Oregon’s horticultural industries and gardens include a prolific array of crops, plants, climates, and people interested in a tremendous diversity of enterprises, applications, and activities. Plants and plant communities in urban landscapes, watersheds, parks, golf courses, turf, gardens and arboreta, native plants, streamside gardens, restoration sites, bioswales, and green technologies are used to soften hardscapes and energy requirements, provide ecosystem services, and contribute to human health and the beauty of Oregon. Fruits, vegetables, berries, viticulture, and nuts are produced in desert, Mediterranean, and coastal climates while nursery and landscape plants are grown for diverse markets.

Horticulture faculty contribute to research, teaching, and Extension programs in collaboration with people who share interest or passion about managing plants for human use and enjoyment. Research faculty explore the frontiers of genetics, genomics, molecular biology, physiology, ecology, soils, crop and nutrient management, water quality and conservation, tillage and cropping systems, integrated pest management, and sustainable and organic farming systems. Teaching faculty train students in three options, integrated horticulture production (IHP), turf, and landscape management while others teach graduate courses. Extension faculty deliver educational topics in a variety of formats and research applications within subject matter or commodity areas. We envision these programs contributing to either, Resilient Farm and Food Systems and Ecological Landscapes, themes within the Department of Horticulture.

Our faculty represent 58 individuals in professional and instructor rank positions who work in 23 counties, four branch stations, and the Corvallis campus. Appointments often are split between research and teaching, multi-county Extension programs, disciplines covering multiple commodities, and administration in counties or experiment stations. Also, nine courtesy faculty contribute to horticultural research with USDA appointments and 36 emeritus faculty are involved in statewide activities.