Abstract Organic agriculture continues to expand rapidly in the United States, yet production in the Southeastern United States (SE) lags behind other regions despite strong consumer demand and favorable market conditions. This forum paper synthesizes findings from a regional expert assessment aimed at identifying key challenges and research priorities for advancing organic agriculture in the SE. An online survey of 33 organic agriculture researchers, Extension specialists, and farmer‐support professionals across nine SE states was used to rank production and non‐production constraints and to develop strategic recommendations. The identified challenges were discussed and verified at a regional symposium. Experts ranked pest management (weeds, diseases, and insects) as the highest production priority (65%, 65%, and 55%, respectively). Additional challenges ranked important by respondents included adapting to climate variability (precipitation) (45%), access to organic seed (45%), maintaining soil fertility (35%), and managing soil health constraints in highly weathered, low‐organic matter soils (32%). Experts consistently ranked access to capital, labor, and land (100%, 83%, and 77%, respectively) as the highest priority non‐production challenges. These were followed by high‐priority challenges of farm infrastructure, managing production and input costs, accessing value‐added organic processing, organic certification costs, and farm business planning (47%, 47%, 47%, and 40%, respectively) as barriers for SE organic production persistence and transition. Collectively, these constraints reflect the interacting biophysical, sociopolitical, and structural challenges shaping organic agriculture in the region. Based on these findings, we outline priority strategies for strengthening SE organic agriculture, including sustained investment in region‐specific research and Extension, expanded collaboration between universities and farmer organizations, targeted pest and soil fertility research, regionally adapted organic crop breeding, tailored certification training, and enhanced organic‐certified postharvest and processing infrastructure. We argue that coordinated, long‐term investments, and participatory research approaches are essential for overcoming persistent barriers, improving farm resilience, and enabling the SE to more fully contribute to national organic production, rural economic development, and agroecological sustainability.

Alternaria leaf blight is a persistent and economically damaging foliar disease of cultivated carrot in Florida, capable of causing disease severity up to 95% and leading to significant yield loss through defoliation and mechanical harvest failure. This publication provides commercial carrot producers, county Extension faculty, crop consultants, and other agricultural professionals with current information on the disease. Integrated management strategies are detailed, including cultural controls, certified seed selection, and specific fungicide programs tailored for both conventional and USDA-certified organic production systems. Emphasis is placed on proper disease diagnosis and fungicide resistance management to assist producers in making effective management decisions.

The Southern Cover Crop Variety Trial included 20 entries (4 brassica, 8 cereal, and 8 legume varieties) evaluated at 8 sites across 7 states (AL, FL, KY, SC, GA, TN, LA). Variety performance is given across and by location for each measured variable. Data were collected at establishment, in fall, winter, early spring (pre-corn), and late spring (pre-soybean).

Like everything for the past 2 centuries, agriculture has depended increasingly on fossil fuel energy. Pressures to shift to renewable energy and changes in the fossil fuel industry are set to massively alter the energy landscape over the next 30 years. Two near-certainties are increased overall prices and/or decreased stability of energy supplies. The impacts of these upheavals on specialty crop production and consumption are unknowable in detail but the grand lines of what will likely change can be foreseen. This foresight can guide the research, extension, and teaching needed to successfully navigate a future very unlike the recent past. Major variables that will influence outcomes include energy use in fertilizer manufacture, in farm operations, and in haulage to centers of consumption. Taking six increasingly popular fruit and vegetable crops and the top two horticultural production states as examples, here we use simple proxies for the energy requirements (in gigajoules per ton of produce) of fertilizer, farm operations, and truck transport from Florida or California to New York to compare the relative sizes of these requirements. Trucking from California is the largest energy requirement in all cases, and three times larger than from Florida. As these energy requirements themselves are all fairly fixed, but in future will likely rise in price and/or be subject to interruptions and shortages, this pilot study points to two commonsense inferences: First, that fruit and vegetable production and consumption are set to reposition to more local/regional and seasonal patterns due to increasing expenses associated with fuel, and second, that coast-to-coast produce shipment by truck will become increasingly expensive and difficult.

This trial covers a broad region of the Southeast, with sites in TN, KY, AR, NC, SC, VA, AL, GA, FL, and TX. In 2024, 20 varieties were evaluated, including daikon radish (1), cereal rye (2), oat (6), triticale (1), balansa clover (1), berseem clover (1), crimson clover (3), Persian clover (1), red clover (1), common vetch (1), and hairy vetch (1). Establishment, cover, weed suppression, biomass, height, nitrogen release, and forage nutritive values were evaluated in early and late spring.

