Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached during this project period were field crop farmers considering transitioning from conventional to organic production in New York and the Northeastern USA and other areas with similar precipitation patterns. Findings have also been extended to industry stakeholders, dry bean and soybean processors, crop scouts and others that provide advice on crop management to these farmers (e.g. extension personnel and agronomists) through multiple avenues via our multimodal extension program.Current organic growers of soybeans and dry beans were also highly engaged in the project to learn of the benefits and optimization of their production system, to prevent a transition back to conventional agriculture, and due to their keen interest in the value of cover crops in their production systems. The stakeholder advisory panel, consisting of members of the NYS Dry Bean Council and extension educators met for the final time with the project team during this reporting period (August 2023). The scientific community has also been an important audience for this information in the form of scientific refereed journal articles. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This studypartially supported the graduate studies of Ashley Jernigan (Objective 1) and Uriel Menalled (Objective 2). Ashley Jernigan has nowtaken up a position as an Assistant Professor of Organic Agriculture at Virginia Tech. Uriel Menalled has also graduated with his PhD and is continuing in the Ryan lab (Cornell University, Ithaca) in a postdoctoral role. An undergraduate student, Adam Sharifa, has also been involved in this project (Objective 2). He is now a senior undergraduate at Cornell University and is considering graduate studies in organic agriculture in 2024. The students have been involved in all aspects of the project including field trial design and establishment, data collection, analysis, and writing of scientific journal articles and extension outputs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In 2023, results were disseminated to communities of interest through three main extension events at the Maine Organic Growers Conference, two events of the NYS Dry Bean Industry Council,including a twilight grower walk of the trials (August 2023). During the twilight grower meeting, topics such as practical issues associated with crop establishment in a rolled-crimped cereal rye cover crop and advantages for weed suppression and disease control were discussed. Background information on the biology and epidemiology of white mold were also presented in a handout including the efficacy of OMRI-listed biopesticides for disease control. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Data from multiple years of small plot, replicated field trials has been collated and analyzed. Treatments in these trials were: (i) cereal rye cover crop established at two different rates (1 and 3 bu/A); and (ii) no rye (tillage) control. The main crops of dry bean and soybean were then planted into each treatment in spring. Findings have demonstrated that increasing the rate of cereal rye cover crop significantly decreased the frequency of sclerotial germination, likely a function of the reduction in light, that is responsible for inducing the production of apothecia. Using a 'blue plate' bioassay, the frequency of S. sclerotiorum ascospores in each plot was also monitored in each year. This data has showed that sclerotial germination was associated with a significant reduction in ascospore abundance and correlated with reductions in white mold in both soybeans and dry bean. Permutations of these treatments were then further evaluated in subsequent field trials to determine if the effect of rye was a barrier or allelopathic. These trials found that the effect on white mold control was related to the physical barrier and not the allelopathic chemicals known to exude from roots of cereal rye. Trade-offs in agronomic factors and weed suppression in the two main crops associated with the cereal rye cover crop were also evaluated. The higher rate of cereal rye cover crop was associated with a significant reduction in dry bean pod and bean yield, and substantial weed suppression. In soybean, weed suppression was also achieved in the higher rate of cereal rye cover crop but no significant reductions in soybean pod yield were identified. These findings suggest that increasing the rate of cereal rye cover crop planted in fall may be beneficial for white mold control and weed suppression in soybean with no deleterious lag in yield. However, further optimization of the cereal rye cover crop for dry bean is required. Concepts associated with weed-crop competition were also investigated and found that differences in weed-crop competition intensity were driven by crop yield potential. These findings may also guidesoil and crop management, especially in conservation agriculture where soil tillage and its microbial legacy reducing effects are minimized. Objective 2: A second year of the direct-harvested dry bean and soybeanseeding rate trial was conducted in 2023. To prepare for the trial, cereal rye was planted at a consistent rate of 2 bu/A in September 2022. The cereal rye was terminated with a roller crimper at 75% anthesis in June 2023 and in a second operation, black bean and soybean was planted in 30-in. rows with a no-till planter to a depth of 2 in., at five different seeding rates and three different nitrogen rates. The data wascombined with previous year data and published in the journal, Frontiers of Agronomy. Overall, work in this objective address the paradox between no-till planting crops into rolled-crimped cover crops can improve soil health while reducing labor and fueld requirements compared with traditional tillage-based production. Results were more consistent in soybean. The lowest weed biomass occurred at the highest soybean density in the lowest soil nitrogen environment. An interaction was also observed between soybean seeding rate and nitrogen treatments on weed communities. An interaction was also observed between soybean seeding rate and nitrogen treatments on weed communities. Soybean yield increased asymptotically with crop density and was not affected by nitrogen or site treatments. When pooled over nitrogen treatments, partial returns to the soybean seeding rates were maximized at $2,238/ha with 527,800 seeds/ha. Results suggested that crop density is an important factor for optimizing weed suppression and crop yield in organic no-till soybean and dry bean, and that managing for low soil nitrogen conditions may further enhance weed suppression while maintaining high yields. Objective 3: Findings from this research have been disseminated to a broad target audience include scientists (four refereed journal articles), to the stakeholder advisory panel for this project, and organic dry bean and soybean growers. In 2023, findings were also presented at the Maine Organic Growers Conference and several extension publications (see list of products).

