ORGANIC CROP MANAGEMENT ON DELMARVA FOR SELECTED SPECIALTY CROPS

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: EVANS-ALLEN
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1002570
• Project Start Date: Mar 1, 2014
• Project End Date: Feb 28, 2019
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
11868 College Backborne Road
Princess Anne,MD 21853

Performing Department
Agriculture

Non Technical Summary
Nationally, organic use and demand by consumers have steadily increased in recent years and the Delmarva Peninsula like other regions continue to follow this trend. However, to meet certification guidelines, crop management practices must comply with national and state regulations while meeting production challenges such as approved plant materials, and nutrient sources. In Maryland environmental concerns about phosphorus and nitrogen runoff into the Chesapeake Bay watershed of the Delmarva Peninsula of Maryland, Virginia and Delaware have triggered regulatory changes related to the use of poultry manure on farm land. These increased regulations will limit the method and timing of application of this waste as farmers implement nutrient practices. Ranked as the seventh largest producer of broilers in the United States, Maryland has for long time built up reserves of poultry waste, in the form of poultry litter or poultry compost, and used some of it on the land as a readily available cheap source of fertilizer. In compliance with the current guideline, organic nutrient sources such as poultry litter must be incorporated or injected in the soil within 48 hours of application and may only be applied in spring or fall. Furthermore, for certified organic fresh produce, the litter must be applied within 90-120 days of harvest depending on whether the produce touches the soil directly or not. These more- restrictive regulations will prohibit surface application and require that litter, instead be applied below the soil surface to preclude or diminish the runoff into estuaries. This now makes it necessary to determine and to adapt management practices to comply with new guidelines for both organic and non organic. While the nutrient benefits of compost and litter to crop growth are well known and adaptation of compatible management systems in the application will potentially ameliorate the negative impact of nutrient runoff to water, there may also be disadvantages to human health. Potential microbial and elemental food safety risks to humans can occur from produce grown in soil amendments from infected animal waste, or from exposure to practices that enable unsafe microorganisms to be introduced in the production chain. Sporadic outbreaks of microorganisms such E. coli 01R7 and Salmonella in fresh vegetables, now raise concerns about the presence of these organisms in produce. However, the overall health benefits of specialty crops such as vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices to consumers are well known and will continue to stimulate consumer preferences for these foods, thus making it necessary to execute healthy management practices in producing them. Moreover, producers continue to request information on suitability of organic cultivars to grow effectively as well as how to produce lesser known specialty crops. This project will be accomplished through the following objectives: (1) to compare the effects of subsurface applied poultry litter on the growth development and food safety of tomatoes produced under organic and conventional systems, (2) to evaluate overall economic impact of subsurface applied poultry litter application on the growth and development of tomatoes produced under organic and conventional systems, (3) to determine the optimum balance of non poultry supplied nutrients on ginger development in high tunnel and field and evaluate the economic impact and (4) to assess selected produce for their varietal performance for small farmer consideration and use in their cropping system.The basic methods to achieve all objectives will entail field studies on organic or transitioning organic sites. Objectives 1 and 2 will also include a conventional field site for comparing the production, food safety and economic data for tomato produced on fields with subsurface applied poultry manure. Objective 1 will entail microbial studies to determine if Salmonella, E. coli and E. coli 0157:H7 are present in tomatoes grown on the sites. Objective 3 will include a high tunnel study and Objective 4 will include carrot and kale. Through these objectives the ultimate goal is to produce selected specialty crops in an environmentally responsible manner while assessing their safety and the economic viability of the practices. The expected general impact is increased knowledge about organic specialty crop management practices for small farmers, food safety, and adoption of organic management practices where applicable. The proposal addresses USDA Priority and NIFA Challenges in the areas of Plant health and production and plant products, Food safety, and Agriculture economics and rural communities.

Animal Health Component

80%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

10%

Applied

80%

Developmental

10%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
205	0199	1050	100%

Knowledge Area
205 - Plant Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
1050 - Developmental biology;

Keywords

organic management

poultry litter

subsurface application

food safety

specialty crops

produce

Goals / Objectives
The goal is to produce selected specialty crops in an environmentally responsible manner while assessing their safety and the economic viability of the practices on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is comprised of the following objectives; (1) to compare the effects of subsurface applied poultry litter on the growth development and food safety of tomatoes produced under organic and conventional systems, (2) to evaluate overall economic impact of subsurface applied poultry litter application on the growth and development of tomatoes produced under organic and conventional systems, (3) to determine the optimum balance of non- poultry supplied nutrients on ginger development in high tunnel and field and evaluate the economic impact and (4) to assess selected produce for their varietal performance for small farmer consideration and use in their cropping system.

