2004 Annual Report 1.What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? What does it matter? Agricultural production in the New England Region has seriously declined in recent years. Within the past decade alone, farmland in New England has decreased by 393,000 acres. Sustainable cropping systems and management practices are needed to improve agricultural viability and rural economic vitality in this region. Research is being conducted to. 1)identify the constraints to cropping system sustainability,. 2)develop practices and management strategies to overcome or reduce those constraints, and. 3)transfer the technology gained to growers for improving cropping system sustainability. These research and technology transfer activities will improve agricultural viability and rural economic vitality in the Northeast. 2.List the milestones (indicators of progress) from your Project Plan. Milestones for Objective 1- Identify constraints to cropping system sustainability. Milestone Establish field plots of 4 system categories; 2004 Develop enterprise budgets for Status Quo systems; 2004 Assess profitability and risk of Status Quo systems; 2005 Economic assessment of all 4 systems; 2006-2008 Determine crop yields across all 4 systems; 2004-2008 Determine N,P,K use efficiencies; 2005-2008 Collect soil samples; 2004-2008 Lab incubations of potentially mineralizable N; 2006, 2008 Field measurements of N mineralization; 2006, 2008 Establish irrigation capability; 2004 Evaluate temporal stability of soil water pattern across on-farm landscapes; 2004-2006 Evaluate soil water variability and yield relationships; 2004-2006 Assess plant diseases across all 4 systems; 2005-2008 Assess cropping system effects on weed dynamics; 2004-2007 Evaluate cropping system effects on soil microbial populations and activity; 2004-2007 Evaluate interactions among nutrient use efficiency, water availability, plant diseases, weed dynamics, yield, and profitability; 2004-2007 Conduct in-depth team workshop; 2004-2008 Milestones for Objective 2 - Develop practices and management strategies to overcome or reduce constraints to sustainability. Milestone Continue management of 2-yr & 3-yr rotations established in 1997 and 1998; 2004-2008 Continue reduced tillage and cover crop studies;2004-2005 Compare conventional and zone tillage; 2005-2007 Develop and test device for high resolution mapping of soil water on a field scale; 2004-2005 Evaluate yield and water use efficiencies of selected management practices; 2005-2007 Sample and analyze potatoes for N uptake dynamics throughout the growing season; 2004-2007 Compare N use efficiencies obtained through the functional approach compared to the conventional approach; 2006-2007 Assess plant diseases across rotation, tillage, irrigation, and cover crop studies; 2004-2008 Assess late blight development and genotypes present across water management treatments; 2005-2007 Assess efficacy of biocontrol agents; 2005-2008 Evaluate Brassica spp. for weed control; 2004-2007 Identify potential markets and expected prices for potential rotation crops; 2006-2007 Quantify economic impact of rotation effects; 2006-2007 Determine production and income risks of experimental tillage and water management strategies; 2007-2008 Milestones for Objective 3 - Transfer the technology gained to growers for improving cropping system sustainability. Milestone Hold customer focus group meetings; 2004-2008 Conduct research detailed in Objectives 1 and 2; 2004-2008 Hold participatory team workshop for data analysis and synthesis into new technology; 2004-2008 Formalize knowledge gained into decision support system; 2006-2008 Verify, validate, and update decision support system; 2006-2008 Distribute and demonstrate decision support system to growers; 2007-2008 Survey growers on utility of decision support system and suggested improvements; 2008 3.Milestones: A. Milestones for Objective 1- Identify constraints to cropping system sustainability. Milestone Establish field plots of 4 system categories; Met in 2004 Develop enterprise budgets for Status Quo systems; Met in 2004 Determine crop yields across all 4 systems; Met in 2004 Collect soil samples; Met in 2004 Establish irrigation capability; Met in 2004 Evaluate temporal stability of soil water pattern across on-farm landscapes; Met in 2004 Evaluate soil water variability and yield relationships; Met in 2004 Conduct in-depth team workshop; Not met at this time Milestones for Objective 2 - Develop practices and management strategies to overcome or reduce constraints to sustainability. Milestone Continue management of 2-yr & 3-yr rotations established in 1997 and 1998; Met in 2004 Continue reduced tillage and cover crop studies; Met in 2004 Sample and analyze potatoes for N uptake dynamics throughout the growing season; Met in 2004 Assess plant diseases across rotation, tillage, irrigation, and cover crop studies; Met in 2004 Evaluate Brassica spp. for weed control; Met in 2004 Milestones for Objective 3 - Transfer the technology gained to growers for improving cropping system sustainability. Milestone Hold customer focus group meetings; Met in 2004 Conduct research detailed in Objectives 1 and 2; Met in 2004 Hold participatory team workshop for data analysis and synthesis into new technology; Met in 2004 All milestones have been met for 2004 except for holding a team workshop for data analysis and synthesis. This is because the growing season is still underway. The workshop will be held during the winter of 2004. B. A detailed list of milestones projected for meeting in FY 2005, 2006, and 2007 are provided in response to Question 