Healthy lifestyles, victory gardens, and Blue Zones are familiar terms to most, and each incorporates a holistic approach to human well-being. The therapeutic and nutritional benefits of gardening have long been recognized. After World War I, many service members were treated using horticulture therapy methods. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals and families turned to gardening as a source of supplemental food and physical and emotional wellness. The benefits of gardening, however, go beyond promoting physical health; they promote a healthful lifestyle. This is a holistic term which encompasses several dimensions of your life, including the spiritual, emotional, physical, intellectual, financial, social, and environmental dimensions (Lynch et al., 2021). This publication is a basic guide to incorporating gardening into your lifestyle including planning, planting, and harvesting considerations.

In the spring and fall, carefully prepared trays of young vegetable plants grace garden centers everywhere, signaling the start of garden season. Many times, the varieties available in retail centers are not the best-tasting or best-adapted varieties for our area. Starting your own vegetable transplants is fun and easy. This publication provides considerations and best practices for selecting the best crops to transplant and how to prepare transplants for home and community gardens in Florida. Original version: Stephens, James M. (1994) Starting the Garden with Transplants. Fact Sheet HS-507, April 1994. Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Gainesville, FL

Organic peach production systems in Florida are an attractive option for farmers selling direct-to-consumer, including U-Pick operations. Profitability is contingent upon appropriate cultivar selection, efficient nutrient and water management, preventative pest management, and selling fruit for a price premium during the early market window. This comprehensive 14-page fact sheet includes evidence- and producer-based best practice recommendations and is designed for small- and mid-size farm operators who are certified organic or who desire to use organic practices. Written by David Campbell, Danielle Treadwell, Ali Sarkhosh, Oscar E. Liburd, and Jeff Brecht, and published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1447

In recent decades, increasing attention has been paid to food safety and organic horticulture. Thus, people are looking for natural products to manage plant diseases, pests, and weeds. Essential oils (EOs) or EO-based products are potentially promising candidates for biocontrol agents due to their safe, bioactive, biodegradable, ecologically, and economically viable properties. Born of necessity or commercial interest to satisfy market demand for natural products, this emerging technology is highly anticipated, but its application has been limited without the benefit of a thorough analysis of the scientific evidence on efficacy, scope, and mechanism of action. This review covers the uses of EOs as broad-spectrum biocontrol agents in both preharvest and postharvest systems. The known functions of EOs in suppressing fungi, bacteria, viruses, pests, and weeds are briefly summarized. Related results and possible modes of action from recent research are listed. The weaknesses of applying EOs are also discussed, such as high volatility and low stability, low water solubility, strong influence on organoleptic properties, and phytotoxic effects. Therefore, EO formulations and methods of incorporation to enhance the strengths and compensate for the shortages are outlined. This review also concludes with research directions needed to better understand and fully evaluate EOs and provides an outlook on the prospects for future applications of EOs in organic horticulture production.

Fruit bagging is an acceptable cultural practice for organic production that provides a physical barrier to protect fruit. It can reduce pest and pathogen injury for a variety of fruit crops, but quality attributes have been inconsistent for peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] and other bagged fruit. A 2-year experiment on a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic-certified peach orchard in central Florida was conducted to analyze the effects of a commercially available paper bag designed for fruit protection and cardinal quadrant (north, south, east, and west sides) of the tree canopy on low-chill peach `TropicBeauty' fruit quality. Protective bags appeared to delay fruit maturity. Flesh firmness and chlorophyll concentration of bagged fruit were 31% and 27% greater than unbagged fruit, respectively. Bagged fruit were protected as demonstrated with a reduction in mechanical injury by 95%, fruit fly injury by 450%, and scablike lesions by 810%. Bagging reduced fruit brown rot (Monilinia fructicola) at harvest and 7 days after harvest; unbagged fruit were 2 and 3.5 times more likely to have rot at harvest and 7 days after harvest, respectively. Fruit bags did not affect yield, fruit size, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, peel lightness, peel hue angle, or flesh color. Overall, canopy cardinal quadrant location had minimal effect on fruit quality or fruit injury. These results demonstrate that bagging peach fruit protects against various pests and diseases but has minimal effects on fruit quality. Broad adoption of this technology is highly dependent on available labor, market demands, and profitability but may be suitable for producers using direct-to-consumer market channels.

