bag, S., J. Bautista, G. Gunawan, M. Bashyal, T. Coolong, H. Milner, and J.C. D�az-P�rez. 2021. Organic tomato grown in high tunnels as affected by shade net and plastic mulch color. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Denver, CO. HortScience 56:S191-S192.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Bashyal, M., J.C. D�az-P�rez, and J. Bautista. 2021. Do colored shading nets improve the yield of poblano peppers? Georgia Farm Bureau State Commodity Conference. Tifton, GA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Bolques, A., G. Queeley, F. Ospina, X. Zhao, M. Donovan, and J. Legaspi. 2021. Performance of selective lettuce varieties and evaluation of bolting in a top vent high tunnel and open field conditions in North Florida. Florida State Horticultural Society Annual Meeting, Daytona Beach, FL. Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society 134:152.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Coolong, T. 2021. Indeterminate tomato and lettuce choices for high tunnels in the deep south. Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Conference, Gulf Shores, AL.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Coolong, T. 2021. High tunnel organic tomato trials for Georgia. Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference (virtual).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: D�az-P�rez, J.C. 2021. Heat amelioration of vegetable crops in a changing climate. International Conference on Vegetable Research and Innovations for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship and Environment. Varanasi, India.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Donovan, M., M.E. Swisher, K. Sattanno, and X. Zhao. 2021. Grower assessment of organic tomato nutrient management factors in a high tunnel. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Denver, CO (virtual presentation). HortScience 56:S164.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Donovan, M., M.E. Swisher, K. Sattanno, and X. Zhao. 2021. Engaging growers and agricultural service providers in a diverse advisory panel on organic high tunnel research. Florida State Horticultural Society Annual Meeting, Daytona Beach, FL. Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society 134:217.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Donovan, M., M.E. Swisher, T. Coolong, and X. Zhao. 2021. Virtual high tunnel organic tomato variety assessment. III International Organic Fruit Symposium and I International Organic Vegetable Symposium, Catania, Italy. (virtual presentation)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Legaspi, J.C., A. Bolques, and F. Ospina. 2021. Dual strategy eco-based pest management. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Legaspi, J.C., A. Bolques, and F. Ospina. 2021. Dual strategy eco-based pest management. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (virtual infographic poster).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Milner, H., S. Kavalappara, N.C. Konakalla, J.C. D�az-P�rez, and S. Bag. 2021. Impact of shade nets and plastic mulches on tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in organic tomatoes grown in high tunnels. American Phytopathological Society Plant Health 2021 Online Meeting.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Tian, S., X. Zhao, G. Maltais-Landry, and Z. Grabau. 2021. Monitoring the impact of integrated nutrient management on soil health in organic high tunnel vegetable production systems. III International Organic Fruit Symposium and I International Organic Vegetable Symposium, Catania, Italy. (virtual presentation)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Tian, S., X. Zhao, and J.K. Brecht. 2021. Assessing grafting and integrated nutrient management practices, including cover crop, composts, and organic fertilizers, on organic high tunnel tomato production. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Denver, CO (virtual presentation). HortScience 56:S163-S164.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Tian, S., J.K. Brecht, and X. Zhao. 2021. Influence of nutrient management practices on crop productivity and quality in high tunnel organic production of leafy greens. Florida State Horticultural Society Annual Meeting, Daytona Beach, FL. Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society 134:138.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Zhao, R., Y. Nian, Z. Gao, X. Zhao, and S. Tian. 2021. Cost and benefit analysis of grafted tomato production in organically managed high tunnels. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Denver, CO (virtual presentation). HortScience 56:S11.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Zhao, X. 2021. Soil and nutrient management for high tunnel organic vegetable production: Case studies in Florida. Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference (virtual).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Bashyal, M., J. Bautista, and J.C. D�az-P�rez. 2020. Effect of colored shade nets on plant growth and fruit yield and quality in organic jalapeno pepper (Capsicum annum L.). American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual). HortScience 55:S72.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Bashyal, M. and J.C. D�az-P�rez. 2020. Leaf gas exchange and crop microenvironmental modifications under colored shade nets in organic jalapeno pepper (Capsicum annum L.). American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual). HortScience 55:S321-S322.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Coolong T., S. Laur, and K.B. Cassity-Duffey. 2020. Evaluating nitrogen mineralization from cover crops grown in high tunnels. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual). HortScience 55:S332.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: D�az-P�rez, J.C., T. Coolong, and J. Bautista. 2020. Planting date affects leaf mineral nutrients and plant weight in organic lettuce grown in high tunnels. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual). HortScience 55:S167.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: D�az-P�rez, J.C. 2020. Shading nets: Means for reducing heat stress in vegetable crops in a changing climate. Corteva Agricultural Science Symposium, Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Donovan, M., M.E. Swisher, K. Sattanno, and X. Zhao. 2020. Nutrient management grower assessment of organic pak choi in a high tunnel. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual). HortScience 55:S334.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Donovan, M., M.E. Swisher, K. Sattanno, and X. Zhao. 2020. Nutrient management regime assessment of organic tomatoes raised in a high tunnel. Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Annual Conference, Little Rock, AR.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Donovan, M., M.E. Swisher, K. Sattanno, and X. Zhao. 2020. Nutrient management in high tunnels: Grower perspectives on experimental design. 75th Anniversary Event for the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR) of the National Academies (NASEM), Gainesville, FL.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Laur, S. and T. Coolong. 2020. Impact of a shaded high tunnel effects for organically-grown summer lettuce in Georgia. Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Louisville, KY. HortScience 55:S428.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Tian, S., X. Zhao, and Z.E. Black. 2020. Effects of integrated nutrient management on high tunnel organic vegetable production. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual). HortScience 55:S56.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Tian, S., X. Zhao, and J.K. Brecht. 2020. Quality attributes of pac choi and baby lettuce under high tunnel organic production as affected by nutrient management practices. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual). HortScience 55:S333-S334.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Zhao, X., M.E. Swisher, N.S. Dufault, A.C. Hodges, Z. Gao, A. Bolques, J.C. Legaspi, T. Coolong, and J.C. D�az-P�rez. 2020. An integrated multi-institutional project to promote high tunnel organic vegetable production in the Southeast. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual). HortScience 54:S335-S336.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Zhao, X., C.J. Frey, J.K. Brecht, and S. Tian. 2020. Integrated high tunnel systems for improving organic vegetable production. Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention, Hershey, PA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Laur, S. and T. Coolong. 2019. The effects of microclimate modifications and crop yield on quality in organic high tunnels. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV. HortScience 54:S298.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Laur, S. and T. Coolong. 2019. Impact of shade cloth and a fogging system on microclimate in an organic high tunnel. Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Birmingham, AL. HortScience 54:S394.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Tian, S., X. Zhao, and Z.E. Black. 2019. Effects of leguminous cover crop, compost, and organic fertilizer on high tunnel organic production of pac choi and spinach. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV. HortScience 54:S36.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Zhao, X. 2019. Addressing challenges of high tunnel organic vegetable production in subtropical Florida. Workshop on multiregional assessment of opportunities and challenges of high tunnel organic crop. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV. HortScience 54:S32.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Sattanno, K., M.E. Swisher, X. Zhao, Z. Gao, and Z. Black. 2018. Growing high tunnel use for organic vegetable production in the Southeast. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Washington, DC. HortScience 53:S257.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Zhao, X. and C. Frey. 2018. Growing organic spinach: A research update. Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, Savannah, GA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Zhao, X. and C. Frey. 2018. Organic tomato production: A comparison between high tunnel and open field systems. Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, Savannah, GA.
