Development of Organic Production Practices for Pawpaw on Selected Rootstocks

Development of Organic Production Practices for Pawpaw on Selected Rootstocks

Accomplishments/Milestones

Visits to grower planting sites were conducted in February, 2004 to layout orchard designs, collect soil samples, and take digital photographs at each site. Seed from the pawpaw cultivars Sunflower, PA-Golden, and K8-2 and was also sown into 2500 one gallon containers in the greenhouse in February, 2004. In July, 2004, when the rootstocks were about 6 mm in diameter, the resulting seedlings were budded with buds from the pawpaw cultivars Shenandoah, Sunflower, or PA-Golden. Upon evaluation of the trees in September, only about 300 of the buds had successfully taken. The poor success rate in budding may have been due to the declining quality of the budwood used or rootstock/scion incompatibility problems. All trees will be over-wintered and the grafted trees will be used in 2005 to establish an experiment to determine the optimal rate of organic nitrogen for pawpaw tree growth, a flame cultivation experiment, and a rootstock trial. The seedlings that were not successful budded will be over-wintered until February, 2005, placed in greenhouses, and budded again in May, 2005. A pawpaw workshop was held on September 11, 2004 at the KSU Research Farm in Frankfort, Kentucky. Approximately 100 people, including tobacco farmers, producers for farmer’s markets, home gardeners, university faculty and members of the press, attended the workshop; they were from 13 states as well as Germany. There was a Propagation Roundtable that discussed seedling and clonal propagation methods used in this SARE study, as well as a demonstration on how to bud pawpaw rootstock. Growers involved with the SARE study held a roundtable discussion during the workshop. Participants tasted over 20 pawpaw fruit varieties, toured the Kentucky State University orchards and sampled pawpaw ice cream. A web site describing the project has been constructed and can be found at: http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/sare.htm

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

With the end of the tobacco support system, many small family farmers in the southeastern United States are attempting to find alternative crops for their long-term economic viability. Pawpaw has great potential for farmers in this region as a high-value fruit crop for processing and fresh market sales. Little information concerning organic production of pawpaw is currently available. Development of organic production recommendations would allow growers to facilitate fruit production and assist in the development of pawpaw as a niche organic crop. The development of rootstocks that will lead to early fruit production of pawpaw cultivars, about 3 years after planting instead of 4 to 5 years, will assist in the development of pawpaw as a commercially viable crop. Development of organic orchard management methods will allow farmers to adopt economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible practices. Workshops held to discuss organic pawpaw growing will provide farmers with the knowledge to successfully grow and market pawpaw as a new niche crop.

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