an example of farm to table participatory learning in potato

OSPUD

Participatory ResearchParticipatory ResearchDeveloping relevant agricultural technology and

innovation within farming systems using an egalitarian approach with all community members involved

A simple, understandable, progression that begins with what people already know, their experiences, concerns,

knowledge and beliefs, toward what they need to know in order to innovate successfully. Roland Bunch

A way of learning together

Project FarmersProject Farmers

Spring Hill Farm: Spring Hill Farm: AlbanyAlbany Gathering Together Farm: Gathering Together Farm: PhilomathPhilomath Foundhorn Gardens: Foundhorn Gardens: Days CreekDays Creek Fry Family Farm: Fry Family Farm: Talent Talent Sauvie Island Organics: Sauvie Island Organics: PortlandPortland 47th Ave Farm: 47th Ave Farm: Portland Portland Persephone Farm: Persephone Farm: LebanonLebanon Blue Fox Farm: Blue Fox Farm: Applegate Applegate Fields Farm: Fields Farm: Bend Bend Winter Green Farm: Winter Green Farm: NotiNoti Ralph’s Greenhouse: Ralph’s Greenhouse: Mount Vernon, WAMount Vernon, WA

OSU Project ParticipantsOSU Project Participants Dan Sullivan:Dan Sullivan: PI (Crop & Soil Science) PI (Crop & Soil Science)

Alex Stone:Alex Stone: PI (Horticulture) PI (Horticulture)

Paul Jepson:Paul Jepson: PI (IPPC) PI (IPPC)

Lane Selman:Lane Selman: Project Coordinator Project Coordinator

Mario Ambrosino:Mario Ambrosino: Post-Doc Entomology Post-Doc Entomology

John McQueen:John McQueen: Grad Student Soil Fertility Grad Student Soil Fertility

Gwendolyn Ellen:Gwendolyn Ellen: Participatory Coordinator Participatory Coordinator

Nick Andrews:Nick Andrews: Entomologist Entomologist

Al Mosley:Al Mosley: Retired Potato Specialist Retired Potato Specialist

Isabel Vales & Solomon Yilma:Isabel Vales & Solomon Yilma: Potato Breeding Potato Breeding

Jeff McMorran:Jeff McMorran: OSU Potato Seed Certification OSU Potato Seed Certification

Don Horneck:Don Horneck: Soil scientist Soil scientist

Our ProcessOur Process

During winter meetings in the first and second year, we collaboratively:

1) identified and prioritized the issues reducing potato production sustainability

2) identified and discussed any known solutions3) generated hypotheses to be tested during the growing

season in on-farm trials4) identified who would participate in on-farm trials5) developed the annual budget.During the two production seasons, on-farm and research

station trials evaluated pest and nutrient management strategies.

During the second and final year winter meetings, the season’s field data was shared and discussed.

Primary Issues Addressed Primary Issues Addressed

• N management• Insect pest diagnosis and management

Flea Beetles

Wireworms• Disease diagnosis and management

Late Blight

Late Blight ManagementLate Blight Management

5 farmers

• Late blight is the most significant disease problem for this group of organic potato farmers.

• Yield impact depends on timing and duration of epidemic in relationship to tuber bulking. If very early and severe can generate crop failure. In EU, later epidemics can reduce yield by 50%.

• Late blight is only a problem on some farms (Willamette and Skagit Valleys)

• Occasional-chronic late spring problem in wet springs on Willamette Valley project farms

• Chronic problem mid-season in Skagit Valley (large potato acreages, unmanaged inoculum sources, conducive environment)

http://www.organicagcentre.ca/Potato%20Symposium/index.html

• Breeding tolerant/resistant cultivars is the best strategy for managing LB organically. We need ongoing LB breeding programs as tolerance will break down over time.

• Copper oxychloride (6 sprays @ 0.9 lbs/A) slows disease progress and met the EU limit for Cu application.

• Chitting did not control LB.

• Irrigation management reduces LB.

• Nutrient management increases yield but doesn’t reduce foliar LB.

• Compost teas (etc.) have worked vs. Botrytis in greenhouse culture but they have not been effective in suppressing LB in field potatoes.