• Type: Other Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2023 Citation: Tian, S., X. Zhao, I.R. Vincent, T. Gong, Z.T. Ray, J. Legaspi, A. Bolques, T.W. Coolong, and J.C. D�az-P�rez. 2023. Using high tunnels to enhance organic vegetable production in Florida: An overview. UF/IFAS Extension EDIS publication. In press.
• Type: Other Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2023 Citation: Eldred, Z.D., S. Tian, G.E. Vallad, X. Zhao, M. Paret, and N.S. Dufault. 2023. Common tomato high tunnel production diseases in Florida. UF/IFAS Extension EDIS publication. In press.
• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Nian, Y., Z. Gao, X. Zhao, R. Zhao, S. Tian, I.R. Vincent, Z.T. Ray, and D. Freed. 2023. The cost of high tunnel and caterpillar tunnel establishment for vegetable production. UF/IFAS Extension EDIS publication. Accepted pending revision.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Coolong, T., J.C. D�az-P�rez, K. Cassity-Duffey, and X. Zhao. 2022. An introduction to organic high tunnel tomato production in Georgia and Florida  Horticulture Tactics. Bulletin 1552.
• Type: Other Status: Submitted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bolques, A., G. Queeley, and F. Ospina. 2022. Evaluation of fifteen leaf lettuce cultivars in four production cycles in high tunnel and open field conditions in North Florida. Florida A&M University Extension Bulletin (Submitted).
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Laur, S., M. Donavan, J.C. Diaz-Perez, and T. Coolong. 2021. Extending the growing season for lettuce in Georgia using shade cloth and high tunnels. UGA Cooperative Extension Circular 1241.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Legaspi, J.C., A. Bolques, F.E. Ospina, S. Tian, J. Carlos D�az-P�rez, A.C. Hodges, A.J. Pitcher, and X. Zhao. 2023. Push-pull technology and companion planting: A dual strategy for insect pest management in high tunnels. UF/IFAS Extension EDIS publication (In preparation).
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Pitcher, A.J. and A.C. Hodges. 2023. Organic control of common tomato pests in high tunnels in Florida. UF/IFAS Extension EDIS publication (In preparation).
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Tian, S., X. Zhao, Z.T. Ray, I.R. Vincent, Y. Nian, Z. Gao, and D.J. Freed. 2023. Grafting for high tunnel organic tomato production. UF/IFAS Extension EDIS publication (In preparation).
• Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Project website: https://floridafoodandag.com/new-home/adapting-and-expanding-high-tunnel-vegetable-crop-production

Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes certified organic vegetable growers, transitional organic producers, growers who are interested in organic vegetable production, high tunnel growers, producers interested in using high tunnels for organic vegetable crops, minority and limited-resource growers, beginning farmers and ranchers interested in organic production, small farm and urban farm producers, scientists and researchers, educators, extension personnel, agricultural service providers, agricultural consultants, industry representatives, undergraduate and graduate students, high school students interested in agricultural science, home gardeners, backyard growers, and the general public. Changes/Problems:The COVID-19 pandemic continued to present challenges to completing planned research and outreach activities during this reporting period. Some field research experiments and in-person outreach activities had to be cancelled and the grower survey had to be postponed. We augmented our planned activities to comply with research restrictions by reworking the activity to a hybrid or virtual format. We conducted the third advisory panel meeting virtually via Zoom. We conducted the third research assessment in a hybrid format where participants completed their field observations in person and participated in a facilitated discussion via Zoom. We conducted the fourth research assessment in a virtual format where participants completed their observations using photos and entering their responses in an online instrument and participated in a facilitated discussion via Zoom. We will produce two additional virtual field day videos to replace field days we were unable to host due to COVID-19 restrictions. We were unable to conduct on-farm trials to date due to both COVID-19 restrictions and not wanting to burden farmers with conducting research during such a stressful time. We will now complete our on-farm trials focusing on pest and disease incidence and management from Nov. 2021 through May 2022 at five farms throughout Florida. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During this reporting period, our project continued to provide diverse opportunities for training and professional development. At the Florida A&M University Research and Extension Center, research farm tours were offered to beginning farmers. Attendees learned about up-to-date research information on leaf lettuce production in a high tunnel, organic production, barriers to organic leaf lettuce production, plant bolting concerns, and key components of an in-ground experimental plot design. Through the partnership with our collaborator at the University of Puerto Rico-Utuado, we presented at the online high tunnel workshop to specialty crop growers in Puerto Rico. We also discussed our research findings at two other workshops on sustainable vegetable production and protected agriculture organized by University of Florida researchers and extension agents. In addition, we conducted a virtual high tunnel tomato cultivar assessment that involved a diverse group of organic farmers and vegetable growers. We also continued to incorporate research findings from this project into teaching modules of undergraduate courses on organic and sustainable crop production at the University of Florida. We recruited a number of undergraduate students to participate in project research activities to gain a basic understanding of organic vegetable production in high tunnels and develop multifaceted skills in field and laboratory research. Interdisciplinary training opportunities have been offered to graduate students in different programs such as horticultural sciences, plant pathology, entomology, food and resource economics, and interdisciplinary ecology. Their research activities are interconnected through field trials and teamwork that serve multiple objectives across different disciplines. The graduate students have been presenting their research progress during our monthly project meetings and they are also actively involved in project outreach programs. One of the graduate students has been playing a major role in leading the effort of organizing grower assessment of research trials and advisory panel meetings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During this reporting period, we presented project information at various conferences and stakeholder meetings such as the American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference and the Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference. Research findings were also disseminated through presentations at various workshops, research farm tours, local county level meetings with extension agents and growers, newsletters, and the project webpage. Research and extension publications have been produced. We updated the project webpagethroughout the year and continued to take photos of field research for the webpageand the development of the virtual field day videos and topical videos showcasing the research activities. Up-to-date project results were also presented at our annual advisory panel meeting. We recruited five additional members for the advisory panel (three Extension agents and two agricultural service providers) and held the third advisory panel meeting virtually via Zoom on 3 Mar. 2021. Nine participants were recruited to help conduct our third research assessment on 16 Mar. 2021 at PSREU in Citra, FL. We also recruited eight participants and conducted our fourth research assessment on 22 Apr. 2021 virtually via Zoom. The third advisory panel meeting report was distributed to the research team and advisory panel members. The third and fourth research assessment reports were distributed to the research team and stakeholder participants. All the reports are posted on our project webpage. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to complete this project during the next reporting period. The high tunnel lettuce cultivar evaluation trials will be continued at the Florida A&M University research site in Quincy, FL. We will demonstrate the "push-pull" strategy complemented with the use of a commercial mix of beneficial flowering plants, to control insect pests in organic vegetables in high tunnels. All the remaining research samples will be processed, and data analysis and synthesis will be performed for all the research trials conducted at different sites in Florida and Georgia. We will obtain more data on the research trials and continue the economic cost and benefit analysis. The high tunnel survey instrument will be finalized and distributed to growers in Georgia and Florida for identifying the factors that influence high tunnel adoption among farmers. Research manuscripts will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and extension publications on various aspects of high tunnel organic vegetable production systems will be prepared. We plan to present project findings at professional conferences and grower meetings and disseminate research results to organic producers through a variety of extension activities such as the 2022 High Tunnel Workshops and Alternative Crop Enterprise programs. We will host the final advisory panel meeting virtually via Zoom. We also plan to host a virtual tomato cultivar assessment using the data and photos from the 2020 high tunnel organic tomato trial in Watkinsville, GA. We will produce four virtual field day videos showcasing four treatments from the high tunnel organic tomato trials conducted in Citra, FL. We will produce one virtual field day video showcasing the 2020 high tunnel organic tomato cultivartrial in Watkinsville, GA. We also plan to produce eight topical videos showcasing some of the project findings. Additionally, we will complete on-farm trials monitoring pest and disease incidence and management from Nov. 2021 through May 2022 at five farms in Florida.