Tomato and watermelon can be significantly impacted by Verticillium wilt, a soil-borne disease common throughout Washington. Symptoms impact plants later in development after most production costs have been incurred, resulting in a 25-100% crop loss in some years. Grafting vegetable crops onto resistant rootstock is a cultural control method that provides an organic and sustainable […]
The project addresses the first FY12 program area for biologically intensive and organic approaches to sustainable management of fertility and plant nutrition. The objective of the project is to identify pea lines that can be fall planted and will fix the maximum amount of nitrogen by early spring. Such lines would be suitable for intercropping […]
Our project will conduct a nutritional analysis of the biodiesel byproduct, and complete an economic analysis using the camelina biodiesel byproduct as ruminant feed. The studies contained in this proposal address the 2012 BioAg priority areas: provide information that is critical in utilization of canola and camelina meals in ruminant diets and thereby promoting livestock […]
Only a small percentage of growers practice data-based irrigation management despite the fact that it has been shown to improve crop yields and quality while reducing water use by 15-30%. Optimizing soil moisture through improved irrigation management can also significantly reduce nitrate leaching which contaminates groundwater, reduces soil productivity, and increases the need for artificial […]
Reduced tillage can improve soil quality and reduce fossil fuel use. Adopting reduced tillage in organic production poses challenges because farmers rely on tillage as a primary means of weed management and for incorporating soil amendments to maintain soil fertility and quality. Recent research on organic reduced tillage has focused on mechanically terminated and mulched […]
This project addresses the BIOAg priority of innovation and diversification by supporting the formation of a hard cider industry in the Pacific Northwest. The project includes a comparison of juice of more than 50 hard cider apple varieties grown in the region, a comparison of select varieties grown in five regional orchards to better understand […]
This proposal addresses the priority area of assessing economic sustainability of agriculture and food systems. As a tool for self evaluation, a yield data bank will be provided to small-scale organic/biointensive vegetable farms and to organic research sites. We will develop manual and electronic worksheets to assist small-scale organic/biointensive farmers in evaluating their per crop […]
Research conducted in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 growing seasons had three main components: a winter wheat-winter pea intercropping study, developing an inter-row cultivator with precision guidance for in-season weed management, and a new pea breeding project. (1) Intercropping: The potential use of winter peas as a nitrogen (N) resource for winter wheat was evaluated in […]
The objective of this research is to evaluate advanced wheat breeding lines in organic systems for potential variety release to farmers in the Palouse region of Washington State. In 2012, two market classes in particular were evaluated: soft white winter wheat and winter spelt. The 2011-2012 field trials provided yield and test weight data for […]
There is growing consumer demand for foods perceived as being safe, healthy and sustainable. Organic and no-till wheat are often perceived as safe and sustainable and are well-positioned to gain market share if nutritional or quality advantages can be identified. Considering the known effects of environmental conditions on grain yield and quality, we hypothesized that […]