• Rhubarb extract controls LB but you have to grow a field of rhubarb for

every field of potato (someone in EU is working to commercialize this).

BlightMOP Conclusions

Disease Management: ObjectivesDisease Management: Objectives

Scout fields to identify diseases as they occur on all farms

Investigate cause(s) of on-farm LB epidemics (and other diseases) to determine whether they can be avoided or managed to reduce impact

Evaluate LB resistant commercial cultivars Defender, Jacqueline Lee, and Island Sunshine on project farms for resistance and marketability

Evaluate other cultivars considered LB resistant in inoculated experiment station trial (Vales and Yilma)

Evaluate specialty clones from the PNW program for LB resistance (Vales and Yilma)

Evaluate copper applications for LB management

CULTURAL

Disease Management: ObjectivesDisease Management: Objectives

Scout fields to identify diseases as they occur on all farms

Investigate cause(s) of on-farm LB epidemics (and other diseases) to determine whether they can be avoided or managed to reduce impact

Evaluate LB resistant commercial cultivars Defender, Jacqueline Lee, and Island Sunshine on project farms for resistance and marketability

Evaluate other cultivars considered LB resistant in inoculated experiment station trial (Vales and Yilma)

Evaluate specialty clones from the PNW program for LB resistance (Vales and Yilma)

Evaluate copper applications for LB management

GENETIC

Disease Management: ObjectivesDisease Management: Objectives

Scout fields to identify diseases as they occur on all farms

Investigate cause(s) of on-farm LB epidemics (and other diseases) to determine whether they can be avoided or managed to reduce impact

Evaluate LB resistant commercial cultivars Defender, Jacqueline Lee, and Island Sunshine on project farms for resistance and marketability

Evaluate other cultivars considered LB resistant in inoculated experiment station trial (Vales and Yilma)

Evaluate specialty clones from the PNW program for LB resistance (Vales and Yilma)

Evaluate copper applications for LB management CHEMICAL

Ozette, Defender = more resistantJacqueline Lee, Island Sunshine = somewhat resistantMore resistant varieties in the pipeline – stay tuned!

University of Idaho

Ozette

Inoculated Replicated LB TrialsFrom Colorado breeding program, not commercially available

Participatory Evaluation of Potato Germplasm for Suitability in Organic Production Systems

Disease Management: ObjectivesDisease Management: Objectives

Scout fields to identify diseases as they occur on all farms

Investigate cause(s) of on-farm LB epidemics (and other diseases) to determine whether they can be avoided or managed to reduce impact

Evaluate LB resistant commercial cultivars Defender, Jacqueline Lee, and Island Sunshine on project farms for resistance and marketability

Evaluate other cultivars considered LB resistant in inoculated experiment station trial (Vales and Yilma)

Evaluate specialty clones from the PNW program for LB resistance (Vales and Yilma)

Evaluate copper and other materials for LB management CHEMICAL

• Copper fungicides are protectants, so they must be applied to the foliage before infection. The copper ion is absorbed by the germinating spore, and the copper denatures spore proteins.

• Coppers must be applied regularly throughout the potato production season – this can be 8 or more sprays per season!

• Coppers are considered synthetics by the NOP and are permitted with restrictions – they must be applied in a manner that minimizes accumulation in soil.

• BlightMOP effectively controlled LB with 6 sprays of 0.9 lbs/A each as oxychloride, and this total application rate (5.4 lbs Cu per A) fell within the more restrictive EU guidelines (6 kg/ha, or 5.4 lbs/A) and did not result in increased soil Cu contents.

•

• In the OSU trial, we made 4 applications of 1.9 lbs elemental copper as cupric oxide (Nordox) (total Cu application: 7.6 lbs Cu/A). It is possible that Nordox could be effective at 0.9 lbs elemental copper/A per spray. Monterey Chemical is currently trialing lower Nordox rates.