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Research objectives 1, 2, and 3: Assess the efficacy of environmental control measures on organic vegetable production under high tunnels; Optimize planting time for high-tunnel produced organic vegetables; Determine the influence of integrated nutrient management practices on nutrient use efficiency and soil quality in high tunnel organic vegetable production. At the University of Georgia research site in Tifton, research trials were continued to determine the influence of shade and plastic mulch treatments on crop growth, yield, and quality, and environmental conditions of tomato and lettuce grown in organically managed high tunnels. Different planting dates were also examined for high tunnel tomato production toward optimizing crop productivity and season extension. The graduate student leading the work on assessing the effects of shade cloth in combination with over-head misting on growth of organic spinach and arugula under high tunnels at the University of Georgia research site in Watkinsville received her M.S. degree in Aug. 2020. She has taken a position in Cooperative Extension as a County Agent in North Carolina. At the Florida A&M University research site in Quincy, the research work was focused on comparing the production of different leafy greens in a top vented structure in North Florida.Growth, yield, and quality of organically grown leaf lettuce in a tropical screen house high tunnel and the open field were evaluated during this reporting period. Four evaluation cycles were achieved, including 17 Nov. to 24 Dec. 2020, 5 Mar. to 25 May 2021, 5 May to 5 July 2021, and 23 June to 25 Aug. 2021. Eleven lettuce cultivars were evaluated with three replications in a randomizedcompleteblock design. Lettuce seedlings were planted in the high tunnel and open field 37 days after seeding in the greenhouse. Data collection began three weeks after planting in the high tunnel and open field. Assessment of plant performance parameters showed that the greatest percentage of heads ranked in the average category was 60.8% in the open field and 57.3% in the high tunnel. Plant vigor ratings were also greatest in the moderate category, with 59.7% in the open field and 54.5% in the high tunnel. Healthier plants were observed in the high tunnel, where 86.3% were in the very healthy category. Conversely, only 51.6% of the plants in the open field were in the very healthy category. Early bolting cultivars included loose leaf lettuce 'Vulcan' in the open field and 'Green Star', 'Star Fighter', and 'Vulcan' in the high tunnel. Late bolting cultivars included summer crisp lettuce 'Nevada' and 'Magenta'and oakleaf lettuce 'Panisse' in both production systems. By the end of this reporting period, we have completed the three-year study at the University of Florida Plant Science Research and Education Unit (PSREU) in Citra with an emphasis on evaluating integrated nutrient management practices for high tunnel organic vegetable production. Findings from the third year study demonstrated that the cowpea cover crop had little influence on improving the yield of leafy greens and tomato. In the leafy green season, weekly liquid fertilization led to a significantly higher yield ofpac choithan the application of preplant granular fertilizer, while the yard waste based-compost treatment tended to enhance the total yield of pac choi and the subsequent baby lettuce crop compared with the no compost control. For the tomato season, weekly application of the liquid organic fertilizer resulted in significantly higher total and marketable yield and fruit numbers in contrast to using the granular organic fertilizer at preplant and through sidedressing. Grafted tomato plants produced significantly higher fruit number and yield compared with the non-grafted plants. The soil samples were collected at the end of tomato season to assess soil health indicators. No significant differences were found between the cowpea cover crop treatment and the weedy fallow control. Granular fertilization exhibited the potential for improving the overall fertility score in comparison with the liquid fertilizer treatment. The yard waste based-compost and cow manure-based compost treatments helped increase soil organic matter content and enhance aggregate stability and soil health and overall fertility scoreswhile reducing dry soil bulk density.Vegetable samples for quality assessment are also being analyzed with data processing ongoing. Research objectives 4 and 5: Monitor and characterize plant pathogens infecting high priority organic high tunnel crops; Monitor population of arthropod pests and beneficials in high tunnel organic vegetable cropping systems. During this reporting period, we continued to monitor plant diseases during the high tunnel organic vegetable production trials conducted at PSREU in Citra, FL. An extension publication is being prepared with respect to identifying major tomato disease problems in organic high tunnel systems. Pest and beneficial insect monitoring data were also collected for the high tunnel experiments at PSREU, on at least 30 data collection points during the reporting period. Over 10,000 specimens were identified from yellow sticky cards and through visual observation. A data synthesis table was constructed to highlight the taxa summary of pest and beneficial insects identified in the organically managed high tunnel during the reporting period. Objective 6: Develop cultural and biological alternatives for managing whiteflies and aphids. We continued to process the data from previous seasons collected in high tunnels in Quincy, FL and Tifton, GA. Preliminary results from yellow stick trap samples collected in a tomato crop in a high tunnel at the University of Georgia in Tifton, GA from Mar. to Apr.2019showed that the major and most abundant insect pest was thrips followed by aphids and sweetpotato whitefly. A few whitefly parasites, Encarsia spp. and Eretmocerus spp. were collected. Objective 7: Analyze on-farm economic viability of high tunnel organic vegetable production and identify the factors influencing high tunnel adoption among organic growers. We developed R coding to conduct the cost and benefit analysis of organic vegetable production under high tunnels using the on-station research trial data from the past two years (2018-2019 and 2019-2020) with respect to organic tomato, pac choi, and spinach. We estimated the annual total cost and net return for growing organic vegetables under high tunnels. Sensitivity analysis was also performed to determine the effect of grafted transplant price and tomato market price on the economic return of tomato (grafted vs. non-grafted) production in organically managed high tunnels. In addition, we developed a draft of the high tunnel grower survey aimed at determining organic growers' perception and attitude toward high tunnel adoption for vegetable production.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Bag, S., J. Bautista, G. Gunawan, M. Bashyal, T.W. Coolong, H. Milner, and J.C. D�az-P�rez. 2021. Organic tomato grown in high tunnels as affected by shade net and plastic mulch color. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Denver, CO. (virtual presentation)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Donovan, M., M.E. Swisher, K. Sattanno, and X. Zhao. 2021. Grower assessment of organic tomato nutrient management factors in a high tunnel. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Denver, CO. (virtual presentation)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Tian, S., X. Zhao, and J. Brecht. 2021. Assessing grafting and integrated nutrient management practices, including cover crop, composts, and organic fertilizers, on organic high tunnel tomato production. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Denver, CO. (virtual presentation)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Zhao, R., Y. Nian, Z. Gao, X. Zhao, and S. Tian. 2021. Cost and benefit analysis of grafted tomato production in organically managed high tunnels. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Denver, CO. (virtual presentation)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Zhao, X. 2021. Soil and nutrient management for high tunnel organic vegetable production: Case studies in Florida. Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, Savannah, GA. (virtual presentation)
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Laur, S., A.L.B.R. da Silva, J.C. D�az-P�rez, and T. Coolong. 2021. Impact of shade and fogging on high tunnel production and mineral content of organically grown lettuce, basil, and arugula in Georgia. Agriculture 11:625.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Laur, S., M. Donavan, J.C. D�az-P�rez, and T. Coolong. 2021. Extending the growing season for lettuce in Georgia using shade cloth and high tunnels. University of Georgia Extension Circular 1241.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Zhao, X. 2021. Integrated practices for improving organic vegetable production. Sustainable Vegetable Production Workshop, Citra, FL.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Zhao, X. 2021. Organic tomato production in high tunnels. Virtual Workshop on Vegetable Production in Greenhouses & High Tunnels (FL).