Project Methods
For objective 1, seeds of two tomato cultivars (C) will be grown to produce transplants for this field study. A certified organic and a conventional culture site will be selected. For both sites seeding of a hairy vetch rye ground cover will be planted the previous fall. In early spring, following the new nutrient guidelines the areas will be prepared for the subsurface application of poultry (P) litter at rates of 0, 1.0 and 1.5 tons /acre. Subsurface application will be done by traditional incorporation where the manure is spread and then disked in with a tractor retrofitted for applying the manure below the surface at a depth of 2-4 inches at the time of application. The experimental design will be a randomized block design with system (S) as block and the six treatment by variety combinations. Replication will be four. Plastic mulch and drip tape will be laid down to help control weeds and provide water as necessary. Plants in the organic system will be grown following acceptable National Organic Program guidelines for pest control and any additional nutrients that may be needed; those in the conventional site will follow conventional guidelines. At the vegetative stage, non destructive data will be recorded for plant growth and chlorophyll fluorescence. At the reproductive stage, fruits will be harvested at the red stage. They will be divided into marketable and non-marketable categories, counted, and weighed. Ripe fruits, leaves, and soil will be collected at harvest and at the end of the study, respectively to be analyzed for nutrient content. Microbial analyses of fruits and soils will be done from fruits collected and stored in sterile conditions before analysis. Samples will be assessed using MacConkey agar amended with 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-glucoronide (Mac-MUG) for enumeration of generic E. coli, and by XLT4 (differential media used for enumeration of Salmonella. Both direct plating or enrichment methods will be used for assessing Salmonella and E. coli. Data will be analyzed using SAS and will include analyses of variance and applicable statistical tests to test means.For objective 2 we will be looking at productivity ratio, benefit-cost ratio, and other economic indicators to compare the two systems in terms of cost effectiveness and efficiency.In Objective 3 seedlings will be produced from existing organic rhizome stock materials initially derived from tissue culture tissue.They will be planted in late spring in high tunnel and field using different levels of fish emulsion and one other approved organic nutrient where necessary. The design will be a randomized block design with four replications. Data will be collected on vegetative growth, rhizome yield, and nutrient content of plant, rhizome and soil. The field study will be done on either the organic certified site if space permits or on a 3-acre transitioning and neighboring site. Economic impact will be determined by productivity ratio, benefit-cost ratio, and other economic indicators to compare the nutrient usage and two growing environments in terms of cost effectiveness and efficiency.Objective 4 will be done as varietal trials for carrots and kale in demonstration field plots. Four organic carrot cultivars; Napoli, Bolero, and YaYa (Nantes types), and Sugar Snax (imperator type) will be selected and planted in beds for varietal evaluation in late spring early summer. Data will be collected at 5 weeks on plant growth, and at harvest on foliar height, root shape, root tip fill, root smoothness and root flavor. Plant management practices will follow national organic program guidelines. Variety trials for three cultivars of kale, Winterbor, Toscano /Siberian and an overwintering cultivar of carrot, Napoli will also planted in August or early fall and continued in to winter. Data will be collected at harvest on fresh plant mass, leaf color and texture. For each crop the design will be a completely randomized design with varieties and four replications. The efforts to cause a change in knowledge, actions, or conditions of target audiences will include publications and presentations at conferences and meetings, field days and demonstrations, and experiential activities such as student internships. The outputs will beevaluated and/or quantified for their impact on the intended audience(s) by the number of farmers adopting and applying practices from the research and on the impact factor of journals in which the papers are published. Annual project evaluation will be conducted to assess project progress during that period. The evaluation team will include stakeholders and various individuals knowledgeable about specialty crops, nutrient management, food safety, and organic culture. Evaluation criteria will include progress in attaining the objectives, extent of dissemination of project work, and in attaining project outcomes.