The use of paper or nylon bags (fruit bagging) to surround tree fruit during development provides protection from a variety of pest-disease complexes for peach without yield reduction and different-colored bags have the potential to improve fruit quality based on findings from other crops. An experiment was conducted in 2019 at two locations in central Florida on peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batch] ‘TropicBeauty’ and ‘UFSun’ to analyze the impact of a commercially available white paper fruit bag combined with a photoselective insert. The insert reduced the amount of light outside the spectrum range of interest for blue (400–500 nm), green (500–600 nm), or red (>600 nm) wavebands, or decreased fluence rate with a neutral density black (>725 nm) insert. Relative to ambient, temperature inside all bagging treatments during the daytime hours was increased by 5.1 °C. During the same time, relative humidity was reduced by 10.1%, but calculations revealed that the water vapor pressure was elevated only for treatments that had a plastic colored (blue, green, or red) insert. An orthogonal contrast revealed that the elevated water vapor around the fruit in a colored bag increased the concentration of chlorophyll at harvest but had no effect on other quality parameters. Compared with unbagged fruit, red-bagged fruit were 1.8 times firmer and green-bagged fruit and had a lower peel chroma. White-bagged (without photoselective insert) fruit had similar nutrient concentrations for the peel, flesh, and pit when compared with unbagged fruit. When bags remained on the fruit until harvest, anthocyanin concentration in unbagged fruit peel was double the amount in white bags and 6-fold more than the bags with color inserts. Different-colored bagging treatments did not influence insect attraction or fruit quality parameters, such as fruit size, diameter, difference of absorbance (DA) index, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), pH, peel lightness, peel hue, flesh lightness, flesh hue, or flesh chroma. Relative to full sun, the colored bag treatments allowed between 3.7% (black) and 17.4% (red) of the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Additional research is needed to determine if an increase in fluence rate at specific spectral wavelengths can affect the quality for peach grown in bags in the field.

There is a growing market in the United States and globally for fresh fruits and vegetables with reported health-enhancing properties. This includes blueberries, which are high in antioxidants and have been reported to improve heart health and contain anticancer properties. Fresh-market blueberry sales (conventional and organic) increased by 27% between 2013 and 2017, and that trend is expected to continue. In addition, there is an increasing level of consumer interest in organically grown produce (for environmental conservation, taste, and other perceived benefits), for which some consumers are willing to pay a premium over the price for a conventionally produced crop. This new 8-page publication of the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department discusses various aspects of organic blueberry production in Florida and is intended for use by those currently using or interested in pursuing organic production. Written by Douglas A. Phillips, Peter J. Dittmar, Philip F. Harmon, Oscar E. Liburd, Danielle D. Treadwell, and Jeffrey G. Williamson.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1400

Growing your own Florida vegetable garden can be a rewarding experience with a little planning. This 5-page publication of the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department presents an overview of proper seed selection and planting. It also provides best management practices, as well as relevant terms and methods, for seeding vegetables in home and community gardens. Written by Danielle Treadwell, David Outerbridge, Tabitha Petri, and James M. Stephens.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh026 Original Publication: Stephens, James M. (1994) Seeding the Garden. Fact Sheet HS-506 (March 1994). Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Gainesville FL.

Abstract Organic and conventional production are common in horticulture crops and each system may exert a different influence on the soil ecosystem, particularly the nematode community. Crop nutrient rate is an important choice in both production systems. The objectives of this study were to assess the impacts of (i) organic and conventional production systems and (ii) nutrient rate in both systems on the nematode community in carrot production. To investigate these objectives, field studies in organic and conventional production – which included fumigation with 1,3-dichloropropene – were conducted in North-Central Florida. In both production systems, nutrient rate treatments were 168, 224, 280, 336, and 392 kg N/ha. Poultry litter was the nitrogen source in organic production whereas synthetic, inorganic fertilizer was used in conventional production. All nematode trophic groups were consistently more abundant in organic than conventional production. The nematode community was more diverse and had greater trophic structure in organic production. Greater rates of organic nutrients increased enrichment opportunists (bacterivores and fungivores), but inconsistently across years. Conventional production had similar results except that only moderate nutrient rates increased fungivore abundances. Extreme enrichment opportunists (Rhabditis spp.) drove bacterivore trends in organic production whereas moderate enrichment opportunists (Cephalobus spp.) drove trends in conventional production. Nutrient rates did not affect omnivore-predators, herbivores, nematode community diversity, or structure in either system. In summary, type of production system, organic or conventional, exerts a strong influence on the nematode community, but nutrient rate has less consistent effects in horticulture production.