Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/12
Outputs OUTPUTS: The OVERALL GOAL of this project was to develop management strategies and tools for biologically-based soil fertility systems that will improve the efficient use of nutrients while enhancing soil quality. Three experiments were conducted. EXPERIMENT 1 evaluated biologically based fertility strategies for wild blueberries, for which poor soil quality is recognized as a key yield-limiting factor. Compost may have advantages as a slow-release nutrient source for wild blueberries that enhances soil quality, and as an alternative to expensive bagged organic fertilizers for organic growers. A 4-year trial was initiated in 2010 to compare five fertility treatments on nutrient dynamics, blueberry productivity, and fruit quality. Treatments were a locally-produced seafood compost, a bagged organic fertilizer (ProHolly), two rate of synthetic fertilizer (diammonium phosphate, DAP), and a no fertilizer control, all applied with and without mulch, as a second experimental factor. This work was funded by the project, Systems Approach to Improving the Sustainability of Wild Blueberry Production, 2009 USDA-SCRI. EXPERIMENTS 2 AND 3 evaluated biologically based fertility strategies for organic bread wheat, an emerging crop in New England, and were funded by the project, Enhancing Farmers Capacity to Produce High Quality Organic Bread Wheat, 2009 USDA-OREI. A key challenge for organic wheat producers is to supply enough nitrogen at the right times in the crops development to produce grain protein levels that meet the standards of high-value bread wheat markets. EXPERIMENT 2 evaluated supplemental nitrogen topdressing as a strategy to improve organic winter bread wheat yield and quality. Two topdress N sources (Chilean nitrate and dehydrated chicken manure) and three topdress times (wheat tillering, flag leaf, and boot stages) were evaluated in Maine and Vermont for effects on grain yield and quality. EXPERIMENT 3 investigated the effects of innovative organic weed management strategies in spring wheat on weed dynamics, grain yield, grain protein, and economics. Field experiments were conducted in 2009 and 2010 in Maine to compare current farmer practices with: (1) increasing the competitive ability of the crop through elevated seeding rates and more uniform spatial planting distribution and (2) improving selectivity of physical weed control through use of inter-row cultivation. Wheat was sown in these arrangements in the presence and absence of condiment mustard as a surrogate weed. The objectives and results of the wheat trials were DISSEMINATED in Maine and Vermont at 5 winter conferences, 2 hands-on workshops, 6 research station field days, and over 15 presentations. The target audiences for these events were farmers, millers, end users, agricultural service providers and scientists. Attendance ranged from 90-200 participants for each of the conferences, 40-70 for the workshop, and 35-80 for each field day. Two extension factsheets and one video were produced and made available on our wheat project website, http://sites.google.com/site/localbreadwheatproject/. Factsheets were also distributed at grower conferences and field days. PARTICIPANTS: INDIVIDUALS: Ellen Mallory, project director and PI, oversaw all research and outreach activities; Dr. Jack Smagula, collaborated on blueberry research; Dr. Heather Darby, University of Vermont, collaborated on wheat research; Thomas Molloy, Katie McPhee, and Hannah Griffin, research technicians, assisted with research and outreach development and implementation; Lauren Kolb and Aaron Englander, graduate students in Maine, conducted wheat fertility and weed management research and presented at workshop and field days; Sabrina Correll, Greta Landis, Chris Illingsworth, and Jessica Richards, temporary workers, lab and field research. PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS: The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association hosted workshops and assisted with publicity for outreach events. COLLABORATORS: The local bread wheat project is a collaborative project with University of Vermont, and has advisory boards in Maine and Vermont that are each comprised of at least seven organic bread wheat farmers, millers, and bakers. The Maine board provided input for the research activities reported here. TRAINING OR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: The wheat research provided training for two Maine and one Vermont graduate students. Three winter workshop, 2 winter presentations, and seven field days provided professional development for farmers, extension personnel and other agricultural service providers. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience was grain, wild blueberry and vegetable farmers who use or have access to biologically-based sources of fertility, and agricultural service providers who work with these farmers. Efforts to reach this audience included giving presentations at farmer conferences and workshops, hosting and giving talks at field days, and producing extension bulletins. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: In the original project, OBJECTIVE 1 was to evaluate pre-season and post-hoc tests for soil N sufficiency. I developed two grant proposals with colleagues for this objective, but neither was funded (Nutrient Management Tools for Organic Vegetable Farms in New England, co-PI, 2008, USDA-SCRI and Managing Biologically-Based Nitrogen Sources for Efficiency and Self-Sufficiency on New England Vegetable Farms, lead PI, 2008, USDA-SARE). Concurrent with these efforts, I helped develop an interdisciplinary project on wild blueberries that was funded (Systems Approach to Improving the Sustainability of Wild Blueberry Production, 2009 USDA-SCRI). My role and objectives for this project fit under the overall goal of this Hatch proposal, which was to develop management strategies and tools for biologically-based soil fertility systems that will improve the efficient use of nutrients while enhancing soil quality. Therefore, I shifted my efforts away from evaluating soil N tests and to evaluating biologically-based fertility systems for wild blueberries.