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Zhao, X. 2021. High tunnel systems for improving organic vegetable production. Virtual Workshop on High Tunnel Production Systems (PR).

Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes high tunnel growers, certified organic vegetable growers, producers interested in using high tunnels for organic vegetable crops, growers who are interested in organic crop production, minority and limited-resource growers, small-scale farming operations, urban farm producers, beginning farmers, researchers and educators, extension personnel, agricultural consultants, industry representatives, undergraduate and graduate students in horticultural science, plant and soil sciences, entomology, plant pathology, and agricultural economics and other related programs, high school teachers and students interested in protected production of vegetables in the agricultural science education program, and the general public. Changes/Problems:Research restrictions that were implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic presented a major challenge to the biological research beginning in Mar. 2020 and disrupted our planned outreach activities. Delays and complications in crop management, harvest, and laboratory work as well as data collection have been encountered during the research trials. In some cases, we were unable access the research trial to examine the crops and conduct experimental measurements. Disease and pest problems also turned out to be rather severe as a result of a lack of control measure implementation when travel to the research site became restricted and limited farming assistance to on-station trials was available. The difficulty in conducting field research also presented challenges to completing the estimated budget of high tunnel production using the data obtained from on-station field trials. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and maximized telework mandated in USDA, our USDA-ARS researcher on the project team was unable to complete spring and summer 2020 field evaluations. At the Tifton, GA research site, we continued to see a high incidence of tomato yellow leaf curl virus in the high tunnel organic tomato trial although resistant cultivars have been used. Identification of tomato cultivars resistant to tomato yellow leaf curl virus for high tunnel production will be a focus of future studies. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to put the in-person survey of high tunnel producers on hold. A field day planned for June 2020 in Georgia had to be cancelled, and 2 workshops originally scheduled for Mar. and May 2020 in Florida were also cancelled. We were unable to host an in-person research assessment and field day scheduled for Apr. in Citra, FL due to the shutdown. Given the challenges associated with crop management, we also failed to produce a virtual assessment for the high tunnel tomato trial. The project team is delaying the on-farm trials till at least 2021 to be mindful of the pressure farmers are experiencing due to COVID-19. This will delay our outreach activities associated with the on-farm trials. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During this reporting period, our project provided a variety of opportunities for training and professional development. Two grower-level training sessions were conducted in north Georgia in 2020. At the Florida A&M University Research and Extension Center, research farm tours were offered to high school students and growers in the new and beginning farmers and ranchers program. Students learned about leaf lettuce and other leafy greens under organic production and in protected culture systems, organic crop challenges, plant bolting concerns, and components of an in-ground experimental plot design. Trainees in the new and beginning farmers and ranchers program visited the protected agricultural areas at the Center, including the tropical screenhouse structure used in this project to obtain a comprehensive understanding of organic leaf lettuce production practices and possible solutions to address off-season production constraints. A Zoom video conference call with extension faculty at Purdue University was conducted to discuss organic crop production research in high tunnels. We also hosted a professor from the University of Puerto Rico-Utuado for her sabbatical visit to develop collaborative research and extension projects on pest management in vegetable production under high tunnels. We continued to incorporate research findings from this project into teaching modules of undergraduate courses on organic and sustainable crop production at the University of Florida. We also continued to involve undergraduate students in project research activities to help them understand different aspects of organic crop production and high tunnel systems and develop multifaceted skills in field and laboratory research. Interdisciplinary training opportunities have been offered to graduate students who are active members of this project. Their research activities are interconnected through field trials that serve multiple objectives across different disciplines such as vegetable production and crop nutrition, soil science, plant pathology and entomology, and food and resource economics. They have been participating in our monthly project meetings to present their research progress. One of the graduate students is also playing a major role in leading the effort of organizing grower assessment of research trials and advisory panel meetings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We recruited 3 additional members for the advisory panel (2 organic producers and 1 agricultural service provider) and held the second advisory panel meeting on 3 Mar. 2020, in Tifton, GA. The advisory panel meeting report and Powerpoint presentation were distributed to the research team and advisory panel members. The meeting report has been posted on our project webpage. We recruited 6 participants and conducted our second research assessment on 5 Nov. 2019, in Citra, FL at the University of Florida Plant Science Research and Education Unit. The research assessment report was distributed to the research team, participants, and posted on the project webpage. We updated the project website throughout the year and continued to take photos of field research for the website and the development of the virtual field day videos and topical videos showcasing research activities of this project. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to visit or meet with growers to discuss project findings. County-level extension meetings were conducted in Georgia to disseminate project results, including the meeting in Blairsville on 13 Feb. 2020 (20 attendees) and the meeting in Clayton on 14 Feb. 2020 (35 attendees). During the pandemic, in addition to direct communication with stakeholders via zoom video conferencing and phone calls (one on one interface), we disseminated project results through newsletters and extension webinars. Some of our team members have also included relevant project results in their invited guest lectures to undergraduate and graduate students in the classroom. During this reporting period, we presented project information at various conferences and stakeholder meetings such as the American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Annual Conference, the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention, and the Florida A&M University Center for Biological Control advisory committee meeting. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we will complete the third-year high tunnel organic vegetable production system research trials at the University of Georgia and the University of Florida. At the Florida A&M University research site, we plan to continue the lettuce cultivar assessment year-round inside the top vented screenhouse structure in comparison with open field production. We will continue to monitor plant diseases and population of pests and beneficials during different crop cycles throughout the season. With information obtained from another year, we will create extension documents about high tunnel disease and pest management for organic crop production. We will also initiate, conduct, and analyze experiments using the "push-pull" strategy complemented with the use of a commercial mix of beneficial flowering plants, to control insect pests in organic vegetables in high tunnels. The "pull" component will include testing of green leaf volatiles. All research trial data will be collected on a regular basis and data analyses will be conducted in a timely manner. In addition, we will continue the economic cost and benefit analysis during the next reporting period. The high tunnel budget sheet will be improved to account for the time value of money (by calculating the net present value) when using high tunnels for organic vegetable production. Moreover, survey instruments will be developed for identifying key factors that influence high tunnel adoption among farmers. We will continue our monthly project meetings to help engage all team members and facilitate project coordination and development. With respect to project assessment and outreach, we will recruit 2 additional members for the advisory panel. We will host one virtual advisory panel meeting and two virtual research assessments. We plan to host an in-person research assessment on the high tunnel organic tomato production trial in 2021 if permitted with COVID-19 restrictions. A virtual assessment will be held if we are unable to host an in-person assessment. We also plan to produce four virtual field day videos showcasing some research treatments from the high tunnel organic vegetable production trials in 2018-2019. We will continue to take photos of the biological research for our project webpage and those photos will be used to develop virtual field days and topical videos showcasing this project. We will continue to disseminate research results through presentations at professional conferences and meetings with growers and extension agents. The project team will explore different tools including the effective online platform to