Developing "Organic-Ready" Maize Populations with Gametophytic Incompatibility: Year IV

Snap beans with enhanced nitrogen-use efficiency
for organic production-Year 2
Can Organic Garlic Seed Stock Be Created Disease-Free From the Production of Garlic Bulbils?
Serious diseases of garlic have been imported from foreign sources and are now widespread within the US and Canada. Stem and Bulb Nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci) in garlic seed (vegetative reproduction) will infest the soil and is impossible to eradicate using organic approved methods. It is a threat to other crops, including onions, potatoes, alfalfa, and strawberries. Infested land is substantially reduced in value, as the nematode may be transferred on equipment.
The organic industry is on track for a six-fold increase in the next five years, having grown from $6.1 billion in sales in 2000 to $29.2 billion in sales in 2011 (4.2% of total food sales in the U.S that year). Consumer demand continues to drive steady growth of this sector, which is indicated by average growth of 8% per year since 2002.
Increasing organic matter in soils is one way to build soil heath. Cover cropping, compost, and manure additions increase soil organic matter and improve the soil’s ability to hold and supply nutrients, water, and air to plants and animals. Soil organic matter provides a bank of nutrients, including nitrogen, that are made available to plants through a process called mineralization.
Investigator: Sean Swezey, Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, University of California, Santa Cruz
Project locations: Pacific Gold Farms, Watsonville, California
Growing blackberries and raspberries in high tunnels increases yields.
Investigator: Eric B. Nelson, Dept. of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Project location: Cornell University