Impacts The three experiments conducted in this project increased researcher and participant knowledge in how to manage nutrients in biologically based fertility systems. EXPERIMENT 1 found that seafood-waste compost was comparable to Pro-Holly and diammonium phosphate as a fertility source for wild blueberries. One application of seafood-waste compost significantly increased soil cation exchange capacity, pH, calcium, and P concentrations compared with the other treatments, but did not affect soil organic matter nor leaf tissue nutrient concentrations. Seafood-waste compost increased branches per stem, flower buds per stem, fruits per bud, total yield, and edible yield compared with the control, and equaled the fertilizer treatments for these measures. EXPERIEMENT 2 demonstrated that spring topdressing of nitrogen in winter wheat could be a cost-effective strategy for organic farmers to boost grain protein concentration. Topdressing nitrogen increased grain protein for all application times, but gains in protein level were higher with later applications. Dehydrated chicken manure was less effective than Chilean nitrate, but the latter may not be allowed under organic certification in the future. Yields were increased by Chilean nitrate but not dehydrated chicken manure. Further work is needed to evaluate topdressing with higher protein varieties and identify additional rapidly-available and economical organic approved N sources. As a result of this research, four farmers reported topdressing winter wheat in 2011 and 2012. EXPERIMENT 3 found that wide row seeding with inter-row cultivation is a robust and economical strategy for farmers facing potentially weedy conditions, and shows the potential to improve grain quality. Wide row seeding (22.8 cm vs. the standard 17.7cm) with inter-row cultivation provided the greatest reduction in weed density, the highest yields, and largest net returns. Higher grain protein was observed in one year compared to standard seeding arrangement with no cultivation. The other new treatment, increasing seeding rate by 50%, reduced weed density 64% overall and 30% compared to regional farmers standard practice, but had no effect on grain yield, lowered grain protein compared to standard seeding rates, and was the most expensive treatment due to the high cost of seed.
Publications
- Mallory, E.B. and J.M. Smagula. 2012. Effects of seafood-waste and mulch on soil health and soil nutrient dynamics in wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait). International Society for Horticultural Science International Symposium on Vaccinium and Other Superfruits, June 2012, Maastricht, Netherlands.
- Mallory, E.B. and H. Darby. 2011. Topdressing nitrogen effects on organic winter bread wheat yield and quality. In Abstracts. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, October 2011, San Antonio, TX. Abstract and recorded presentation available at http://a-c-s.confex.com/crops/2011am/webprogram/Paper68357.html
- Mallory, E., T. Bramble, M. Williams and J. Amaral. 2012. Understanding wheat quality: What bakers and millers need and what farmers can do. University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Orono, ME. Bulletin 1019.
- Kolb, L.N., E.R. Gallandt and E.B. Mallory. 2012. Impact of spring wheat planting density, row spacing, and mechanical weed control on yield, grain protein, and economic return in Maine. Weed Science 60:244-253.