2. In summary, profitability and risk of status quo (conventional) systems will be evaluated in FY 2005. This will quantify the economic constraint to sustainability of the conventional cropping system, thereby providing a benchmark from which to compare other cropping systems. Also in FY 2005, the temporal stability of soil water across landscapes will be evaluated. This will allow prescribing efficient irrigation applications that vary across landscapes and associated soils. In FY 2006, plant diseases will be assessed across all four crop management systems. This will provide evaluation of soil management, water management, and crop rotation impacts on soil-born plant disease constraints to production. In FY 2007, the interactions among nutrient use efficiency, water availability, plant diseases, weeds, yield, and profitability will be assessed. This will provide identification and comprehensive evaluation of the factors constraining cropping system sustainability. 4.What were the most significant accomplishments this past year? A. Single most significant accomplishment during FY 2004: A decision support system entitled the Potato Systems Planner was developed and is now being transferred to customers of the research program. The Planner provides detailed information on the impacts of seven crop rotations on yield, potential profitability, grower risk, nutrient cycling, soil-born diseases, and soil microorganisms. An economics calculator is also provided that allows growers to input their own production costs, yield experiences, and market prices to estimate potential profit of the entire cropping system. This allows growers to identify potentially profitable cropping systems for potato, thereby contributing to the long-term viability of the potato industry. B. Other Significant accomplishment(s) if any: Uniform application rates of irrigation water result in over-application on some soils and under-application on others. This negatively impacts yield, crop quality, and contributes to excess nutrient losses to the environment. Research showed that the underlying pattern of soil water content could be used to adjust irrigation rates on separate areas of the same field. Methods and instrumentation were developed and tested successfully for rapidly mapping the soil water pattern across landscapes. This technology will reduce irrigation water demands, energy usage, costs, and chemical losses, while improving crop yield and quality. Potato Late Blight continues to be a serious threat to the U.S. potato and tomato industries. Laboratory and growth chamber studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of natural products for Late Blight control. In laboratory studies, an essential oil (oregano) and a bio-pesticide provided complete inhibition of fungal growth. Additional research using growth chambers showed only partial disease control when these materials were applied to potato. These results indicate it may be possible to reduce fungicide inputs for controlling Late Blight where combinations of natural products and fungicides are used. Potatoes suffer from numerous plant diseases, and billions of dollars are spent annually in the U.S. to control these diseases. Sustainable methods of disease control were evaluated that include rotations, green manures, cover crops, and organic amendments, along with biocontrol agents, microbial inoculants, biostimulants, and novel biocontrol organisms. Commercially-available biological control organisms such as Trichoderma virens and Bacillus subtilis reduced Rhizoctonia stem canker by 37-75% and black scurf by 11-20%, while increasing potato yield by 15-20%. These practices/amendments have significant potential for improving disease control and reducing pesticide inputs. Opportunities may exist for potato growers to strengthen their financial positions due to adoption of more diversified rotation crops and to changes in the Farm Bill. An economic analysis was conducted of rotation crop selection and participation in the U.S. Farm Bill commodity support programs. This analysis indicated that growers participating in the commodity support programs can increase returns and reduce income risks. This offers growers a new tool for increasing farm profitability, reducing financial risk, and improving viability of their operations. Plant diseases reduce profitability by decreasing yield, reducing product quality, and increasing production costs. Crop rotations that suppress diseases may conceivably have lower production costs and higher yields. An economic analysis was conducted of crop rotations that suppress disease in potato. Rotation with canola resulted in lower disease incidence, higher potato yield, and higher net income compared to other, less disease suppressive rotations. However, rotation length and sequence were found to influence the efficacy of these systems and their economic returns. These results provide growers with guidance for enhancing profitability through disease suppression. Increasing the amount of crop residue and delaying tillage offer opportunities for improving soil physical conditions and reducing exposure to erosion. Field experiments were conducted to. 1)compare cover crops (clover, ryegrass, and rapeseed) grown with or after barley, and fall versus spring tillage prior to potato planting, and. 2)evaluate the effects of cover crops in various 2-yr rotations. These on-going experiments clearly show that delayed tillage and inclusion of cover crops are useful for increasing soil cover during periods most susceptible to erosion. Improvements in potato crop yield or quality, along with potentially lower production costs and improved soil conservation, make these viable options for Northeast potato growers. C. Significant accomplishments/activities that support special target populations: Research accomplishments from this project will benefit small farms, because approximately 23,000 farms in the New England Region (94%) are classified as small farms (1997 Census of Agriculture). D. Progress Report: Subordinate projects: Productivity of potato in the Northeast has remained static for the past 50 yrs. A large, interdisciplinary field experiment was initiated in 2004 in Presque Isle, ME, to identify and establish the relative contribution of factors that limit cropping system sustainability. The experiment includes four cropping systems, classified and managed as. 1)status quo,. 