Project Number: 1265-22000-164-01
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jul 01, 2004
End Date: Jun 30, 2009

Objective:
Identify successful weed management approaches currently employed by organic farmers and conduct on-farm research to test innovative strategies. Identify cultivars of agronomic crops with improved capacity to compete with and suppress weeds. Develop equipment and practices to manage cover crops and control weeds in minimum-tillage organic production systems.

Approach:
Conduct a survey of organic farms in the mid-Atlantic area to identify successful weed management approaches and successful farmers. Identify farms for in-depth analysis of their weed management systems and for testing advanced weed management systems based on research station trials. At the Rodale Institute research fields, conduct agronomic cultivar evaluations and cover crop management trials. Cultivars will be tested for yield loss in adjacent weedy and weed-free plots and for suppression of weed biomass and potential seed production. Cover crop species in monocultures and mixtures will be tested in combination with various minimum-tillage management practices to determine systems that reduce weed pressure but maintain crop productivity and profitability.