help facilitate outreach activities. We also plan to produce extension publications and submit research manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Research objectives 1, 2, and 3: Assess the efficacy of environmental control measures on organic vegetable production under high tunnels; Optimize planting time for high-tunnel produced organic vegetables; Determine the influence of integrated nutrient management practices on nutrient use efficiency and soil quality in high tunnel organic vegetable production. At the University of Georgia research site in Watkinsville, the second-year study focused on high tunnel environmental control measures was completed. Use of shade cloth and misting and planting dates were examined with respect to their impacts on high tunnel organic production of basil, lettuce, and arugula. Crops were harvested through Nov. 2019 with yield, nutrient, and microclimate data collected. The results of this two-year trial are in the process of being submitted for publication in HortTechnology. At the research site in Tifton, GA, tomato seedlings were transplanted about every three weeks from 1 Oct. 2019 to 2 Jan. 2020 and lettuce was planted from 1 Oct. 2019 to 13 Feb. 2020 for the high tunnel planting time study. Microenvironmental data, plant mineral content, and plant biomass were determined. Another high tunnel trial assessed the effects of different types of plastic mulch and shade cloth on organic tomato production. Tomato was transplanted in Aug. 2019 on black vs. white plastic mulch, and high tunnels were covered with black vs. silver shade cloth. Microenvironment and plant growth data were collected. An additional trial featuring high tunnel-grown heirloom-type tomatoes was conducted in Georgia in spring 2020 in partnership with Johnny's Selected Seeds. At the Florida A&M University research site in Quincy, following the replacement of the top vented screenhouse structure that resulted from hurricane Michael on Oct. 2018, research and extension activities resumed for this reporting period. The new structure was fitted with smart sensors to measure soil moisture, temperature, and relative humidity inside and outside the structure. Fifteen leaf lettuce cultivars were evaluated inside the screenhouse structure for overall plant size, plant vigor, plant health, bolting, and pest observations, with a demonstration control plot in the open field. Three evaluation cycles were completed in 2020: 4 Feb. to 15 May, 20 April to 15 July, and 16 July to 9 Sep. Eight cultivars grew beyond their catalog "days of maturity" period prior to bolting inside the screenhouse structure, with the extra period ranging from 10 to 30 days. In the open field, the extra growing period ranged from 21 to 38 days. Overall, leaf lettuce cultivars in the screenhouse structure bolted on average 4.3 days earlier than the open field leaf lettuce. The second-year study on integrated nutrient management in high tunnel organic vegetable production was completed during this reporting period. The trials were conducted at the University of Florida Plant Science Research and Education Unit (PSREU) in Citra, involving the planting of cowpea as a summer cover crop, use of different types of compost products, and application of different organic fertilizers. Pac choi ('Mei Qing Choi') was transplanted on 11 Oct. 2019 and harvested on 12 Nov. 2019. Lettuce ('Outredgeous') was direct seeded on 13 Nov. 2019 and baby lettuce was harvested on 16 Dec. 2019 following the pac choi crop, without any additional organic amendment or nutrient input. Beefsteak tomato ('Skyway') seedlings were transplanted on 19 Dec. 2019 and the final harvest was completed in mid-June 2020. Grafted plants with the 'Estamino' rootstock were also tested in the tomato trial. In addition to crop growth, yield, and plant nutrient status, soil sampling and anion exchange membrane methods were used to monitor soil available nitrogen dynamics during the season. Quality attributes of leafy greens and tomato fruit were also analyzed, and soil health tests were performed after the tomato season. Overall, the cowpea cover crop did not show a significant impact on vegetable crop yield performance. Liquid fertilization tended to increase crop yields compared with the use of granular organic fertilizer, while yard waste based-compost and cow manure-based compost increased the yield of pac choi and tomato, respectively, in comparison with the no compost control. Grafting improved tomato fruit yield regardless of nutrient management practices. Research objectives 4 and 5: Monitor and characterize plant pathogens infecting high priority organic high tunnel crops; Monitor population of arthropod pests and beneficials in high tunnel organic vegetable cropping systems. Plant diseases were monitored throughout the high tunnel organic crop production trials at PSREU in Citra, FL. Diseased plant tissue samples were collected for pathogen identification. Diseases of tomato included Rhizoctonia crown rot, southern stem rot, tomato leaf mold, and tobacco mosaic virus. Isolates were collected when possible for these diseases and a focus has been made to write up recommendations related to organic production and disease management. Data were also collected throughout all crop cycles in the high tunnel regarding the population of pests and beneficials. Over 10,000 specimens were identified from yellow sticky cards and through visual observation. Objective 6: Develop cultural and biological alternatives for managing whiteflies and aphids. Various varieties of leafy greens were planted inside the tropical screenhouse structure (Quincy, FL). The "push" component of the push-pull strategy included potted repellent plants of mustard ('Giant Red', 'Caliente', and 'Nemat') and garlic society. Attractive flowering plants such as marigold ('French marigold'), sweet alyssum, and potted basil ('African blue') were placed on the edges of the screenhouse. Commercial "preda-lure" were placed near the flowering plants. These plants and lures will enhance populations of beneficial insects that may reduce the numbers of insect pests. As part of the "pull" component, different concentrations of green leaf volatiles (GLVs) were tested as attractants of the sweetpotato whitefly. The GLV previously tested in a greenhouse was the leaf acetate (cis-3-hexenyl acetate). In the laboratory using an odor-detecting equipment, leaf acetate (cis-3-hexenyl acetate) and leaf alcohol (cis-3-hexen-1-ol) were tested. Preliminary results showed that the leaf acetate (cis-3-hexenyl acetate) seemed to be attractive to sweetpotato whitefly. Population densities of insects throughout the season were monitored by taking weekly samples of sticky traps, and leaf counts. Data from the latter sampling methods continue to be processed and recorded. Preliminary results indicate that sweetpotato whiteflies, aphids, and thrips were the common insect pests. The beneficial insects or natural enemies of the insect pests collected were mainly the lacewing and whitefly parasites, Encarsia spp. and Eretmocerus spp. Objective 7: Analyze on-farm economic viability of high tunnel organic vegetable production and identify the factors influencing high tunnel adoption among organic growers. We improved the budget to estimate the costs of high tunnel systems, including the construction and maintenance costs. The estimates are based on the data from researchers on the team who have installed high tunnels for research and extension trials and the secondary data collected online. During this reporting period, we finished the economic analysis of high tunnel organic production of pac choi, spinach, and tomato using the data from research trials conducted at PSREU (Citra, FL) during the 2018-2019 production season. We estimated the cost of the whole production process (including pre-planting, production, and post-planting) and calculated the annual total cost and net return for growing organic vegetables in high tunnels.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Coolong, T, S. Laur, K. Cassity-Duffey, and M. Cabrera. 2020. Evaluating nitrogen mineralization from cover crops grown in high tunnels. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: D�az-P�rez, J.C., T. Coolong, and J. Bautista. 2020. Planting date affects leaf mineral nutrients and plant weight in organic lettuce grown in high tunnels. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Donovan, M., M.E. Swisher, K. Sattanno, and X. Zhao. 2020. Nutrient management regime grower assessment of organic pak choi in a high tunnel. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Donovan, M., M.E. Swisher, K. Sattanno, and X. Zhao. 2020. Nutrient management regime assessment of organic tomatoes raised in a high tunnel. Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Annual Conference, Little Rock, AR.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Donovan, M., M.E. Swisher, K. Sattanno, and X. Zhao. 2020. Nutrient management in high tunnels: Grower perspectives on experimental design. 75th Anniversary Event for the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR) of the National Academies (NASEM), Gainesville, FL.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Tian, S., X. Zhao, and Z. Black. 2020. Effects of integrated nutrient management on high tunnel organic vegetable production. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Zhao, X., C.J. Frey, J.K. Brecht, and S. Tian. 2020. Integrated high tunnel systems for improving organic vegetable production. Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention, Hershey, PA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Zhao, X., M.E. Swisher, N.S. Dufault, A.C. Hodges, Z. Gao, A. Bolques, J.C. Legaspi, T. Coolong, and J.C. D�az-P�rez. 2020. An integrated multi-institutional project to promote high tunnel organic vegetable production in the Southeast. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Tian, S., X. Zhao, and J. Brecht. 2020. Quality attributes of pac choi and baby lettuce under high tunnel organic production as affected by nutrient management practices. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference (virtual).

Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes certified organic vegetable growers, transitional organic producers, growers who are interested in organic vegetable production, high tunnel growers, producers interested in using high tunnels for organic vegetable crops, minority and limited-resource growers, small farm and urban farm producers, researchers and educators, extension personnel, service providers, agricultural consultants, industry representatives, undergraduate and graduate students, and the general public. Changes/Problems:Due to Hurricane Michael in Oct. 2018, the screenhouse used for research trials at the Florida A&M University Research and Extension Center (Quincy) was destroyed and thus, the fall 2018 season planting of leafy green vegetables had to be postponed. The new structure was completed at no cost by the manufacturer in spring 2019 and the site is ready for the fall 2019 trial. In Tifton, GA, tomato yellow leaf curl virus negatively affected tomato yields for the fall-winter planted tomato trial. Another challenge we encountered was associated with on-farm trials.In 2018, shade cloth was purchased for on-farm trials for the production of mid-summer crops (ginger and turmeric) at the participating farm in Alamo, GA. However, under excessive rain and cloudy weather conditions, the grower did not wish to use the shade cloth. Instead, a new trial was discussed and designed using low tunnels for the production of strawberries on plastic mulch, which will begin in winter 2019. Based on grower discussion in the Athens, GA region, we are planning different approaches for upcoming on-farm trials that will feature different techniques to improve organic high tunnel production in Georgia. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have provided 2 grower training workshops (county-level)on high tunnel crop production in Rabun and Habersham counties in GA. We are also scheduled to participate in 2 workshops in the Athens region in GA featuring off-season production of lettuce in organic high tunnels on 12 and 25 Sept. 2019. An educational talk on conservation biological control was delivered during the 2019 Vineyard Management, IPM and Pesticide Safety Workshop held at the Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL on 13 Feb. 2019. We continued to offer training opportunities to graduate students involved in the project by guiding them to lead and conduct various research activities such as designing and implementing research experiments, disease and pest monitoring, identification, and management, soil and plant sampling, data collection and statistical analysis, fruit quality assessment, developing enterprise budget for economics analysis, report preparation, and research presentation. Furthermore, the graduate students as active participants in the project have been developing interdisciplinary collaboration skills by working with project team members from different fields. We also engaged several undergraduate research assistants in the project to help cultivate their interest in organic agriculture research and develop their basic skills in field and laboratory work settings. In addition, research findings from the project have been well integrated into course teaching materials on organic and sustainable crop production at the University of Florida. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We recruited five members for the advisory panel (two organic producers and three agricultural service providers) and held the first advisory panel meeting on 28 Mar. 2019 in Gainesville, FL. Project research objectives and activities conducted to date for each objective were presented to the advisory panel for their feedback on research design, project outreach, on-farm trials, and stakeholder engagement. In addition, we asked the advisory panel to help assess our project progress andprovide recommendations for research implementation. The advisory panel meeting report and research presentation slides were distributed to the research team and advisory panel members. We also recruited 10 participants and conducted our first research assessment of the high tunnel organic tomato study on 25 Apr. 2019 at PSREU in Citra, FL. This research assessment provided a great opportunity for farmers and agricultural service providers to evaluate the experimental treatments tested on-site and identify potential benefits and limitations of our research toward future study improvement. The research assessment report was distributed to the research team and the participants. Reports from our first advisory panel meeting and research assessment have been posted on the project webpage. We updated the project webpage throughout the year and continued to take photos of research trials for the website and the development of the virtual field day and videos. The project information has been disseminated through workshops and field days organized by the project team members and research findings have been presented at professional conferences. Project dissemination also took place at Tallahassee Science Festival, Tallahassee, FL (3 Nov. 2018), Vineyard Management, IPM, and Pesticide Safety Workshop, Florida A&M University Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research, Tallahassee, FL (13 Feb. 2019), AGRI-STEM Camp for middle school students, Florida A&M University, USDA-ARS-CMAVE, Tallahassee, FL (31 July 2019), and Grape Harvest Festival, Florida A&M University Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research, Tallahassee, FL (24 Aug. 2019). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we will continue to conduct the high tunnel organic vegetable cropping system experiments and collect research data at different locations in Florida and Georgia for each research objective. We also expect to identify grower collaborators to begin on-farm trials. The high tunnel budget sheet will be further developed with sensitivity and break-even analysis included. A survey instrument will be designed with the objective of identifying key factors that influence high tunnel adoption among farmers. We will continue our monthly project meetings to facilitate project coordination and implementation. We plan to recruit five additional members for the advisory panel and host our second advisory panel meeting in Georgia. We will conduct research assessments in both Florida and Georgia and organize workshops and field days for project dissemination. We will continue to take photos of the biological research for our webpage and those photos will be used to develop topical videos showcasing this project. We will create and launch our online virtual field day assessment. We will continue to present research results at professional conferences and meetings with growers and extension agents, and we will begin to disseminate project findings via peer-reviewed journal articles and extension publications.