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Menalled, U. D., Smith, R. G., Cordeau, S., Di Tommaso, A., Pethybridge, S. J., and Ryan, M. R. 2023. Phylogenetic relatedness can influence cover crop-based weed suppression. Scientific Rep. 13:17323.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Pethybridge, S. J., Murphy, S., Lund, M., and Kikkert. J. R. 2024. Survival of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum sclerotia in central New York. Plant Disease. PDIS-10-23-2126-SC. Accepted 6 November 2023. On First Look 9 November 2023. Proofs returned 26 February 2024. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-10-23-2126-SC.

Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project was field and specialty crop farmers navigating the process to transition to organic crop production in the Northeastern United States and similar ecoclimatic regions. Those involved in providing farmers with recommendations for this transition period and organic crop production were also targeted with our research findings. These communities included crop scouts extension educators, and purveyors of organic produce. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This study has partially contributed to the graduate studies of two PhD students (Ashley Jernigan [Objective 1] and Uriel Menalled [Objective 2], and undergraduate student, Adam Sharifa. These students obtained individual training in organic agriculture and crop production, data analysis, field trial planning, agronomic considerations, planning for pitfalls and limiations and extension of findings to the communities of interest, and listening to feedback. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of the project were extended to the communities of interest (organic farmers, extension educators and industry personnel) through two primary extension events. The first was a presentation in the Northeast Cover Crop Meeting through a virtual event attracting over 100 people. The second was an all-day, in-person event at the Hudson Valley Farm Hub focusing on organic no-till crop production. During this meeting, discussions and feedback from organic farmers were conducted on the results of our trials. Trials on organic no-till crop production were also observed through field works. This event attracted over 60 organic growers and materials from the presentations were also distributed to others unable to attend through the Farm Hub network. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The next reporting period is the final NCE. Activity in this period will focus on compilation of research results over the three years of field trials to additional scientific journal articles from work conducted in Objectives 1 and 2. The key messages for organic and transitioning growers will be identified and these will be diffused to the communities of interest to ensure broad engagement and understanding of the findings.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Cereal rye mulch for white mold and weed suppression. A replicated trial was conducted at the Research North facility (of CornellAgriTech, Geneva, NY. The trial was approximately 3 ha in size. The trial design was a randomized, complete block with three main crop within each of the treatments. Treatments (established in fall 2021) were: (i) a cereal rye cover established at two different planting rates (1and 3bu/A); and (ii) no rye (tillage) control. The main crops were soybean, dry bean, and sunflower planted perpendicular to the cereal rye rolling-crimping direction in spring. Plots were 60 feet long and wide and crops were planted at a 30 inch row spacing. There was a 50 foot buffer on tilled and no-rye cover crop between each of the four blocks. a split-block, randomized, complete block design with four replicates and around 2.5 ha in size. Evaluations during the main cropping season included aboveground biomass, root disease incidence and severity, weed populations (density and diversity), white mold incidence, and agronomic yield components at harvest (plant population, pod and bean/sunflower seed yield). The effect of treatment on white mold incidence was also evaluated. The dry bean crop from this trial has been harvested, and the sunflower and soybeans will be harvested in late October. Data will then be analyzed and compared from different years for scientific journal publications and identification of the extension message for dissemination to our communities of interest. Objective 2:Direct-harvested dry (black) bean has shown promise for incorporation into rolled-crimped cereal rye mulch cropping systems. However, in past trials, aboveground biomass production and yield have been suboptimal compared to crops planted into tilled soil, when the same seeding rates were used. This trial was conducted to determine if dry bean performance may be enhanced in the rolled-crimped cereal rye mulch system by increasing dry bean seeding rate, as we have previously quantified in soybean. The hypotheses were: (i) higher seeding rates of dry bean will improve dry bean yield as well as profitability; and (ii) higher seeding rates of dry bean will reduce weed biomass. Cereal rye (cv 'ND Gardner') wasestablished in September 2021 with a grain drill planted at 2 bu/A; with row spacing of 7.5 inches; at a depth of 2 cm. The entire field at the Research North Facility was planted.The cereal rye wasterminated with a roller crimper at 50% anthesis. Rolling-crimping of cereal rye was conductedbefore dry bean planting but the two operations were conducted on the same day and in the same machine pass. The dry beans (cv. 