Integrated Soil and Crop Management for Organic Potato Production

Project Overview

SW05-091
Project Type: Research and Education
Funds awarded in 2005: $196,067.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2008
Region: Western
State: Oregon
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Dan Sullivan
Email
Oregon State University
Co-Investigators:
Lane Selman
Email
Dept of Horticulture

Annual Reports

Commodities

  • Agronomic: potatoes

Practices

  • Animal Production: manure management
  • Crop Production: conservation tillage
  • Education and Training: farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research
  • Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns
  • Pest Management: mulches - killed, mulching - vegetative
  • Soil Management: composting, green manures, soil analysis

    Abstract:

    The yield and quality of a potato crop are the result of complex interactions amongst crop nutrition, cultural practices, and pest damage. In this project we developed a participatory process to share knowledge, experience, and farmer innovation; to illuminate new strategies for farmer-identified problems in whole farm systems; and to enhance their adoption and adaptation. This project piloted a participatory approach to learning and adaptation of novel farming systems strategies, evaluate the effects of soil and crop management on tuber insect pests and diseases, weeds, nitrogen availability, and profitability, and extended project findings to a larger audience of farmers

    Project objectives:

    1. Pilot a participatory approach to learning and adaptation of novel farming systems strategies.
    2. Evaluate the effects of soil management on tuber insect pests and diseases, weeds, nitrogen availability, and profitability.
    3. Extend project findings to a larger audience of farmers.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.