Progress 03/01/14 to 02/28/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences were Delmarva producers and consumers, scientists, and students who gained new knowledge about the production of organic tomatoes, carrots, kale and ginger in different poultry and non-poultry litter nutrients on Delmarva Peninsula. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several undergraduate students received training from undergraduate research assistantships on this project, and from experiential activities for classes in plant science. High school students from the summer Agdiscovery program on campus, and participants in other sponsored campus science activities also toured the research site and learned about organic agriculture, selected vegetables and herbs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated at field tours, presentations at AG field day, conferences and and professional meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In fulfillment of objectives 1 and 2, field studies were conducted on conventional and organic sites at the university experiment station. Two heirloom tomato cultivars, Debarao plum and Brandywine red were tested in different poultry litter and non-poultry litter nutrients. The test nutrients sources were poultry litter, poultry litter plus nature safe, nature safe and blood meal for the organic site, and 20-0-12 fertilizer, poultry litter plus 20-0-12 fertilizer, and poultry litter at the conventional site. Data were collected for food safety and economic analyses of harvested fruits. Ginger growth and rhizome yield were evaluated in three different nutrient treatments; Cotton Seed/Azomite, Nature Safe and Phytamin Fish Emulsion in high tunnel. For objective 4, carrot field trials were conducted to evaluate four cultivars; Napoli, Yaya, Nectar and Red Cored Chantenay in two different nutrient regimes, Blessings compost and Nature Safe. Other field trials with four kale cultivars, Premier, Toscano, Nash's Green and White Russian were conducted in spring and fall. Organic education knowledge and opportunities for college and K-12 students, visitors, field participants, and other stakeholders were enhanced through tours at the organic site, posters at Agriculture Field day and presentations at small farm conference, professional meetings, and discussion forum. New knowledge was created for producers and consumers about the production of tomatoes in soils amended with poultry litter and non-poultry litter nutrients, the performance of organic carrot and kale cultivars on the Delmarva Peninsula, and the production of ginger in non-poultry nutrient sources in high tunnel. In the area of food safety, consumers and producers had new knowledgeable about the food safety of tomatoes grown in poultry litter applied by subsurface application in organic and organic culture.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Downing, V., L. Marsh, S. Zebelo and B. Smith 2017. Seed Germination, Plant Development and Pest Incidence on Spring Planted Kale, (Brassica oleracea, var. acephala). 18th ARD Symposium Program Abstracts. Pg. 216.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Marsh, L. and B. Smith. 2017. Organic Field Performance of Carrots on the Delmarva Peninsula. HortScience 52(9):S 333-334. (Abstr.).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Marsh, L., M. Ali, F. Hashem and B. Smith. 2015. Yield and Economics of Organic and Conventional Tomatoes Grown in Soils Amended with Poultry Litter and Other Nutrients. HortScience 50(9):S329. (Abstr.)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Downing, V., T. Griffith, L. Marsh, and B. Smith. 2016. Growth and development of two fall planted kale cultivars. HortScience 51(9):S285-286. (Abstr.). Marsh, L. B. Smith, C. White, and F. Hashem. 2016. Impact of Fertilizer Regime on Yield and Food Safety of Heirloom Tomato Grown on Conventional and Organic Field Sites. HortScience 51(9):245. (Abstr.)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Marsh, L. and B. Smith. 2018. Conversion Efficiency of Organic Ginger Rhizomes to Seedlings as Affected By Pre Sprouting Covers. Hortscience 53(9) S375.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Marsh, L. and B. Smith. 2019. Ginger growth and development from transplanted seedlings and rhizome pieces under different organic nutrient sources. Hortscience 54(9) S299.

Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences were Delmarva producers and consumers, scientists, and students who gained new knowledge about the production of organic tomatoes, carrots, kale, ginger and lemongrass in different poultry and non-poultry litter nutrients on Delmarva Peninsula. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several undergraduate students received training from undergraduate research assistantships on this project, and from experiential activities for classes in plant science. High school students from the summer Agdiscovery program on campus, and local high schools, and participants in other sponsored campus science activities also toured the research site and learned about organic agriculture, selected vegetables and herbs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated at field tours, presentations at field day and UMES small farm conference, conferences and professional meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Economic analyses of data from the tomato and ginger studies will be finalized and incorporated in manuscripts. DNA analysis for confirmation of targeted food borne organism will be done.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In fulfillment of objectives 1 and 2, field studies were conducted on conventional and organic sites at the university experiment station. Two heirloom tomato cultivars, Debarao plum and Brandywine red were tested in different poultry litter and nonpoultry litter nutrients. The test nutrients sources were poultry litter, poultry litter plus nature safe, nature safe and blood meal for the organic site, and 20-0-12 fertilizer, poultry litter plus 20-0-12 fertilizer, and poultry litter at the conventional site. Data were collected for food safety and economic analyses of harvested fruits. Ginger growth and rhizome yield were evaluated in three different nutrient treatments; Cotton Seed/Azomite, Nature Safe and Phytamin Fish Emulsion in high tunnel. For objective 4, carrot field trials were conducted to evaluate four cultivars; Napoli, Yaya, Nectar and Red Cored Chantenay in two different nutrient regimes, Blessings compost and Nature Safe. Other field trials with four kale cultivars, Premier, Toscano, Nash's Green and White Russian were also conducted. Organic education knowledge and opportunities for college and K-12 students, visitors, field participants, and other stakeholders were enhanced through tours at the organic site, posters at field day and presentations at small farm conference, professional meetings, and discussion forum. New knowledge was created for producers and consumers about the production of tomatoes in soils amended with poultry litter and non-poultry litter nutrients, the performance of organic carrot and kale cultivars on the Delmarva Peninsula, and the production of ginger in non-poultry nutrient sources in high tunnel.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Marsh, L. and B. Smith. 2018. Conversion Efficiency of Organic Ginger Rhizomes to Seedlings as Affected By Pre Sprouting Covers. Hortscience 53(9) S375.