'Zorro') wereplanted in 30-inch rows with a no-till planter at a depth of 1.5-2.5 inches, at five treatment rates (75,000; 150,000; 225,000; 300,000; and 375,000 seeds/A). The experimental design was a completely randomized block with four replications. Each plot had four rows and were 90 feet long x 10 feet wide. Cereal rye biomass was quantified at termination and at dry bean harvest on 14 September 2022. Weed biomass was evaluated in mid-August and at harvest. White mold incidence was evaluated at harvest. Pods from this trial harvest are currently being dried and will be threshed to calculate bean yield. Data will then be analyzed to quantify the effect of dry bean planting rate on the various response variables and to examine trade-offs. Objective 3:Our research findings have been published in a scientific journal and to organic growers at two extension events (Northeast Cover Crop Meeting and Hudson Valley Farm Hub Extension Meeting).

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Menalled, U., Pethybridge, S. J., Pelzer, C., Smith, R. G., DiTomasso, A., and Ryan, M. R. 2021. High seeding rates and low soil nitrogen optimize weed suppression and profitability in organic no-till planted soybean. Front. Agron. 3:678567.

Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Field crop farmers considering transitioning from conventional to organic production are the predominant target audience for the outcomes from this research. Whilst the focus of the project outcomes are directly transferable to farmers in New York, the findings have also been extended to farmers with similar objectives in the Northeastern US and other areas with similar precipitation patterns and therefore fit cover crops into their rotations. Findings have also been extended to industry stakeholders, crop scouts and others that provide advice on crop management to these farmers (e.g. extension personnel and agronomists). The scientific community has also been an important audience for this information (see list of outreach and extension products). Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This study has partially contributed to the graduate studies of two PhD students (Ashley Jernigan [Objective 1] and Uriel Menalled [Objective 2]. A Postdoctoral Research Associate (Daniel Heck) has also been involved in Objective 1. These early career scientists have received training in research and extension skills ranging from extending results to farmers and the scientific community,conducting field trials, practical agronomy, organic agriculture, data analysis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were extended to farmers considering organic transition and industry personnel including crop scouts and extension educators through virtual and in-person field days and extension events, ranging from the American Farmland Trust to the Indiana Certified Crop Adviser program. Virtual offerings of these kind enabled us to reach audiences outside our region that we had not thought we are able to connectIn-person events were also held at three locations around New York to reach local transitioning farmers. At the in-person events, over 250 participants were reached.Results were also presented at the premiere national agronomy scientific conference (ASA) . A production guide on organic no-till soybean production was also produced and published (https://bit.ly/ONTPSguide). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This next reporting period is the final no-cost extension of this project. Data will be combined from all experiments including information on soil insect populations and disease for an additional two scientific publications. The data will also be distilled into farmer-friendly information for dissemination across a broad range of farmer audiences this winter including extension events and fact sheets.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1.White mold caused by the fungus, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a devastating disease of soybean (Glycine max) and other leguminous crops, including dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Previous research has demonstrated that no-till planting soybean into rolled-crimped cereal rye residue can enhance weed management, improve soil health, and reduce labor requirements in organic production. However, there are limited data on the effects of cereal rye residue on white mold suppression in no-till planted soybean and dry bean. Two field trials were conducted in 2016-2017 (Year 1) and repeated in 2017-2018 (Year 2) to evaluate the potential of cereal rye cover crop residue to suppress white mold in these crops. In each trial (soybean and dry bean), the experimental design was a randomized complete block with two treatments: 1) rolled-crimped cereal rye residue and 2) no cover crop control. Treatment effects on plant population, biomass, and yield components varied between the main crops. Compared to the control treatment, cereal rye residue reduced the incidence of white mold in soybean in both years and in dry bean in Year 2. The reduction in white mold in cereal rye residue plots was due to a combination