Source: NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV submitted to NRP
IMPROVEMENT OF ORGANIC TOBACCO PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN NORTH CAROLINA
Sponsoring Institution
State Agricultural Experiment Station
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
STATE
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1030474
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2023
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2028
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV
(N/A)
RALEIGH,NC 27695
Performing Department
Crop & Soil Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Tobacco is North Carolina's largest agronomic crop. More growers are trying to produce organic tobacco to meet a growingmarket demand and reduce the environmental impact of tradiational tobacco production practices. Little information is availableto these growers as to how best grow organic tobacco. Our research is aimed at improving these practices while concurrentlyoffering this information to growers.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
100%
Developmental
0%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1021910106050%
1111910106020%
2041910106010%
2161910106010%
2131910106010%
Knowledge Area
204 - Plant Product Quality and Utility (Preharvest); 102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 111 - Conservation and Efficient Use of Water; 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems; 213 - Weeds Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
1910 - Flue-cured tobacco;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems);
Goals / Objectives
The goals of this project are to improve our understanding and output of organic tobacco production systems while alsodisseminating this information to North Carolina growers. The objectives include, but are not limited to:-Comparison of no-till/reduced tillage systems in organic tobacco production systems.-Develop drip/plasticulture systems that increase efficiencies of water/nutrient inputs while also reducing weed competition.-Search for other cash crops that can be grown organically within the rotation plan of tobacco growers-Compare organic fertilizers in their efficacy and economics when used with tobacco.
Project Methods
Research will be conducted on NCDA research fascilities and in collaboration with NC organic tobacco farmers. Studies will beconducted such that scientifically sound comparisons can be made when investigating a new system, such as no-till, to thecurrent organic practices utilized. This information will be transferred through field days, extension meetings, scientificmeetings/conferences, publication in scientific and grower journals, and classroom lectures. Evaluations will be conducted bygiving pre- and post-activity surveys that assess audience knowledge on the concepts discussed. Initial surveys of currentorganic grower practices will be taken. After the three year project, the survey will once again be given to evaluate efficacy ofoverall grower knowledge on organic production methods and adoption rates of new techniques.