Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences: 1. High tunnel organic farmers of Florida 2. High tunnel farmers of Puerto Rico 3. Other small-scale vegetable farmers of Puerto Rico 4. Students of the University of Puerto Rico at Utuado Efforts: Virtual workshops, educational publications, farm visits and educational modules. Changes/Problems:Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several project activities were delayed and/or had to be modified. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Dr. Ramos participated in the following training and professional development activities. I. Training activities 1. Training in high tunnel vegetable production. 2. Training in organic production of small fruits and vegetables 3. Training in horticulture research methods 4. Introduction to Horticulture Therapy UF course 5. Training in working with human subjects 6. Training in online education 7. Training in using case studies for education II. Professional development activities A. Conferences 1. UF Coffee Research Symposium 2. UF Emerging Enterprises Summit B. Visits 1. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services-Division of Plant Industry:Entomology and Nematology laboratories,Insect collections, andBiological control facilities 2. UF North Florida Research and Education Center 3. UF Nematology Laboratory 4. UF Biosecurity Research & Extension Laboratory 5. Horticulture Teaching Laboratory (multiple visits) 6. UF Plant Science Research and Education Unit (multiple visits) C. Periodical activities 1. UF Department of Entomology and Nematology Seminar Series 2. Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center, T. C. Emmel Seminar Series 3. Entomologists weekly Spanish lunch 4. Zhao's Lab bi-weekly meeting 5. High Tunnel Project monthly meeting How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project results were disseminated through farm visits, virtual workshops, and an educational publication. A results workshop will take place on Spring 2022 at UPRU's Tierra Adentro Farm Festival. This event was not held on 2020 or 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact This FASE project supported the sabbatical research of Dr. Mariangie Ramos. Dr. Ramos is a professor in the Department Agricultural Technology at the University of Puerto Rico-Utuado (UPRU). UPRU is a small Hispanic Serving Institution that serves students mainly from rural communities of the island. As part of the project, Dr. Ramos collaborated as a visiting professor in the research laboratory of Dr. Xin Zhao at the University of Florida. This experience was transformative for Dr. Ramos. At UF, she was able to meet with researchers, graduate students, extensionists and Florida farmers that work with high tunnel vegetable production. She significantly increased her knowledge about high tunnel production in the US. Dr. Ramos shared this new knowledge with farmers and students in Puerto Rico. Outreach activities included virtual workshops, educational modules, farm visits and an educational publication. After workshops, participants indicated that they increased their knowledge about high tunnels. I. Goal 1: Contribute to current efforts of University of Florida researchers in improving high tunnel organic vegetable production for small-scale farmers in the Southeast. Objective 1 andObjective 2 Two approaches were used to achieve Objective 1 and Objective 2. First, UF Extension County Offices were contacted by email to identify Florida counties high tunnel vegetable production occurs. Seventeen agents responded. Most mentioned that there is little or no high tunnel vegetable production in their county. Afterwards, four extension agents were interviewed. They identified the following pests as problematic in high tunnel vegetable production: stink bugs, leaf-footed bugs, flea beetles, mites, aphids, whiteflies, and lepidopteran larvae. They also identified the following disease problems: damping off, powdery mildew and root nematodes. The application of pesticides was the management practice most observed by agents. The second approach was to conduct in-farm farmer interviews. A questionnaire and research protocol were developed in collaboration with UF faculty and graduate students. The research project was approved as exempt by UF IRB. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the in-farm interviews had to be cancelled, and distance technologies were used. Only one Florida farmer completed the questionnaire, even though several agreed to participate. The farmer identified flea hoppers as his main pest in high tunnels. He uses commercial insecticide brands with pyrethrin as active ingredient, and the use of biological fungicides withThrichodermasp. to protect roots. The key outcome of these two objectives was a change in knowledge about the pest, diseases, and their management in high tunnels of Florida. Objective 3 andObjective 4 To achieve Objective 3 and 4, three literature reviews were conducted. One was about high tunnel production. The second one was about pests, diseases, and their management in high tunnel vegetable production. The third literature review was about organic slug management, which can be important pests in Florida and Puerto Rico. The database Web of Science was used for the literature reviews. The first two literature reviews were used to create educational resources. Two educational modules and one educational publication were developed. In addition, the PD contributed to an extension manuscript about organic disease management in high tunnel tomato production that is being developed by members of Dr. Zhao's laboratory. The literature review about slug management was published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems on May 2021. This information was also used to develop and educational module about organic slug management.The key outcome of these two objectives was a change in knowledge about high tunnels and organic pest management practices available for high tunnels. II. Goal 2: Foster significant learning of high tunnel methods in small-scale farmers and agriculture students of Puerto Rico. Objective 5 The research protocol and questionnaire used for Objective 1, were also used in Puerto Rico. The questionnaire was translated to Spanish. During Year 1 of the project, distance