Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture

SEMINAR

Frank Louws NC State University Stakeholder Driven Solutions to Create Opportunities and Address Challenges: The Practice and Science of Grafting Fruiting Vegetables. Fruiting vegetables are an important source of farm income in the US and southeastern USA. Many production systems have historically depended on the use of methyl bromide as a soil fumigant to manage a wide spectrum of soilborne pathogens, nematodes, insects and weeds but this fumigant has been phased out, requiring intensive efforts to evaluate and implement alternative options. In our work, three general approaches were taken: 1) Tactic substitution that addressed short term needs of growers who sought non-ozone depleting fumigant alternatives; 2) Tactic diversification that focused on non-fumigant and IPM based tactics; and 3) Tactic development that advanced long-term goals to explore microbial ecology and farming systems-based approaches to replace fumigant-dependent production systems. Moreover, several pathogens are poorly controlled by fumigants or IPM tactics (e.g. bacterial wilt of tomato, Fusarium pathogens of cucurbits and tomato). Growers also seek efficient use of water, nutrients, and land resources for decreased environmental impact. Market trends are also radically changing. The emerging markets of extended season production using high tunnels, growth in the production of organic produce, use of specialty cultivars and lines such as heirloom vegetables, changing demographics and increased consumer demand of fresh vegetables require new approaches for optimal yield and pathogen control. To address these issues, we formed a national team of experts to amplify the productivity, profitability and sustainability of U.S. fruiting vegetable enterprises by integrating grafting technologies as both sources of income and production tools. The work was stakeholder driven and engaged each sector of the industry including seed companies, robotic/automation experts, nursery transplant growers and vegetable growers. The active project advances the science and practice of grafting and vegetable production. The work advanced grafting technologies to reduce costs of producing and distributing grafted seedlings; integrated discovery-based, applied and on-farm research to optimize field production and postharvest fruit quality outcomes; evaluated economic and social metrics to guide the direction of emerging grafting technology advancements; and translated outcomes to facilitate the application of grafted plants as a significant tool in vegetable crop production. Along the way, multiple new businesses emerged and a cadre of undergrad, graduate students and professionals were trained. December 10, 3:30 pm HORT 117 Reception at 3:10 pm HORT 117 If you are interested in meeting with the speaker, please contact Jennifer Deiser at 41301 or jdeiser@purdue.edu