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Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs OUTPUTS: The overall goal of this project is to develop management strategies and tools for biologically-based soil fertility systems that will improve the efficient use of nutrients while enhancing soil quality. Three experiments were conducted during this reporting period under this project, one for wild blueberries and two for bread wheat. Soil quality is recognized as a key yield limiting factor for wild blueberries. Compost may have advantages over synthetic fertilizers as a slow-release nutrient source for wild blueberries that enhances soil quality. Compost also may be a cost-effective alternative to expensive bagged organic fertilizers for organic growers. A 4-year trial was initiated in 2010 to compare five fertility treatments - a locally-produced seafood compost, a bagged organic fertilizer (ProHolly), two rate of synthetic fertilizer (diammonium phosphate, DAP), and a no fertilizer control - on soil characteristics, nutrient dynamics, blueberry productivity, and fruit quality. These treatments were applied with and without mulch, as a second experimental factor. Results from this trial were presented to the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission at their annual meeting. A key challenge for organic producers of wheat is supplying enough nitrogen from biologically-base sources at the right times in the crop's development to produce grain protein levels that meet the standards of the high-value bread wheat market. A two-year study was initiated in 2010 in Maine and Vermont comparing two nitrogen topdress sources (Chilean nitrate and dehydrated chicken manure) and three topdress times (wheat tillering, flag leaf, and boot stages) on wheat grain yield and protein. Topdress sources were applied at 20 lbs available N/acre and all treatments received 20 ton/acre of manure before planting. In a separate study conducted in 2009 and 2010, two innovative weed management practices were evaluated for their effects on grain protein, as well as weed control. The alternative practices were (1) increasing the competitive ability of the crop through elevated seeding rates and more uniform spatial planting distribution (600 plants m-2, 11.4 cm row spacing) and (2) improving selectivity of physical weed control through use of inter-row cultivation (400 plants m-2, 22.8 cm row spacing). These were compared to current farmer practices (400 plants m-2 and 17.7cm row spacing). Wheat was sown in these arrangements in the presence and absence of condiment mustard, which was sown as a surrogate weed. During this reporting period, grain samples were analyzed for protein, data was analyzed and summarized, and a journal article was submitted for publication. Research and general strategies for managing biologically-based fertility were presented at 3 field days, 1 winter workshop, 1 regional grower conference, and 1 crop advisor training conference. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals include: Ellen Mallory, project director and PI, oversaw all research and outreach activities; Thomas Molloy, research technician, assisted with research and outreach development and implementation; Katie McPhee, research technician, provided research and outreach support; Aaron Englander, graduate student, assisted with nitrogen topdress trial; Lauren Kolb, graduate student, conducted collaborative weed management research; Michael Correll, Hannah Griffin, Chris Illingworth, student workers, lab and field research. Partner organization: The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association hosted workshops and assisted with publicity for outreach events. Collaborators: The local bread wheat project has advisory boards in Maine and Vermont that are each comprised of at least 7 organic bread wheat farmers, millers, and bakers. The Maine board provided input for the research activities reported here. Training or professional development: The wheat research provided training for two graduate students during this reporting period. One winter workshop and three field days provided professional development for farmers, extension personnel and other agricultural service providers. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience is grain, wild blueberry and vegetable farmers who use or have access to biologically-based sources of fertility, and agricultural service providers who work with these farmers. Efforts to reach this audience included giving presentations at farmer conferences and workshops, hosting and giving talks at field days, and producing a bread wheat project website, videos, and extension factsheets. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts For organic wild blueberry growers, compost may be an economical alternative to the expensive bagged organic fertilizers they currently use. Total and edible berry yields increased on average by 70% over the no fertilizer control for all the fertility treatments (compost, bagged organic fertilizer, and diammonium phosphate), while there were no differences in yields among them. Soil pH increased from 4.6 to 4.9 due to the seafood-based compost. Alternative feedstocks should be considered for compost for wild blueberry production. Mulch increase plant tissue nitrogen and boron concentrations, but had no effect on yield. For wheat, topdressing nitrogen appears to be a viable strategy for organic farmers to boost grain protein concentration. Topdressing nitrogen increased grain protein for all application times, but gains in protein level were higher with later applications. Chilean nitrate produced greater gains in protein concentration than dehydrated chicken manure. No effects on yield were observed, except with the boot stage application of Chilean nitrate. Two farmers are now experimenting with topdressing nitrogen for organic wheat on their own farms. In the weed management systems trial, wide row seeding with inter-row cultivation provided the greatest reduction in weed density, the highest yields, and largest net returns. Higher grain protein was observed in one year in the wide-row system compared to standard seeding arrangement with no cultivation. Increasing seeding rate by 50% reduced weed density by 64% overall, and by 30% compared to regional farmers' standard practice. The elevated seeding rates and more uniform planting had no effect on grain yield, but lowered grain protein compared to standard seeding rates, and was the most expensive system due to the high cost of seed. We concluded that the wide row seeding with inter-row cultivation is a robust and economical strategy for farmers facing potentially weedy conditions, and shows the potential to improve grain quality.
