The original objectives of this project as stated in the proposal were to: 1) Test the effectiveness of high glucosinolate-containing meals at controlling soilborne diseases (damping-off and white mold of lettuce) in an organic farming system. 2) Determine the influence of these materials on N cycling processes in organic systems.
The overall goals of this project are to (1) optimize potato yield without using chemical herbicides or fertilizers, and (2) disseminate the knowledge and results generated from this study to farmers and agricultural professionals throughout the United States.
OBJECTIVES
(1) To determine the effect of cover crop seeding rate and planting arrangement on cover crop biomass production, cover crop canopy development, and weed suppression. Seeding rates included a standard rate (1x) typical on farms in the area, and higher rates (2x, 3x). Plant arrangements included a one-way versus a grid drilling pattern. This was the objective of trials 1 to 3.
Project objectives were:
a) To determine which weed reduction system is the most economically effective by:
1) Determining total labor and material cost for each weed control system.
2) Determining effectiveness of each weed control system by recording percent weed species emergence and percent weed cover throughout the year.
3) Determining total garlic yield for each weeding system.
4) Determining garlic quality, as measured by bulb size, for each weeding system.
Objective Statement:
Objectives were: 1. to provide beekeepers with safe, effective, reliable and affordable alternatives to Apistan and Coumaphos for control of parasitic mites. Currently, these chemicals must be applied twice each year to ensure colony survival, and that is often insufficient. I will investigate alternative strategies that either reduce the use of synthetic pesticides by ½ or that eliminate them all together.
Objectives
1) Test two options for reducing damage from Mexican bean beetle in the first year of release: a) Raise the release rate of wasps, and b) Apply one spray of a botanical insecticide to reduce the initial density of adult beetles, then release the wasps at the usual rate after the spray residue is gone and when remaining beetles are in the appropriate larval stage.
The first objective of this study (Phase I) was to establish four bat houses (two pairs each of a proven nursery design) at 10 organic farms in California and Utah. Larger, experimental designs were to be installed at five of these sites for testing purposes. Data from the North American Bat House Research Project shows that pairs or groups of houses are more successful than single houses.
Strawberry growers on the Central Coast of California have long observed that the principal cosmetic pest of their crop, the western tarnished plant bug (WTPB) or lygus bug, Lygus hesperus (Knight) establishes populations in strawberry fields in mid-season in relation to the proximity and flowering status of weedy, broadleaved hosts in adjacent areas. WTPB is known to be hosted in winter and early spring by numerous wild hosts which serve as a bridge to the infestation of strawberry fields when strawberry host flowers and small green fruit become abundant.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
1. Develop an integrated, sustainable arthropod management system that will allow the production and marketing of certified organic apples.
2. Develop alternative chemical fruit thinning approaches for use in certified organic apple orchards that will result in annual cropping and large fruit size.
3. Develop alternative weed control approaches for use in certified organic apple orchards that will result in similar tree growth, yield, fruit size and leaf nutrient levels as conventional herbicides.
Objectives The original objectives of the project were as follows: 1. To determine if beetles remain active into summer if crucifers are present under field conditions. 2. To determine if initial infestation of M. ochroloma arise from within the field from the soil subsurface or whether beetle enter the field from field edges after oversummering. 3. To determine whether intercropping crucifers protects them from YMLB by hiding them among non-host plants. 4. To determine if cutting crucifers makes them easier for the beetles to find, therefore increasing infestation.