Crops

Organic vegetable seed production continues to grow along with the demand for product, adding millions of dollars to Washington’s agricultural economy. Production of organic vegetable seeds is hindered by numerous pathogens. Because there is a lack of reliable organic control methods for bacterial black rot (caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris) on crucifers, a biologically […]

Sustainable methods of nitrogen (N) fertility and weed management in organic production systems remain a challenge. Composted animal manures are commonly used to supply N, but only a fraction is in immediately available forms with the remainder released slowly as a result of microbial driven processes. These amendments come at a high cost, and excess […]

Farmers in Washington are looking to diversify crops to meet demand for organic, local and direct market production. Two crops that can meet these needs are icebox watermelons and winter-grown greens. Icebox watermelons tend to be earlier maturing than picnic watermelon varieties, and thus offer farmers throughout Washington a means of producing high quality watermelons […]

Cover crops are a locally grown source of organic matter and nitrogen and a weed management tool. Despite these benefits, many organic farmers have not been able to work cover crops into their management systems. We are evaluating different cover cropping systems, to help organic farmers determine how to best use cover crops on their […]

Two three-year rotations are being investigated for suitability for organic transition in northwestern Washington. Cover crop growth was greater and resulted in better weed suppression during 2004-05 than in 2003-04. Common chickweed was the major winter weed species, accounting for 90% of the total weed biomass during the first winter and 75% during the second. […]

Weed control and fertility management have been identified as priority research needs by Washington organic orchardists. Mechanical weed control has been the standard practice, often with high cost and potential degradation of soil quality. Mulches can control weeds and improve tree growth and yield, and enhance codling moth mortality with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN). Living mulches […]

Organic grain production in Washington State was limited to less than 2500 acres as of 2001, and has not been well represented in the university research system. This lack of attention by both growers and researchers has resulted in a serious knowledge gap, with no good guidelines available on how to manage weeds and other […]