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences were Delmarva producers and consumers, scientists, and students who gained new knowledge about the production of organic tomatoes, carrots, kale and ginger in different poultry and non-poultry litter nutrients on Delmarva Peninsula. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several undergraduate students received training from undergraduate research assistantships on this project, and from experiential activities for classes in plant science. High school students from the summer Agdiscovery program on campus, and participants in other sponsored campus science activities also toured the research site and learned about organic agriculture, selected vegetables and herbs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated at field tours, presentations at AG field day, conferences and professional meetings What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Economic analyses of data from the tomato and ginger studies will be finalized and incorporated in manuscripts. DNA analysis for confirmation of targeted food borne organism will be done.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In fulfillment of objectives 1 and 2, field studies were conducted on conventional and organic sites at the university experiment station. Two heirloom tomato cultivars, Debarao plum and Brandywine red were tested in different poultry litter and nonpoultry litter nutrients. The test nutrients sources were poultry litter, poultry litter plus nature safe, nature safe and blood meal for the organic site, and 20-0-12 fertilizer, poultry litter plus 20-0-12 fertilizer, and poultry litter at the conventional site. Data were collected for food safety and economic analyses of harvested fruits. Ginger growth and rhizome yield were evaluated in three different nutrient treatments; Cotton Seed/Azomite, Nature Safe and Phytamin Fish Emulsion in high tunnel. For objective 4, carrot field trials were conducted to evaluate four cultivars; Napoli, Yaya, Nectar and Red Cored Chantenay in two different nutrient regimes, Blessings compost and Nature Safe. Other field trials with four kale cultivars, Premier, Toscano, Nash's Green and White Russian were also conducted. Organic education knowledge and opportunities for college and K-12 students, visitors, field participants, and other stakeholders were enhanced through tours at the organic site, posters at Agriculture Field day and presentations at small farm conference, professional meetings, and discussion forum. New knowledge was created for producers and consumers about the production of tomatoes in soils amended with poultry litter and non-poultry litter nutrients, the performance of organic carrot and kale cultivars on the Delmarva Peninsula, and the production of ginger in non-poultry nutrient sources in high tunnel.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Downing, V., L. Marsh, S. Zebelo and B. Smith 2017. Seed Germination, Plant Development and Pest Incidence on Spring Planted Kale, (Brassica oleracea, var. acephala). 18th ARD Symposium Program Abstracts. Pg. 216.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Marsh, L. and B. Smith. 2017. Organic Field Performance of Carrots on the Delmarva Peninsula. HortScience 52(9):S 333-334. (Abstr.).

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences were Delmarva producers and consumers, scientists, and students who gained new knowledge about the production of organic tomatoes, carrots, kale and ginger in different poultry and non-poultry litter nutrients on Delmarva Peninsula. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several undergraduate students received training from undergraduate research assistantships on this project, and from experiential activities for classes in plant science. High school students from the summer Agdiscovery program on campus, and participants in other sponsored campus science activities also toured the research site and learned about organic agriculture, selected vegetables and herbs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated at field tours, presentations at AG field day and professional meetings What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For objectives 1 and 2, complete data analysis on tomato crop development, yield, food safety and economics; write and submit manuscripts for publication. Repeat studies for objectives 3 and 4.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In support of objectives 1 and 2, two field studies were repeated on conventional and organic sites at the university experiment station. Two heirloom tomato cultivars, Debarao plum and Brandywine red were tested in different poultry litter and non-poultry litter nutrients. The test nutrients sources were poultry litter, poultry litter plus nature safe, nature safe and blood meal for the organic site and 20-0-12 fertilizer, poultry litter plus 20-0-12 fertilizer, and poultry litter at the conventional site. Data were collected for food safety and economic analyses of harvested fruits. Ginger growth and rhizome yield were evaluated in three different nutrient treatments; Cotton Seed/Azomite, Nature Safe and Phytamin Fish Emulsion in high tunnel in support of objective 3. For objective 4, a carrot field trial was planted in late spring of 2016 to evaluate four cultivars; Napoli, Yaya, Nectar and Red Cored Chantenay in two different nutrient regimes, Blessings compost and Nature Safe. Another trial with four kale cultivars, Premier, Toscano, Nash's Green and White Russian was conducted in fall 2016. Organic education opportunities for college and K-12 students, visitors, field participants, and other stakeholders were enhanced through tours at the organic site, posters at Agriculture Field day and presentations at professional meetings. New knowledge was created for producers and consumers about the production of tomatoes, in soils amended with poultry litter and non-poultry litter nutrients.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Downing, V., T. Griffith, L. Marsh, and B. Smith. 2016. Growth and development of two fall planted kale cultivars. HortScience 51(9):S285-286. (Abstr.). Marsh, L. B. Smith, C. White, and F. Hashem. 2016. Impact of Fertilizer Regime on Yield and Food Safety of Heirloom Tomato Grown on Conventional and Organic Field Sites. HortScience 51(9):245. (Abstr.)