Copper fungicides

Treatment Rate Timing

1. Cuprofix (copper sulfate: Cerexagri-Nisso)1 3 lbs/A 8/30, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17

2. Kocide 3000 (copper hydroxide: DuPont)2 1.75 lbs/A 8/30, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17

3. Nordox 75 WG (copper oxide: Monterey Chemical)3

2.5 lbs/A 8/30, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17

4. Oxidate (hydrogen dioxide and peroxyacetic acid: BioSafe)

6 gals/A 8/30, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17

5. Sonata (QST 713 Bacillus subtilis: Agraquest) 3 qts /A 8/30, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17

6. Horsetail tea (horsetail: BD Institute4) 300 units/A 8/29, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17

7. Maria Thun barrel compost tea (compost: BD Institute4)

600 units/A 8/29, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17

8. Water control (applied same dates as 1-7)) 600 gals/A 8/29, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17

9. Wilt Farm tea (compost tea: Wilt Farm5) 600 gals/A 8/21, 8/29, 9/1, 9/5, 9/12

1Cuprofix is not currently OMRI or WSDA listed for use on certified organic farms2Kocide 3000 was OMRI-listed in October 2006 but may no longer be listed.3Nordox is currently listed by OMRI and WSDA for use on certified organic farms. It is regulated and must

be used in a manner that minimizes accumulation of copper in the soil [205.601( i)(1)]4Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, PO Box 133, Woolwine, VA 24185

Materials were applied as recommended by JPI.5Wilt Farms, Hwy 99W, Corvallis, OR. 541 752-0460. Tea was applied as received from Wilt Farm on

dates that Wilt Farm produced tea. On 2 dates, tea was applied the following day.

Late blight spray trial 2007

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9/12/2007 9/16/2007 9/20/2007 9/24/2007 9/28/2007

Date

Fo

liar

ne

cro

sis

(p

erc

en

t)

1 Cuprofix

2 Kocide

3 Nordox

4 Oxidate

5 Sonata

6 Horsetail tea

7 Maria Thun tea

8 Water control

9 Wilt Farm tea

PublicationsOSU EXTENSION PUBLICATIONS• Ambrosino, M. 2008. Flea Beetle Management for Organic

Potatoes. Oregon State University. EM 8747-E.• Selman,L., N. Andrews, A. Stone, and A.Mosley. 2008. What’s

Wrong with my Potato Tubers? Oregon State University. EM 8948-E.

• Sullivan, D.M., J.P.G. McQueen and D.A. Horneck. 2008. Estimating Nitrogen Mineralization in Organic Potato Production. Oregon State University. EM 8949-E.

THESIS • McQueen, J.P.G. 2007. Estimating the dry matter production,

nitrogen requirements, and yield of organic farm-grown potatoes. M.S. Thesis. Oregon State University. Corvallis, OR. Available at:http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/dspace/bitstream/1957/6245/1/mcqueenj_MSthesis.pdf).

OutreachOutreach

• January 2008. Oregon Tilth 2008 Annual Conference: a potato variety tasting and an Ospud farmer panel presentation

•

• January 2008. North Willamette Horticulture Society Meeting.

• February 2008. The 8th Annual Small Farms and Farm Direct Marketing Conference: Ospud farmer presentation

• November 2008. Washington Tilth: Ospud farmer presentation

www.ospud.org

OutcomesOutcomes

All farmer collaborators indicated the OSPUD project had increased their knowledge about:

potato varieties flea beetle management seed quality and handling row and plant spacing.

90% indicated that the project increased their understanding of:

nitrogen fertilization wireworm management late blight management potato production economics

OutcomesOutcomes

Farmers overwhelmingly responded that the most valuable aspects of OSPUD were:

(1) the relationship building with other growers and researchers,

(2) the interaction and collaboration with university specialists

(3) the broad, multi-discipline approach, & detail on a single crop

• 100% of farmer collaborators indicated that they agreed with the following statements:

I would conduct an on-farm experiment with assistance from OSU.

I would encourage another grower to participate in a project with OSU.

Being part of the OSPUD project made me a better manager of my potato crop.

Interacting with other farmers helped me better understand my farm.

An important factor in the success of OSPUD was bringing together farmer-derived and science-derived information.

Science-based information is essential to improving organic systems.

Interacting with researchers helped me better understand my farm.