Surveying North American specialty crop growers’ current use of soilless substrates and future research and education needs

Authors: FIELDS, JEB - LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AGCENTER; Owen Jr, James - Jim; LAMM, ALEXA - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA; Altland, James; JACKSON, BRIAN - NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY; OKI, LORENCE - UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS; SAMTANI, JAYESH - VIRGINIA TECH; ZHENG, YOUBIN - UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH; CRISCIONE, KRISTOPHER - LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AGCENTER

Submitted to: Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/29/2023
Publication Date: 8/31/2023
Citation: Fields, J.S., Owen Jr, J.S., Lamm, A., Altland, J.E., Jackson, B., Oki, L., Samtani, J., Zheng, Y., Criscione, K.S. 2023. Surveying North American specialty crop growers’ current use of soilless substrates and future research and education needs. Agriculture. 13(9). Article #1727. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13091727.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13091727

Interpretive Summary: Production of specialty crops in containers is becoming essential in North America and beyond as a way to provide food (i.e., fruits and vegetables), improve human wellness (i.e., ornamentals and therapeutic gardens), and support functional ecosystem services (i.e., ecological restoration). Specialty crop producers that traditionally produce crops in-ground are shifting to production in containers using soilless culture systems due to (1) the diminishing availability of resources (e.g., arable land and fresh water), (2) reduction in available pesticides (e.g., fumigants) and subsequent increases in pest pressure, (3) increasing efforts to minimize distances to marketplaces, (4) offsetting food-deserts (i.e., urbanization), (5) the need for flexibility in an evolving global marketplace (i.e., genetically modified crops and advances in production management methods), (6) global pandemics driving the demand for more specialty crops (i.e., COVID-19), and (7) extreme weather caused by global climate change. In view of these shifts, there has been an increase in U.S. specialty crop sales by 18% over the last decade, and soilless substrate use is predicted to increase > 400% world-wide. . The objective of this study was to determine the research and educational needs of specialty crop growers who are transitioning or considering a transition to soilless substrates. North American specialty crop growers were surveyed from September through November 2020 using an online instrument that included 23 separate questions and incorporated Likert-type statement matrices, open-ended questions, and demographic questions. After the survey data was collected, two virtually led focus groups were conducted to further expand upon the quantitative findings with descriptive data. Respondents indicated the most important factors in considering whether to adopt soilless substrates were improving overall plant quality, disease management, and reduction in crop loss. The most important research needs were understanding the effects of substrates on crop quality and uniformity, fertilizer management, and economic costs and benefits/ return on investment. In both the grower survey and focus groups, crop quality and uniformity were amongst the highest scored responses. Food safety, disease and pest management, consumer perception, substrate disposal related issues, transportation, and return-on-investment were also identified as important factors when considering soilless substrates. The results of the survey and focus groups demonstrated that research is needed to successfully assist the specialty crop industry already utilizing or transitioning into soilless culture. This research needs to be focused, but applicable to ensure it will best support grower needs. Moreover, it is imperative that research and extension professionals continue to build bridges and develop outreach efforts with growers, to train, educate, and share knowledge so that the work done will continue to be impactful.

Technical Abstract: Many specialty crop growers are beginning to transition high-value crops from in-ground soil production to soilless culture due to diminishing availability of fumigants, increasing pest pressure, extreme weather caused by climate change, and the need for flexible production practices. While soilless substrates have been used for decades in greenhouse vegetable, floriculture, and nursery production, they are not necessarily engineered to meet the specific needs of new and transitioning crops. Furthermore, substrate manufacturers are not familiar with the needs of new customers attempting to adapt soilless substrates to new crops or cropping systems. The objective of this study was to determine the research and educational needs of specialty crop growers who are transitioning or considering a transition to soilless substrates. North American specialty crop growers were surveyed from September through November 2020 using an online instrument that included 23 separate questions and incorporated Likert-type statement matrices, open-ended questions, and demographic questions. After the survey data was collected, two virtually led focus groups were conducted to further expand upon the quantitative findings with descriptive data. The qualitative data were also used for triangulation purposes. Respondents indicated the most important factors in considering whether to adopt soilless substrates were improving overall plant quality, disease management, and reduction in crop loss. The most important research needs were understanding the effects of substrates on crop quality and uniformity, fertilizer management, and economic costs and benefits/ return on investment. In both the grower survey and focus groups, crop quality and uniformity were amongst the highest scored responses. Food safety, disease and pest management, consumer perception, substrate disposal related issues, transportation, and return-on-investment were also identified as important factors when considering soilless substrates. Survey results indicated that while only certain crops and certain phases of production within those crops are considering transition to soilless substrates, manufacturers of substrates will have to expand to support new and/or transitioning growers.