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences were Delmarva producers and consumers, scientists, and students who gained new knowledge about the production of organic tomatoes, in different poultry and non-poultry litter nutrients on Delmarva Peninsula. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several undergraduate students received training from undergraduate research assistantships on this project, and from experiential activities for classes in plant science. High school students from the summer Agdiscovery program on campus and other regional areas also toured the research site and learned about organic agriculture, selected vegetables and herbs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated at field tours and professional meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Analyze data on tomato crop development, yield, for food safety and economic aspects and disseminate information. Repeat objectives 1 and 2. Conduct studies for objectives 3 and 4.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In support of objectives 1 and 2, two field studies were conducted on conventional and organic sites at the university experiment station. Two heirloom tomato cultivars, Debarao plum and Brandywine red were tested in different poultry litter and non-poultry litter nutrients. The test nutrients sources were poultry litter, poultry litter plus nature safe, nature safe and blood meal for the organic site and 20-0-12 fertilizer, poultry litter plus 20-0-12 fertilizer, and poultry litter at the conventional site. Data were collected for food safety and economic analyses of harvested fruits. A carrot trial was done but stand but germination and stand establishment was poor. Another trial with kale cv, Premier and Toscano was conducted. Organic education opportunities for college and K-12 students, visitors, field participants, and other stakeholders were enhanced through tours at the organic site. New knowledge was created for producers and consumers about the production of tomatoes, in soils amended with poultry litter and non-poultry litter nutrients. All organic fields were planted in a fall cover crop mixture of hairy vetch and rye. Specific research plots were established and maintained to determine the effects of applied poultry litter and non-poultry litter nutrients on tomato under organic conventional systems. Data were collected and analyzed for crop development, yield and food safety of heirloom tomatoes. Field variety trials were conducted to: test the effects of Nature safe and Blessings compost on carrot, cv. Napoli and Yaya; and test the effects of Nature safe and poultry compost on kale, cv. Premier and Toscano.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Marsh, L., M. Ali, F. Hashem and B. Smith. 2015. Yield and Economics of Organic and Conventional Tomatoes Grown in Soils Amended with Poultry Litter and Other Nutrients. HortScience 50(9):S329. (Abstr.)

Progress 03/01/14 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Target audiences were Delmarva producers and consumers, scientists, and students who gained new knowledge about the production of organic tomatoes, in different poultry and non-poultry litter nutrients on Delmarva Peninsula. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Several undergraduate students received training from undergraduate research assistantships on this project, and from experiential activities for classes in plant science. High school students from the summer Agdiscovery program on campus and other regional areas also toured the research site and learned about organic agriculture, selected vegetables and herbs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results from this first year's study have been disseminated at field tours. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Analyze data on crop development, yield, for food safety and economic aspects and disseminate information. Repeat objectives 1 and 2. Begin to implement objectives 3and 4.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In support of objectives 1 and 2, two field studies were established on conventional and organic sites at the university experiment station. Two heirloom tomato cultivars, Debarao plum and Brandywine red were tested in different poultry litter and non-poultry litter nutrients. The test nutrients sources were poultry litter, poultry litter plus nature safe, nature safe and blood meal for the organic site and 20-0-12 fertilizer, poultry litter plus 20-0-12 fertilizer, and poultry litter at the conventional site. Data was collected for food safety and economic analyses of harvested fruits. Organic education opportunities for college and K-12 students, visitors, field participants, and other stakeholders were enhanced through tours at the organic site. New knowledge was created for producers and consumers about the production of tomatoes, in soils amended with poultry litter and non-poultry litter nutrients.

Publications