2)soil conserving,. 3)soil improving, and. 4)disease suppressive systems. All cropping systems are managed under both irrigated and non-irrigated conditions. This treatment matrix provides a broad range of soil C concentration, nutrient inputs, tillage timing and intensity, and soil water status. The research will allow the NEPSWL to identify and overcome the constraints to sustainability for potato-based cropping systems in the Northeast. This report serves to document research conducted under a reimbursable cooperative agreement (1915-62660-001-03R) between ARS and the University of Maine (agreement number: 58-1915-4-405). The project is entitled: Irrigation Water Use in Wild Blueberry Production and is associated with CRIS 1915-62660-001-00D. The research quantifies blueberry water use requirements varying with distance from the Atlantic coast and stage of crop development throughout the growing season. This information is being used by the blueberry industry to schedule irrigation water applications in the southeast region of Maine and to identify highest priority areas for water source development. Research showed that irrigating in both years of the crop cycle tripled yield over irrigating in the fruit bearing year alone. This research forms the basis for irrigation recommendations made to approximately 300 farmers at various extension events and is transferred in extension publications on best management practices for low bush blueberry production. This report serves to document research conducted under a trust fund agreement (1915-62660-001-02T) between ARS and the Maine Potato Board. The project is entitled: Control of Powdery Scab on Potato Using Brassica Rotations and Chemicals and is associated with CRIS project 1915-62660-001-00D. Powdery scab is an increasing problem in the Northeast. This problem is magnified because the powdery scab pathogen serves as the sole vector for the potato moptop virus, recently found throughout the U.S. and Canada. No effective control measures currently exist for either disease problem. Several Brassica spp. crops are being evaluated in potato rotations for controlling powdery scab and other soil-born diseases. Results from greenhouse and field studies support previous findings that several different Brassica spp. can reduce inoculum of soil-born pathogens and subsequent potato diseases, including powdery scab, black scurf, and common scab. These results indicate that Brassica crops can significantly contribute to controlling powdery scab and other soil-born diseases. 5.Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. This was the first year of a new Project contributing to National Program 207, Integrated Agricultural Systems. Major accomplishments of this first year include obtaining input from a customer focus group and revising research plans accordingly, establishing four categories of cropping systems in the field, establishing irrigation system capability for the project, evaluating stability of the soil water pattern across landscapes, and developing enterprise budgets for the Status Quo systems. National Program 207 does not have a published Action Plan. Notable accomplishments of the previous Project (1915-12220-001-00D) include the following: - Development and transfer of a decision support system entitled the Potato Systems Planner. This allows growers to identify the most sustainable cropping systems for potato, thereby contributing to the long-term viability of the potato industry. - Development of enterprise budgets, whole-farm budgets, and market analyses for new, alternative crops for potato rotations. This provides growers with increased rotation crop options and expanded opportunities to increase net farm income. - Identified crops that could be grown in rotation with potato (canola, barley, and sweet corn) to reduce levels of soil-born diseases, increase yields, and improve tuber quality. This provides growers with viable crop rotations that increase productivity and reduce pesticide requirements. - Determined optimal N fertilizer application for potatoes when following several new rotation crops. This allows reduced N fertilizer inputs, thereby reducing input costs and environmental risks associated with N fertilization. - Identified genetic shifts in the Late Blight fungus. This shows that management practices must be developed to control more aggressive strains of the pathogen having increased survival characteristics compared to currently predominant strains. - Established the impacts of raised beds and green-sprouted seed on potato production. This provides opportunities for growers to access early markets and to establish winter cover crops for controlling soil erosion. - Quantified optimal management practices for soybean production. This fosters production of soybean in the cool, short-season production zone of northern Maine. 