PRIORITY AREAS FOR DEVELOPING REGIONAL HORTICULTURE

Abstract

The study aims to identify priority areas for developing regional horticulture using the Voronezh region as an example. Innovative horticulture development should be based on three components and implemented in stages: developing horticultural infrastructure, restoring orchard and berry plantation areas, and transitioning to intensive technologies. We identified key industry development directions, including improving cultivation technologies by transitioning to innovative methods; optimizing labor organization and remuneration; diversifying production; developing marketing strategies; and forecasting prospective industry parameters. The types of orchards were systematized as follows: traditional horticulture, intensive horticulture, and high-intensive horticulture. We also identified progressive cultivation technologies for fruit and berry products. Their main features are: efficient use of planting area due to compact tree sizes, planting high-yielding varieties that are resistant to adverse impacts, use of supporting trellis-type structures during planting, high productivity, and a payback period for an intensive orchard of 4 to 6 years, as well as a high level of production profitability. The study focuses on JSC “Ostrogozhsksadpitomnik” in the Ostrogozhsky Municipal District of the Voronezh Region. It proposes two promising intensive garden models for implementation at “Ostrogozhsksadpitomnik”: an intensive orchard on semi-dwarf and dwarf rootstocks, and an intensive orchard on dwarf rootstocks. It also substantiates the costs and intensive technologies for establishing an apple orchard, as well as for planting blueberries and strawberries. We forecasted their yield, the areas considering the introduction of new plantings, and the time it takes for them to reach their fruit-bearing age and reach full production. We also assessed the projected economic efficiency of horticultural production and sales.