Publications
- Rasmussen, I. and E. Mallory. 2010. Organic bread wheat in New England, USA. ICROFS News. International Center for Research in Organic Food Systems. November, 2010.
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Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs OUTPUTS: The OVERALL GOAL of this project is to develop management strategies and tools for biologically-based soil fertility systems that will improve the efficient use of nutrients while enhancing soil quality. OBJECTIVE 1 was to "Evaluate pre-season and post-hoc tests for soil N sufficiency." I developed two grant proposals with colleagues for this objective, but neither was funded ("Nutrient Management Tools for Organic Vegetable Farms in New England", co-PI, 2008, USDA-SCRI and "Managing Biologically-Based Nitrogen Sources for Efficiency and Self-Sufficiency on New England Vegetable Farms," lead PI, 2008, USDA-SARE). Concurrent with these efforts, I helped develop an interdisciplinary project on wild blueberries that was funded ("Systems Approach to Improving the Sustainability of Wild Blueberry Production," $1,001,820, 2009 USDA-SCRI). My role is to investigate how biologically-based soil management affects soil quality, blueberry plant growth, nutrient uptake, blueberry yield and fruit quality. I am comparing four fertility treatments: a locally-produced seafood compost, a bagged organic fertilizer, synthetic fertilizer, and a no fertilizer control. These treatments are in factorial combination with two mulch treatments (with and without). Plots were established in the spring of 2010 in the prune year and will be followed through the 2011 and 2013 harvest years. As well, I am contributing to an interdisciplinary systems study comparing on-farm sites of different management intensity levels for wild blueberry by evaluating soil quality and soil-plant nutrient dynamics at these sites. An overview of these studies was presented to wild blueberry growers at the Organic Wild Blueberry Field Day on July 7, 2010. OBJECTIVE 2 is to "Evaluate soil and fertility management practices to better synchronize nitrogen mineralization with crop demand." In 2009, I initiated a multi-institution project to help farmers produce for emerging local bread wheat markets ("Enhancing Farmers' Capacity to Produce High Quality Organic Bread Wheat," $1,320,378, 2009 USDA-OREI). This project includes research that address Objective 2. Nitrogen dynamics were investigated in 2009 and 2010 in a trial evaluating two innovative weed management strategies for organic cereals: (1) increasing plant populations (600 plants m-2) and sowing in narrow rows (11.4cm) to enhance crop competition; and (2) sowing in wide rows (22.8cm) to permit inter-row cultivation. These were compared the standard sowing pattern (400 plants m-2, 17.7cm) and a high density treatment (600 plants m-2). We hypothesized that nitrogen availability, plant N uptake, and grain protein would be enhanced in the wide row system due to soil mixing from cultivation. A related trial looked at the relationship between these parameters and the number of hoeings performed. The influence of hoeing on nitrogen dynamics was also included in a third trial, established in 2010 to compare different organic top-dress N sources and times of application. Research and general strategies for managing biologically-based fertility were presented at 2 field days, 1 winter workshop, and 2 grower conferences. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals include: Ellen Mallory, project director and PI, oversaw all research and outreach activities; Thomas Molloy, research technician, assisted with research and outreach development and implementation; Katie McPhee, research technician, provided research and outreach support; Lisa Weiss, graduate student, conducted nitrogen topdress trial; Lauren Kolb, graduate student, conducted weed management research and presented at workshop and field day; Sabrina Correll, temporary worker, lab and field research; Hannah Griffin, student worker, lab and field research; Greta Landis, student worker, lab and field research. Partner organization: The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association hosted workshops and assisted with publicity for outreach events. Collaborators: The local bread wheat project has advisory boards in Maine and Vermont that are each comprised of at least 7 organic bread wheat farmers, millers, and bakers. The Maine board provided input for the research activities reported here. Training or professional development: The wheat research provided training for two graduate students during this reporting period. One winter workshop and two field days provided professional development for farmers, extension personnel and other agricultural service providers. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience was grain, wild blueberry and vegetable farmers who use or have access to biologically-based sources of fertility, and agricultural service providers who work with these farmers. Efforts to reach this audience included giving presentations at farmer conferences and workshops, hosting and giving talks at field days, and producing an extension bulletin. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: OBJECTIVE 1 was to "Evaluate pre-season and post-hoc tests for soil N sufficiency." I developed two grant proposals with colleagues for this objective, but neither was funded ("Nutrient Management Tools for Organic Vegetable Farms in New England", co-PI, 2008, USDA-SCRI and "Managing Biologically-Based Nitrogen Sources for Efficiency and Self-Sufficiency on New England Vegetable Farms," lead PI, 2008, USDA-SARE). Concurrent with these efforts, I helped develop an interdisciplinary project on wild blueberries that was funded ("Systems Approach to Improving the Sustainability of Wild Blueberry Production," $1,001,820, 2009 USDA-SCRI). My role and objectives for this project fit under the overall goal of this Hatch proposal, which is "to develop management strategies and tools for biologically-based soil fertility systems that will improve the efficient use of nutrients while enhancing soil quality." Therefore, I have shifted my efforts away from evaluating soil N tests and to evaluating biologically-based fertility systems for wild blueberries.
Impacts To date, our experiments have not provided evidence that soil mixing from cultivation enhances nitrogen availability and grain protein. A weed management trial conducted in 2009 and 2010 showed that elevating seeding rates (600 plants per m2 in either standard 17.7 cm or narrow 11.4 cm rows) or wide-row sowing with inter-row cultivation (22.8 cm, 200 plants per m2) reduced weed density and weed biomass at harvest and increased yields as compared to the regional standard practice (17.7 cm rows, 400 plants per m2). However, grain protein was not affected by weed management system in 2009; all treatments exceeded the 12.5% protein level required by mills for bread wheat. 2010 samples are currently being analyzed. In a separate trial in 2010, inter-row cultivation in wide-row plots reduced quackgrass node development relative to standard row spacing with no cultivation, although no effects on yield or grain protein were observed.
Publications
- Kersbergen, R., E. Mallory, and T. Molloy. 2010. Growing Organic Cereals Grains in New England. University of Maine Cooperative Extension Bulletin 2207.
- Mallory, E.B. 2010. Topdressing Nitrogen to Improve Organic Winter Wheat Yield and Quality. Abstracts. Sustainable Agriculture Field Day, July 1, 2010, Stillwater, Maine.
- Mallory, E. 2010. Bringing Out the Best in Your Soil: Organic Soil and Fertility Management. Conference Notes, Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network 10th Anniversary Conference and Trade Show, March 5-6, 2010, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
- Mallory, E. 2009. Bringing Out the Best in Your Soil. 2009 Farmer-to-Farmer Conference. November 7, 2009. Northport, Maine.
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