ORGANIC FRUIT PRODUCTION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH AND OUTREACH

A multi-disciplinary team of scientists, educators and extension outreach specialists at the University of Arkansas and other southern region US states have worked collaboratively to understand issues related to organic fruit production. Historically, Arkansas and the southern region were important producers of apple and fruit for the US market. During the past several decades production acreage and markets have changed significantly. Although organic fruit production is expanding in other regions of the US, the southern region lags behind. Surveys of faculty, extension workers, and stakeholders have been used to identify challenges and opportunities for organic fruit production in the state and region. It was learned that regionally - developed and tested organic fruit production information is limited and information produced in other regions may be unreliable due to differences in environment and production scale. An attitude that organic fruit cannot be produced in warm, humid climates may be a hindrance to expansion of the organic industry in the region. Opportunities for both research and markets for organic fruit production were identified. Key horticultural questions of study include a systems approach to organic weed control, tree nutrition, crop load management, fruit quality, and cultivars adapted to organic systems and markets.