technologies were used to conduct the interviews because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During Year 2 (No-cost extension), interviews were conducted in person following COVID-19 prevention guidelines. A total of 18 farmers with high tunnels were interviewed in Puerto Rico. Most farmers (15) received funding from USDA-NRCS to build their high tunnels, and have been using them for less than five years. All farmers described growing crops under high tunnels as a positive experience. Farmers consider that certain crops grow better under high tunnel conditions compared to open field, including tomato, cilantro, recao (Eryngium foetidum), salad greens, peppers and cucumber. Anotherbenefit that farmers observed of high tunnels is the absence of some pests, such as the green iguana. Farmers also identified several constraints of growing vegetables under high tunnels. They mentioned that using high tunnels requires more learning than planting in the open field. Several farmers also mentioned temperature and humidity management as constraints. Four farmers were worried that pollinators and other beneficial insects could not enter the high tunnel. Three farmers mentioned that soil management can be challenging in high tunnels. The key outcome of Objective 5 was a change in knowledge about constraints faced by interviewed farmers with high tunnels in Puerto Rico. Objective 6 Two virtual workshops about high tunnels were facilitated to participants in Puerto Rico. The workshops were originally planned to be in person, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the workshops were held virtually. The first workshop was an introduction to the new NRCS-Caribbean guidelines for high tunnels. It was held on April 2021, and the main speaker was NRCS-Caribbean Area State Agronomist, Edrick Marrero. This workshop had 67 participants, even though 210 registered for the event. Fifty-three participants completed the post-workshop survey, and indicated they increased their knowledge of high tunnels because of the workshop. Forty-six participants were interested in acquiring high tunnels for their farms. The second virtual workshop was about high tunnel experiences and innovations in Florida. It was held on June 2021, and the main speaker was Dr. Xin Zhao, from the University of Florida. This workshop had 22 participants. In the post-workshop survey all participants indicated they learned new techniques that they would like to apply in their projects.The key outcome of Objective 6 was a change in knowledge in participants about NRCS high tunnel guidelines, and about high tunnel innovations in Florida. Objective 7 Three educational modules about high tunnels were developed. The first one was an "Introduction to high tunnels" module developed for the course TPAG3019 of the University of Puerto Rico-Utuado. The second one was about disease management in high tunnels, used in the course AGSU3112 of the University of Puerto Rico-Utuado. The third was about organic slug management used in the course AGSU3111 of the University of Puerto Rico-Utuado. In addition, Dr. Ramos gave a virtual workshop about high tunnels to students of UPR-Utuado and UPR-Mayaguez on June 2021. During year 1 of the project, Dr. Ramos met regularly with Dr. Zhao to discuss collaboration ideas. On November 2020,Dr. Ramos participated as a guest lecturer in Dr. Zhao's course HOS 3285. Dr. Ramos also collaborated in the writing of two proposals of Dr. Zhao, including one to improve distance education technologies using case studies. During Year 2, Dr. Ramos and Dr. Zhao agreed to continue collaborating in future projects about research experiences and experiential learning for undergraduate agriculture students. The key outcome of Objective 7 was an increase in resources about high tunnels at UPR-Utuado.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Ramos M, Gomes SR, Gutierrez Y, Ramos-Rodriguez O and Uzeda MC (2021) Terrestrial Slugs in Neotropical Agroecosystems. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 5:656492. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.656492
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Ramos M (2021) Túneles Altos. University of Puerto Rico, Utuado, Puerto Rico. Available online: https://sites.google.com/view/puertorico-ag-inthe-classroom/recursos-adicionales?authuser=0
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences reached during this reporting period: 1. High tunnel organic farmers of Florida 2. High tunnel farmers of Puerto Rico Changes/Problems:The project requested a No-Cost Extension of 12 months in order to complete project activities that could not be completed due to COVID-19. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Dr. Ramos participated in the following training and professional development activities during the reporting period. Training activities Training in high tunnel vegetable production. Training in organic production of small fruits and vegetables Training in horticulture research methods Introduction to Horticulture Therapy UF course Training in working with human subjects Training in online education Training in using case studies for education Professional development activities Conferences UF Coffee Research Symposium UF Emerging Enterprises Summit Visits Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services-Division of Plant Industry Entomology and Nematology laboratories Insect collections Biological control Facilities UF North Florida Research and Education Center UF Nematology Laboratory UF Biosecurity Research & Extension Laboratory Horticulture Teaching Laboratory (multiple visits) UF Plant Science Research and Education Unit (multiple visits) Periodical activities UF Department of Entomology and Nematology Seminar Series Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center, T. C. Emmel Seminar Series Entomologists weekly Spanish lunch Zhao's Lab bi-weekly meeting High Tunnel Project monthly meeting How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Because of COVID-19, results will be disseminated to communities of interest during the next reporting period. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Activities to be completed during the next reporting period: Continue farmer interviews (Florida and Puerto Rico) Data analysis Farmer workshops Publication of two extension articles Dissemination of three educational modules Publication of one literature review Presentation of project results in American Horticultural Society (AHS) Annual Meeting Collaboration Agreement
