Project Overview
Information Products
Commodities
- Vegetables: other
- Additional Plants: ornamentals
Practices
- Crop Production: intercropping, multiple cropping
- Education and Training: extension, networking, on-farm/ranch research
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity
- Sustainable Communities: new business opportunities
Abstract:
Edible flowers are an emerging market with an anticipated growth rate of 4.7% in the coming years (Pires et al. 2023). Countries in Europe and South America have tapped into this market as a secondary crop for vegetable growers, but North America has yet to fully capitalize (Fernandes et. al 2019, Pires et. al 2023). A lack of infrastructure and regulation has led to knowledge gaps in cultivation methods such as pest control. A popular sustainable approach for pest management is intercropping diverse species such as flowers and vegetables. Our proposed work will analyze the effectiveness of intercropping edible flowers with zucchini. Research Objective 1 looked at the impacts on yield and pest pressure of the edible flowers and zucchini when intercropped and the impact on the edible flowers' phytochemical profiles. Our partnership with a local producer, Dandelion Farms, provided a real-world setting for trialing this approach and an avenue for producer-level feedback. Research Objective 2 involved a sensory discrimination test in which we tested if intercropping affects the sensory components of the zucchini and flowers. Our first educational study, Education Objective 1, provided information on edible flower sales demographics in US farmers markets. Finally, Education Objectives 2 and 3 were dissemination methods for our research team to share our findings from the other objectives through educational materials such as extension articles, an open-access journal, and presentations to local communities. Our study's results on crop yields and pest damage while providing a secondary source of income will attract Western region growers to expand the North American edible flower market through intercropping.
Project objectives:
Research Objective 1: Evaluated the impact that intercropping edible flowers with zucchini haon yields and pest pressure of the crops and phytochemical profiles of the edible flowers.
Research Objective 2: Evaluated if intercropping and monoculture production methods had an impact on sensory taste attributes.
Education Objective 1: Utilized a voluntary opinion study to assess demographics of the sale of edible flowers in farmer markets across the U.S.
Education Objective 2: Educated local growers, agricultural stakeholders, and the public about the benefits of edible flowers and intercropping them with vegetable crops through educational materials such as extension articles and an open-access journal article.
Education Objective 3: Educated local farmers, agricultural stakeholders, and the public about the benefits of edible flowers and intercropping them with vegetable crops through presentations.