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Research objectives 1, 2, and 3: Assess the efficacy of environmental control measures on organic vegetable production under high tunnels; Optimize planting time for high-tunnel produced organic vegetables; Determine the influence of integrated nutrient management practices on nutrient use efficiency and soil quality in high tunnel organic vegetable production. High tunnels were prepared and mist systems installed in Aug. 2018 in two certified organic high tunnels in Watkinsville, GA. One high tunnel received shade cloth, while the other did not. Within each high tunnel there were two planting dates and two treatments (misted and non-misted) arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Basil, lettuce, and arugula were grown in each treatment at each planting date. Crops were harvested through Nov. 2018 with yield, nutrient, and microclimate data collected. Year 2 of this study is to be planted in Sept. 2019. An additional trial featuring shade cloth for summer-grown lettuce was conducted in June/July 2019. We determined that shade cloth during the summer months allowed for the production of lettuce in a high tunnel compared to outdoor production, which was not commercially viable. This project was conducted in partnership with Johnny's Seeds (supplied germplasm). In Tifton, GA, tomato and lettuce transplants were started and planted in Oct. 2018 for production through the springof 2019. Yield and quality data were obtained from all plantings. In addition, tomatoes were grown under different shade cloth colors in summer 2019 and research is currently ongoing in Tifton, GA. The tropical screenhouse structure at the Florida A&M University Research and Extension Center (Quincy) was destructed by Hurricane Michael in Oct. 2018. Hurricane force winds that entered through the top vent roofing component of the structure were strong enough to lift the roof assembly causing the rooftop to rise and the structure endwalls to accordion inwards and unto itself. After close examination of the structure collapse, it was determined that the row of center column posts supporting the roof assembly had not been properly secured. Images of the structure collapse were shared with the structure manufacturer and product installers and after their internal review, the manufacturer agreed to take down and replace the screenhouse structure at no cost. The new structure was completed by Mar. 2019. The integrated nutrient management experiment was established in a 3-bay high tunnel system on certified organic landat the University of Florida Plant Science Research and Education Unit (PSREU) in Citra, FL. A split-split plot design with 3 replications was used with weedy fallow and cowpea planting prior to the vegetable season in the whole plots, pre-plant application of solid organic fertilizer (Nature Safe 10-2-8) vs. in-season fertigation with liquid organic fertilizer (Aqua Power 5-1-1) for nitrogen fertilization as the subplot factor, and application of different types of composts (i.e., yard waste-based compost, cow manure-based compost, vermicompost, and no compost) as the sub-subplot factor. Cowpea was planted in Aug. 2018, followed by 'Mei Qing' pac choi transplanting in Oct. 2018 and harvest in mid-Nov. 'Corvair' spinach was seeded in the same treatment plots 3 days after pac choi harvest without further addition of compost or organic fertilizer. Beefsteak tomato 'Skyway' was transplanted into the high tunnel plots in late Jan. 2019, with the final harvest completed in mid-June. An additional split of the sub-subplot was used to include both grafted and non-grafted tomato plants in the study. The solid fertilizer treatment was also changed to 20% preplant with 80% in-season fertilization through side dressing. Cover crop biomass and nutrient input, vegetable plant growth, yield, aboveground nutrient accumulation, soil nitrogen availability and dynamics, and fruit quality attributes were assessed during the crop production cycles. Overall, the impact of compost outweighed the cover crop effect and liquid fertilization produced higher crop yield than solid fertilization. Grafted tomato plants with the 'Multifort' rootstock led to a significant increase in total fruit yield compared with non-grafted plants. Research objectives 4 and 5: Monitor and characterize plant pathogens infecting high priority organic high tunnel crops; Monitor population of arthropod pests and beneficials in high tunnel organic vegetable cropping systems. Samples were collected from the high tunnel organic vegetable research plots at PSREU in Citra, FL, which are being tested for soil diseases. Foliar disease problems were monitored and managed throughout the production season, and plant materials were sampled for pathogen diagnosis. Powdery mildew was the main foliar disease observed during the tomato production trial. Yellow sticky cards, sweep nets, and visual scouting were used to monitor pest and beneficial populations in the high tunnel plots throughout the crop season. Thrips, aphids, and whiteflies were found during the trials, while lady beetles, minute pirate bugs, and some parasitoid wasps were also observed. Information documented to date will be used to guide the survey in the coming growing seasons. Objective 6: Develop cultural and biological alternatives for managing whiteflies and aphids. Tomato seedlings of six different cultivars were planted in June 2019 in a tropical screenhouse at the Florida A&M University Research and Extension Center, Quincy, FL. In this study, the "push" component of the push-pull strategy included potted repellent plants of citronella, society garlic, and lemon grass. Attractive refuge plants such as marigold ('French Marigold') and potted basil ('African Blue') were placed on the edges of the screenhouse. These plants will enhance populations of beneficial insects that may reduce the numbers of whiteflies, thrips, and aphids. Population densities of insects throughout the season were monitored by taking weekly samples of sticky trapsand leaf counts. Sweetpotato whiteflies, aphids, and thrips were the common insect pests found in the tomato plants, and yellow striped armyworms were observed to feed on the tomato fruit. The natural enemies of the insect pests collected were mainly the minute pirate bug, Orius spp. and whitefly parasites, Encarsia spp. and Eretmocerus spp. Objective 7: Analyze on-farm economic viability of high tunnel organic vegetable production and identify the factors influencing high tunnel adoption among organic growers. We developed the budget to estimate the costs of high tunnel systems including the construction and maintenance costs. The estimates are based on the data from project co-PIs who have built high tunnels on their experimental stations and the secondary data collected online. We are currently conducting the economics analysis of vegetable production under high tunnels using the data from an organic tomato trial that was conducted at PSREU in Citra, FL during Jan. to July 2018. We estimated the costs of the whole production cycle including the harvests and calculated the total costs and net returns for different treatments (early vs. late planting time, grafted vs. non-grafted plants of two tomato cultivars) per acre. We will continue the economic analysis of the data from the pac choi, spinach, and tomato trials conducted during 2018-2019 seasons. The established budget sheet will then be sent to collaborators of the project to collect more information and for verification. The ultimate goal is to estimate the cost and return of using high tunnels for organic vegetable production over multiple seasons during the lifespan of the high tunnel.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Laur, S. and T. Coolong. 2019. Impact of shade cloth and a fogging system on microclimate in an organic high tunnel. Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Birmingham, AL.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Laur, S. and T. Coolong. 2019. The effects of microclimate modifications on crop yield and quality in organic high tunnels. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Tian, S., X. Zhao, and Z. Black. 2019. Effects of leguminous cover crop, compost, and organic fertilizer on high tunnel organic production of pac choi and spinach. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Zhao, X. 2019. Addressing challenges of high tunnel organic vegetable production in subtropical Florida. Workshop on multiregional assessment of opportunities and challenges of high tunnel organic crop. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Sattanno, K., M.E. Swisher, J. Colee, X. Zhao, Z. Gao, and Z. Black. 2018. Growing high tunnel use for organic vegetable production in the Southeast. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Washington, DC.

Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes certified organic vegetable growers, transitional organic producers, growers who are interested in organic vegetable production, high tunnel growers, producers interested in using high tunnels for organic vegetable crops, minority and resource-limited growers, small farm and urban farm producers, researchers and educators, extension personnel, service providers, agricultural consultants, industry representatives, and the general public. Changes/Problems:Our project timeline had to be adjusted due to the delay of funding disbursements and project account establishment for all the PIs. High tunnel installation was not completed as initially scheduled because of the funding issue and some other problems encountered during the construction process, which caused a delay in starting the research trials. For example, the number of planting dates had to be reduced for the high tunnel tomato trial in FL, and the research trials at the University of Georgia were not able to be initiated until Fall 2018. We also encountered some personnel change at the University of Georgia in winter 2018 as one of the co-PI left the university. However, it did not cause any negative impact on the project as another co-PI at the University of Georgia was able to take the lead to complete all the project activities. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Systematic training opportunities have been provided to graduate students who participated in the project by leading and conducting specific research activities such as experimental design, implementation of research experiment, IPM and scouting, disease diagnosis, data collection and statistical analysis, and report preparation. Moreover, the gradaute studentsgained insightful experiences in interdisciplinary collaborations by attending the project meetings and working with the project team. We also hosted an undergraduate summer research intern at the University of Florida to engage the student in carrying out an independent study as part of the high tunnel organic tomato production trial. Other undergraduate research assistants involved in the project were also well engaged during the research trials to help grow their interest in scientific research with basic skill development. Some of the project results have been incorporated into the class content for undergraduate and graduate courses on organic horticulture and biological control of arthropods and weeds at the University of Florida and Florida A&M University. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We invited our stakeholder collaborators to visit the high tunnel tomato planting date trial during the production season at PSREU (Citra, FL). The project has been discussed during county-level meetings with growers in GA. Project information was also disseminated at science festival, grower conference, workshop, and field day, including Tallahassee Science Festival, Tallahassee, FL (October 28, 2017), Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, Savannah, GA (January 12, 2018), Vineyard Management, IPM and Pesticide Safety Workshop, Florida A&M University Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research, Tallahassee, FL (February 21, 2018), and Spring Farm Fest Field Day, Florida A&M University Research and Extension Center, Quincy, FL (June 9, 2018). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Some experimental samples and research data from this project period will continue to be analyzed and compiled during the next reporting period and research findings will be presented at the professional conferences and meetings with growers and extension agents. We will continue our monthly project meetings to help with project coordination and implementation. Research trials and activities planned for different objectives will be performed during the 2018-2019 production season, and project dissemination activities such as workshop and field day will be planned accordingly. We will assemble our advisory panel and host our first advisory panel meeting. Our first research assessment will also be conducted in Citra, FL during the next reporting period. We will continue to take photos of the biological research trials and begin to produce videos for project assessment and dissemination. In addition, we plan to create and launch our virtual field day.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Research objectives 1, 2, and 3: Assess the efficacy of environmental control measures on organic vegetable production under high tunnels; Optimize planting time for high-tunnel produced organic vegetables; Determine the influence of integrated nutrient management practices on nutrient use efficiency and soil quality in high tunnel organic vegetable production. High tunnel construction took place at the University of Florida, Florida A&M University, and University of Georgia research sites at the beginning of the project before carrying out the high tunnel organic vegetable production studies. The research trial planting schedules were adjusted accordingly to cope with the delay encountered in high tunnel installation. Monthly project meetings were used as an effective management tool to facilitate the development of this multi-regional integrated project. High tunnels were prepared and mist systems installed in August 2018 in two certified organic high tunnels in Watkinsville, GA. One high tunnel received shade cloth, while the other did not. Within each high tunnel there will be two planting dates and two treatments (misted and non-misted) arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Six vegetable crops (arugula, basil, carrot, spinach, beets, and cilantro) will be planted during the fall trial reflecting the range of crops grown by local growers. Plants will be transplanted/seeded in tunnels in late September and early October to reflect early fall planting dates experiencing heat stress. Three standard 30 ft × 72 ft high tunnels were built on a certified organic research site in spring and summer 2018 at the University of Georgia in Tifton, GA in order to start the planting date research in fall 2018. Tomato and lettuce transplants were started and will be planted in October 2018. A PhD student has started in August 2018 to lead efforts for this objective. A 3-bay high tunnel (30 ft × 84 ft each bay) was installed on the certified organic land at the University of Florida Plant Science Research and Education Unit (PSREU) in Citra, FL in fall 2017 for the spring tomato planting date trial. Two grape tomato cultivars, including one determinate cultivar and one indeterminate cultivar, were used and plants were transplanted on January 29 and March 9, 2018, respectively. Both grafted (with 3 different tomato hybrid rootstocks) and non-grafted plants were grown. A split plot design with four replications was employed, with planting date as the whole plot factor and tomato cultivar and grafting combinations randomized in the subplots. Data loggers were installed to monitor temperature and light conditions inside the high tunnel. Tomato fruit were harvested twice a week, and marketable and unmarketable fruit number and weight were recorded. Plant growth characteristics were assessed after the final harvest for each planting date. Tomato fruit were also sampled during the growing season for quality assessment. Our preliminary results showed that early planting was more advantageous than late planting in high tunnel systems for spring tomato production in terms of plant health and tomato fruit yield. Following the tomato trial, a cowpea cover crop was planted in the high tunnels in mid-August 2018 to initiate the high tunnel nutrient management study for fall 2018. A PhD student was recruited in summer 2018 with the dissertation project focused on the integrated nutrient management research objective. A 30 ft × 80 ft tropical gutter connect screenhouse structure with insect netting was installed at the Florida A&M University Research and Extension Center in Quincy, FL in April 2018. The structure's recommended use includes commercial vegetable and high tunnel production. Upper and lower ridge (roof) is covered in greenhouse plastic, and a 2.5 ft × 80 ft vent runs the length of the upper and lower ridges. The ridge vent allows for passive roof top venting of hot air. Indoor shade overhead and drip irrigation has been installed to one-half of the structure growing area. Plantings of bok choy, mustard greens, and romaine lettuce were demonstrated for the spring field day. The leafy vegetables were grown on the irrigated half of the structure and a buckwheat cover crop was planted on the other half of the structure for crop rotation. Research objectives 4 and 5: Monitor and characterize plant pathogens infecting high priority organic high tunnel crops; Monitor population of arthropod pests and beneficials in high tunnel organic vegetable cropping systems. Plant samples were collected from the PSREU experimental high tunnels (Citra, FL) during the spring tomato trial and from the leafy green trial in the tropical gutter connect high tunnel (Quincy, FL). However, no pathogens of interest were observed. Biological organisms found were not plant pathogens, and the plant and fruit damages were attributed to insect problems. A preliminary biweekly sampling of the high tunnel organic tomato trial was conducted at PSREU from March 23 to July 27, 2018. Five yellow sticky cards and five 12-ounce yellow plastic bowls with soapy water were placed at alternating treatments per row. Traps were distributed on the morning of the sampling date and collected three days later. Tomatoes were also scouted for general pest pressure during the site visits. Due to the high sample volume, detailed summaries of samples detected by date are in preparation. From a pest perspective, thrips were the most numerous insect pest in the early season. Whiteflies predominated around May 21, 2018 and continued into the later date. Spider mites were more problematic in June and July. Objective 6: Develop cultural and biological alternatives for managing whiteflies and aphids. Sweetpotato whitefly and aphids are the major insect pests in horticultural crops in north Florida. Cultural control of these invasive insects is a sustainable management tool to mitigate the damage to organic vegetable crops in high tunnels. Attractive refuge plants such as marigold, basil, dill, and sweet alyssum were planted in the tropical screenhouse structure at the Florida A&M University Research and Extension Center (Quincy) in summer 2018. These plants are expected to enhance populations of beneficial insects that may reduce the numbers of whiteflies and aphids. Buckwheat cover crop was also planted in the screenhouse to reduce soil nematodes, increase fertility of the soil, and improve biological control in the system. Population densities of insects throughout the season were monitored by taking weekly samples of sticky traps, pitfall traps (for soil insects), and leaf counts. Data from the latter sampling methods continue to be processed and recorded. Preliminary results indicated that sweetpotato whiteflies, aphids, and thrips were the common insect pests in mustard and buckwheat plants. The beneficial insects or natural enemies of the insect pests collected were mainly big-eyed bugs and ladybeetles. In addition, attractive refuge flowering plants were also planted outside the screenhouse (marigold, milkweed, sunflower, commercial mix of flowering plants) to attract natural insect enemies and pollinators. Objective 7: Analyze on-farm economic viability of high tunnel organic vegetable production and identify the factors influencing high tunnel adoption among organic growers. We are currently developing the budget to estimate the costs of high tunnel systems including the construction and maintenance costs for different types of high tunnels. The established budget sheet will then be sent to collaborators in the project to collect detailed information. The key purpose is to estimate the total high tunnel costs during its lifespan and establish the relationship between costs of construction andthe lifespan of high tunnels.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Zhao, X. and C. Frey. 2018. Growing organic spinach: A research update. Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, Savannah, GA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Zhao, X. and C. Frey. 2018. Organic tomato production: A comparison between high tunnel and open field systems. Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, Savannah, GA.