of 1) decreased sclerotial germination (no stipes formed) and 2) increased nonfunctional sclerotial germination defined here as sclerotia that germinated but produced stipes without the expanded cup where asci containing ascospores are formed. Weed density and biomass were lower in cereal rye residue plots in soybean and dry bean, except in year 1 in soybean when weed biomass was low in both treatments. Our findings indicate that cereal rye residue could help organic and conventional farmers manage white mold in no-till planted soybean and dry bean. Germination of sclerotia resulting in nonfunctional apothecia could potentially exhaust soilborne inoculum in the upper soil profile and reduce infections in subsequent crops. Objective 2.No-till planting crops into rolled-crimped cover crops can improve soil health while reducing labor and fuel requirements compared with traditional tillage-based production. However, little information is available to help farmers optimize the management of organic no-till planted crops. Weed suppression, crop yield, and profitability were assessed across soybean [Glycine max(L.) Merr.] seeding rates and soil nitrogen environments in an experiment conducted at two sites in central New York. Soybeans were no-till planted into rolled-crimped cereal rye (Secale cerealeL.) at 0, 185,000, 371,000, 556,000, and 741,000 seeds ha−1. Three rates (0, 63, or 125 kg ha−1) of sodium nitrate (15-0-2) were applied across seeding rates to create different soil nitrogen environments. When pooled over sites, the lowest weed biomass occurred at the highest soybean density in the lowest soil nitrogen environment. An interaction was observed between soybean seeding rate and nitrogen treatments on weed communities. Soybean yield increased asymptotically with crop density and was not affected by nitrogen or site treatments. When pooled over nitrogen treatments and sites, partial returns to the soybean seeding rates were maximized at $2,238 ha−1with 527,800 seeds ha−1. Results suggest that crop density is an important lever for optimizing weed suppression and crop yield in organic no-till soybean, and that managing for low soil nitrogen conditions may further enhance weed suppression while maintaining high yields. Objective 3. Our findings in the last reporting period have been extended to a broad audience focusing on field crop farmers and their stakeholders considering transitioning from conventional to organic production. These venues have included extension presentations (6), training events (2), and a production guide (1). Two refereed journal articles were also published and results presented at an international meeting (ASA).

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Pethybridge, S. J., Brown, B., Kikkert, J. R., and Ryan, M. R. 2020. Systems benefits and trade-offs of rolled-crimped cereal rye mulch for white mold control and weed suppression in no-till soybean and dry bean production. Ren. Agric. Food Sys. 35:599-607.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Menalled, U., Pethybridge, S. J., Pelzer, C., Smith, R. G., DiTomasso, A., and Ryan, M. R. 2021. High seeding rates and low soil nitrogen optimize weed suppression and profitability in organic no-till planted soybean. Front. Agron. 3:678567.
• Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Ryan, MR, BA Caldwell, K Crowley, JA Liebert, U Menalled, CJ Pelzer, L Pickard, and S Wayman. 2021. Organic No-Till Planted Soybean Production. Sustainable Cropping Systems Lab. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. https://bit.ly/ONTPSguide

Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this research are field crop farmers considering transitioning from conventional to organic production in New York. Farmers with similar objectives across the Northeastern United States in regions with similar precipitation patterns and in which cover crops are particularly popular already are also recipients of these findings. Industry stakeholders, extension personnel and crop scouts that provide advice to these growers are also the target audience. The scientific community is another target audience to hear of the research outcomes which are extended agroecosystem and agroecological foundational research knowledge. Results are being prepared in manuscripts to be submitted to scientific journals and to be presented at scientific conferences. The broader field crop and vegetable farmers in the region have also been informed of the outcomes of this research through annual research and extension commodity events in New York and Pennsylvania (see list of outreach and extension products). Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This study has partially contributed to the graduate studies of two PhD students (Ashley Jernigan [Objective 1] and Uriel Menalled [Objective 2]. Students have received advanced training in conducting field trials, practical agronomy, organic agriculture, data analysis and writing of papers, and extension of findings to diverse audiences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of the project were extended to growers and industry personnel including crop scouts and extension educators through virtual field days and extension events. Over these four events, at least 150 participants received information from this study. Results were also presented at the premiere national agronomy scientific conference to extend our findings to the agronomy and crop science research community. A white mold fact sheet and extension bulletin was also developed and published in the Cornell Cooperative Extension weekly update (VegEdge) distributed to over 400 growers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The next reporting period will be spent completing the yield component data collection from Objective 1. This data will then be combined with that obtained from Year 1, and form the basis of a partial budget analysis. This information will then be prepared for submission to a scientific journal and distilled for key messages to grower and industry stakeholders in extension events during this period. Data from the trials conducted in Objective 2 is also being finalized and analyzed for publication and extension presentations. We will continue to work for a broad range of extension agents to ensure visibility of the results to a broad range of grower audiences.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Cereal rye mulch for white mold and weed suppression. A replicated trial was conducted at the Research North facility (Field RN25) at Cornell AgriTech, Geneva, NY. The trial was a split-block, randomized, complete block design with four replicates and around 2.5 ha in size. Treatments were established in fall 2019 and were a direct replicate of the trial conducted in 2018/19 to evaluate the robustness of our findings across years. Treatments included either soybean or dry black bean as the main crop. Subplot treatments were: (i) no cover crop - left fallow and shallowly tilled prior to main crop planting; (ii) cereal rye with tillage prior to planting; and (iii) cereal rye mulch rolled and crimped before planting. Evaluations during the main cropping season included aboveground biomass, root disease incidence and severity, weed populations (density and diversity), white mold incidence, and agronomic yield components at harvest (plant population, pod and bean yield). The effect of treatment on S. sclerotiorum apothecia and airbone ascosporic inoculum was also evaluated. This data will be combined with that obtained from the previous trial. Outcomes will be used for a partial budget analysis of the different management systems and extension of findings to the scientific community, and growers. Objective 2:Seeding rate trad-offs.Fuel and labor costs from tillage-based weed management challenge organic soybean production. Organic rotational no-till farming is an alternative practice with lower labor and fuel inputs than traditional organic production and can be accomplished through seeding a cash crop into a rolled cover crop mulch. However, cover crop residue alone is inadequate for successful weed suppression across the entire growing season. High crop density and low nitrogen availability may improve weed management in organic no-till soybean. Weed suppression, weed communities, crop yields, and partial returns were assessed across a gradient of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) density and nitrogen fertilization in a rolled mulch system. Soybeans were seeded into a cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) mulch at 0, 185,000, 371,000, 556,000, and 741,000 seeds ha-1, and 0, 63, or 125 kg ha-1 of 15-0-2 starter sodium nitrate were applied to each seeding rate. Weed biomass was reduced by soybean density but increased by nitrogen fertilization. In the absence of soybeans, fertilization with 125 kg N ha-1 resulted in a 135% increase in weed biomass than the 0 kg N ha-1 treatment. Nitrogen fertilization also changed weed communities with increased annual grass weeds in high nitrogen treatments. Soybean yield increased asymptotically with crop density and was not affected by nitrogen fertilization. Given the cost of nitrogen and its neutral effects on yield, partial returns for organic feed-grade soybean were maximized at $3,120 ha-1 in the 0 kg N ha-1 treatment at 493,734 seeds ha-1. Thus, high crop density and low nitrogen availability are economically viable weed management strategies for organic no-till soybean. Objective 3: Dissemination of research findings. Our research findings to date have been presented to a broad range of stakeholders including the scientific community (ASA/CSA virtual meeting; August 2020) and to growers and crop scouts through extension presentations (four in this reporting period), fact sheets (white mold), and newsletter articles (VegEdge article).

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Pethybridge, S. J., Brown, B., Kikkert, J. R., and Ryan, M. R. 2020. Systems benefits and trade-offs of rolled-crimped cereal rye mulch for white mold control and weed suppression in no-till soybean and dry bean production. Ren. Agric. Food Sys. https://doi.org/10.1017/S174217051900022X.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Menalled, U., Pethybridge, S. J., Pelzer, C., Smith, R. G., DiTomasso, A., and Ryan, M. R. 2020. Organic no-till soybean seeding rate and nitrogen fertilization effects on weed suppression, crop yield and profit.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Menalled, U., Ryan, M. R., and Pethybridge, S. J. 2020. Organic No-till Soybean Seeding Rate and Nitrogen Fertilization Effects on Weed Suppression. ASA, CSSA & SSSA International Annual Meeting. ASA Section: Agronomic Production. Virtual event.

Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this work include field crop farmers interested in transitioning to organic productionin western and central New York, and field and vegetable crop farmers in the Northeast and other regions with similar precipitation patterns and cropping systems (organic or conventional)county and regional agricultural extension agents, industry stakeholders, and members of the scientific community. The advisory group for this project consists of key organic and conventional field crop growers (innovators), industry stakeholders responsible for the agronomic production of field crops within New York, and field crop extension personnel. The broader field crop community have also been informed of the research program at annual research and extension commodity events in collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension (see list of outreach and extension activities). Results and findings from these studies have been presented at scientific conferences to the broader agricultural science community (see list of presentations), and will be included in manuscripts to be submitted to scientific journals. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two graduate students have been involved in this project (Ashley Jernigan wthin Objective 1; Uriel Menalled within Objective 2). Both students are receiving training in field trials, organic agriculture, data compilation and statistical analysis, and extension and outreach of findings. Several undergraduates were also immersed in data collection of trials at Musgrave and Geneva in 2019. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Field crop growers, extension personnel and industry stakeholders have received progress of the project to date and will continue to be integrally involved in the extension and outreach of the findings through participation in regular educational events. As outlined in the products section, information and research was summarized in extension publications (e.g. VegEdge), and workshops and field days throughout the first year of this project. Together, over 100 growers and extension personnel were reached to date. Results have also been disseminated to the scientific cmmunity through a peer-reviewed journal article and presentation at an academic conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The project is proceeding as planned in the next reporting period within each of the objectives.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1.A trial was conducted at the Research North field facilities of Cornell AgriTech at The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, NY with a split-block randomized complete block design with four replicates in fall 2018 (~ 2 ha in size). Main plot treatments were soybean or dry bean and subplot treatments were: no cover crop, cereal rye with tillage, and cereal rye mulch. Cereal rye was drill seeded in early September in the selected plots at approximately 200 kg seed/ha. The remaining plots were left fallow and weeds were controlled using shallow tillage. The cereal rye crops were terminated in spring according to their treatment allocation, and main crops were planted using a precision planter using varieties typical of those selected by organic growers in central NY. The cereal rye biomass prior to rolling and crimping in spring and that remaining at harvest was quantified. Throughout the cropping season, agronomic yield attributes (plant population, aboveground biomass, and pod and bean yield), weed populations, and white mold incidence were quantified. The effect of the rolled cover crop onS. sclerotiorumapothecia and airborne ascospores was also evaluated. Harvest of this trial was completed one month ago, and data is in the process of being collated and analyzed for the effect of treatment. A repeat of this trial was planted in fall 2019 and will continue throughout 2019/20. Data from both trials will be collected and form the basis of a partial budget analysis to quantify the costs and benefits of the different management systems included in this objective. Objective 2. Seeding rate tradeoffs.Two small plot, replicated trials were established at the research facilities of Cornell University (Musgrave Farm, Aurora, NY, and Research North, Geneva, NY) aiming to test for tradeoffs between weed and disease suppression from increasing seeding rates in organic no-till soybean. In each field, cereal rye was drill-seeded in fall 2018 and the main soybean crop no-till planted in spring 2019 after termination of the cereal rye by a roller-crimper. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with at least four replications of five different soybean seeding rates (195,000 to 915,000 seeds/ha) and two nitrogen rates provided by hand-application of sodium nitrate (OMRI-approved source). These trials have also been harvested recently and data is being compiled for analysis. Preliminary analysis has indicated that nitrogen and soybean seeding rate has influenced soybean light reflectance and interception dynamics. For example, across all growth rates, increased nitrogen fertilization and seeding rate increased the interception of far-red light. Nitrogen fertilization also influenced tissue composition of the soybean, and chlorophyll index light reflectance values indicate that nitrogen fertilization increased soybean leaf chlorophyll content. Light interception also increased throughout the season and was greater in high nitrogen and seeding rate plots. Preliminary weed community analyses suggests significant site and nitrogen rate effects on weed community composition. This data will be interrogated further to explore weed-crop competition through structural equation modeling, and modeling light dynamics. Objective 3. Disseminate research findings.The goals and objectives of this projecthave been presented to our target audience over the first cropping season and findings will continue to be disseminated through the winter meetings of 2019/20 and future years within our field crop extension meetings and extension newsletters, and through direct discussions with members of the advisory group.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Vincent-Caboud, L, M Casagrande, C David, MR Ryan, E Silva, and J Peigne. 2019. Can mulch cover no tillage be integrated into organic farming practices for arable crop production? - A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 39(5), p.45. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13593-019-0590-2
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ryan, MR, MG Ball, AB Jernigan, CJ Pelzer, S Wayman, and CL Mohler. 2019. Lessons from the Cornell organic grain cropping Systems experiment. ASA, CSSA & SSSA International Annual Meeting. ASA Section: Agronomic Production Systems 60-3.