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact During the reporting period, this FASE Strengthening project supported the sabbatical research of Dr. Mariangie Ramos. Dr. Ramos collaborated as a visiting professor in the research laboratory of Dr. Xin Zhao at the University of Florida. This experience was transformative for Dr. Ramos. At UF, she was able to meet with researchers, graduate students, extensionists and Florida farmers that work with high tunnel vegetable production. In addition, she had access to UF facilities, including the library, research and teaching laboratories, and experimental stations. She significantly increased her knowledge about high tunnel production in the US, especially the Southeast, and in other countries. Dr. Ramos is happy to share this new knowledge in Puerto Rico. Dr. Ramos is a professor in the Department Agricultural Technology at the University of Puerto Rico-Utuado (UPRU). UPRU is a small Hispanic Serving Institution that serves students mainly from rural communities of the island. During the next reporting period, she will: continue to interview Florida and Puerto Rico farmers, facilitate farmers' workshops in Florida and Puerto Rico, share three educational modules about high tunnel vegetable production, and publish two extension publications in collaboration with Dr. Zhao. Below are the activities completed for each objective during this reporting period. Objectives 1. Identify pest and disease problems faced by small-scale farms with high tunnels in Florida. Two approaches were used to achieve Objective 1. First, UF Extension County Offices were contacted by email to identify in which Florida counties high tunnel vegetable production occurs. Based on their responses, four extension agents were interviewed. They identified the following pests as problematic in high tunnel vegetable production: stink bugs, leaf-footed bugs, flea beetles, mites, aphids, whiteflies, and lepidopteran larvae. They also identified the following disease problems: damping off, powdery mildew and root nematodes. The second approach was to conduct farmer interviews. A questionnaire and research protocol was developed in collaboration with UF faculty and graduate students. The research project was approved as exempt by UF IRB. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews had to be conducted through distance technologies. Interviews and data analyses will continue in the next reporting period. Preliminary results show that farmers identified flea hoppers and mites as the main pests in high tunnels vegetable production. 2. Determine current pest and disease management practices used in small-scale farms with high tunnels in Florida. The approaches described above for Objective 1 were also followed for Objective 2. Preliminary results show that application of pesticides was the management practice most commonly mentioned. Organic farmers mentioned the use of commercial insecticide brands with pyrethrins or spinosad as active ingredients, and the use of biological fungicides with Thrichoderma sp. to protect roots. 3. Review innovative organic agriculture methods for the management of important pests and diseases present in high tunnels of Florida. Two systematic literature reviews were conducted during the reporting period. The first one was about pests, diseases and their management in high tunnel vegetable production. The information gathered in this literature review is being used in the preparation of two extension publications (see Objective 4). The second literature review was about organic slug management. The abstract of this second literature review was accepted for publication in a special issue of Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 4. Create educational resources about high tunnels for farmers in Spanish and English. During the reporting period, the PI worked in the preparation of two extension publications for the UF/IFAS Extension Electronic Data Information Source (EDIS). The PI is the lead author in the publication about organic pest management in high tunnel vegetable production. The second publication is about organic disease management in high tunnel tomato production. Both publications will become available in the next reporting period. 5. Determine the main constraints faced by small-scale farms with high tunnels in Puerto Rico. The research approach described above in Objective 1, was also followed in Puerto Rico. The questionnaire was translated to Spanish. Also, distance technologies were used because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews and data analyses will continue in the next reporting period. Preliminary results show that all farmers received funding from USDA-NRCS to build their high tunnels. They identified high temperatures as one of the biggest constraints of high tunnel production in Puerto Rico. Farmers mentioned whiteflies, lepidopteran larvae, and leafminers as their main pest problems in high tunnel vegetable production. However, they have observed pest damage is less within high tunnels than in open field production. 6. Communicate the experience of small-scale farmers with high tunnels in Florida to Puerto Rican farmers. Because of COVID-19, the farmer workshops were postponed to June 2021. USDA-NRCS Caribbean Area personnel, and UPR-Mayaguez colleagues (that currently study high tunnel vegetable production) have agreed to participate in the workshops. 7. Develop educational modules about high tunnels, and collaborative opportunities for undergraduate students of UPR-Utuado and UF. Dr. Ramos participated as a guest lecturer in Dr. Zhao's course HOS 3285 "The Organic Debate: Organic Agriculture Development and Regulations". Three educational modules were developed and will be used during the next reporting period. Dr. Ramos also collaborated in the writing of two proposals with Dr. Zhao, including one to improve distance education technologies using case studies (for UF institutional funding). The collaboration agreement will be developed during the next reporting period.
Publications
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