Evaluating New, Extra-Hardy Grape Cultivars in Vermont

Recently, larger growers have begun using multi-bay high tunnels as a way to cover large production areas for half the cost of traditional high tunnels. One of the primary challenges of high tunnel production is that reduced crop rotation intervals can lead to build-up of soil borne pathogen inoculums in the field, resulting in severe annual disease epidemics. Verticillium wilt (race 2) is problematic for organic and sustainable growers, as the only current effective management strategy is fumigation. I was the recipient of a 2008 Farmer SARE grant, Grafting tomatoes in multi-by high tunnels as a way to overcome soil borne diseases –FNE08-636. We learned valuable information from this study and desire to apply for a follow-up grant that would allow us to pursue some unanswered questions. In addition we’d like to measure tomato fruit quality within the treatments and determine the economics of grafted transplant production as this is a question many growers are now asking.

This project has three primary objectives. 1. To evaluate tomato rootstock for its ability to manage verticillium wilt (race 2) and other soil borne diseases in multi-bay high tunnels. Disease incidence and yield will be observed with and without chemical fumigation. 2. To determine the actual costs associated with commercial, large-scale grafted transplant production as this is a question many growers are now asking due to the success grafting has achieved. 3. An aggressive outreach program has been developed to convey the findings and importance of this study to farmers in the Northeast region. A field day is planned during the growing season and a half-day grafting workshop and speaking session will be held during the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Vegetable Conference.