6.What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? A decision support system entitled the "Potato Systems Planner" was transferred to producers. It was demonstrated at producer meetings and will soon be placed on the Location's web page. The decision support system helps producers in deciding what crop to rotate with potatoes, based on that crop¿s impact on soil-born diseases, N recycling, soil microbial activity, yield, and profit potential. Two Field Days were held for producers in which they learned about research advancements to optimize water use efficiency, conserve soil, reduce pesticides, and select appropriate crop rotations. An on-farm study was conducted that transferred research using the underlying pattern of soil water content for prescribing variable rate application of irrigation water. This reduces water requirements, energy usage, and nutrient/pesticide leaching out of the root zone. Presentations were made at extension conferences which transferred information on crop rotation recommendations, cultural management options, and biological control options for controlling soil-born diseases of potato. Research results on various aspects of soil management were transferred to producers, farm advisors, and agency personnel in field days and education seminars. These results include demonstration of impacts of crop rotation, cover crops, and tillage on soil coverage, specifically to reduce erosion during susceptible periods. 7.List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. Griffin, T.S. 2003. Active carbon measurements. Presented to farmers, farm advisors, and NRCS personnel at USDA-IFAFS field days, Corinna, ME and Dresden, ME. Griffin, T.S. 2003. Mineralization of nitrogen from composts in vegetable systems. Presentation to growers at the New England Vegetable and Berry Conference, Manchester, NH. Griffin, T.S. 2004. Increasing cover to protect soil in potato rotations. Presentation to growers at the Maine Potato Conference, Univ. of Maine Cooperative Extension, Caribou, ME. January 21, 2004. Halloran, J.M., R.P. Larkin, T.S. Griffin, and C.W. Honeycutt. An Economic Analysis of Disease Suppressive Systems in Maine Potato Cropping Systems. Presentation at the Northeast Potato Technology Forum 2004, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, March 9-10, 2004. Larkin, R.P. 2004. Biological and cultural approaches for control of soilborne potato diseases. Presentation to growers at the Maine Potato Conference, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Caribou, ME. January 22, 2004. Larkin, R.P., and T.S. Griffin. 2004. Brassica crop rotations for control of soilborne potato diseases. Presentation at the Northeast Potato Technology Forum 2004, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, March 9-10, 2004. Olanya, O.M. and R.P. Larkin. 2004. Suppression of Phytophthora infestans by essential oils and natural products in lab assays and growth chamber studies. Presentation at the Northeast Potato Technology Forum 2004, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, March 9-10, 2004. Starr, G.C. Measuring fixed patterns of soil water content for precision water application. Presentation at the Northeast Potato Technology Forum 2004, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, March 9-10, 2004. Starr, G.C., and Yarborough, D. Influence of vapor deposition on wild blueberry water requirements in Maine. International Symposium on Vaccinium Culture. Portugal, Spain, May, 2004. Larkin, R.P. 2004. Crop rotation and amendment effects on soil microbial communities and soilborne diseases. Phytopathology (Abstr.) 94:S125. Review Publications Essah, S., Honeycutt, C.W. 2004. Tillage and seed-sprouting strategies to improve potato yield and quality in short growing seasons. American Journal of Potato Research. 81: 177-186 Fontem, D.A., Njualem, B.F., Olanya, O.M. 2004. Reaction of certain solanaceous and asteraceous plant species to inoculation with phytophthora infestans in cameroon. Journal of Phytopathology. 154: 331-336 Griffin, T.S., Porter, G.A. 2004. Altering soil carbon and nitrogen stocks in intensively tilled two-year rotations. Biology and Fertility of Soils. 39: 366-374 Larkin, R.P. 2003. Characterization of soil microbial communities under different potato cropping systems in maine by microbial population dynamics, substrate utilization, and fatty acid profiles. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 35: 1451-1466 Larkin, R.P. 2004. Influence of biocontrol agents and other biological amendments on soil microbial communities. American Phytopathological Society Abstracts. 94: S56 Nyankanga, R.O., Wein, H.C., Olanya, O.M., Ojiambo, P.S. 2004. Farmers' cultural practices and management of potato late blight in kenya highlands: implications for development of integrated disease management. International Journal of Pest Management. 50 (2) : 135-144 Starr, G.C., Seymour, R.M., Yarborough, D. 2004. Yield and quality differences of lowbush blueberry (vaccinium angustifolium) in irrigated and rain-fed conditions. Small Fruit Reviews. 3: 273-283 Larkin, R.P., Honeycutt, C.W. 2004. Effects of different 3-yr cropping systems on soil microbial communities and soilborne disease of potato. Phytopathology. 96: 68-79 Starr, G.C., Seymour, R.M., Olday, F. 2004. Determination of evapotranspiration and drainage in lowbush blueberries using weighing lysimeters. Small Fruits Rev. 3:45-56 Larkin, R.P., Groves, C.L. 2003. Identification and characterization of isolates of phytophthora infestans using fatty acid methyl ester (fame) profiles. Plant Disease 87:1233-1243