CORVALLIS, Ore. – A senior official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture will visit Oregon State University on Wednesday to announce two grants worth more than $3 million that will support the production of organic blackberries and... more
Organic Research and Extension Projects
Projects
| Project | Started |
|---|---|
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Breeding Vegetables for Organic Systems We are in the second year of three years of funding for organic breeding. The three breeding projects (late blight resistant tomatoes, bush tromboncino summer squash, OP broccoli) will extend beyond the timeframe of the grant with the earliest expectation of release being with broccoli materials in 2007. The tomato and summer squash projects have another seven years or so before we will see the first variety release. |
2009 |
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Integrating Beetle Habitat into Pacific Northwest Farming Systems Why care about Beetles? |
2007 |
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Trap and Kill Technologies for Cucumber Beetles The western spotted cucumber beetle (WSCB) is a major pest of many vegetable crops grown the western United States, including snap beans, sweet corn, spinach, cauliflower and lettuce. The striped cucumber beetle (STCB) is the most important insect pest of cucurbits, destroying seedlings and reducing yield through larval root feeding. There are few effective control measures available for these pests in organic farming systems. |
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| Conservation Biological Control | |
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Weed Control in a Dryland Organic Wheat/Legume Production System A weed management field trial was established on transitional land at Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) in collaboration with their undergraduate agriculture program. Seeding rate, plant density and green manure species will be manipulated to determine the effects on weed densities in organic wheat production. BMCC students established the trial and will be participating in data collection. Students may put together a website for the trial where data and pictures would be posted. |
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Conservation Biological Control in Caneberries More information about this research project can be found at the website link below. |
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| Weed Ecology and Management | |
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Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage Systems Conservation tillage methods been widely adopted for agronomic crop production but because they rely on herbicide use, organic vegetable growers have not adopted them. Legume cover crops offer the opportunity to capture N from the atmosphere through symbiotic fixation in the root nodules and possibly produce N at a lower cost. We are investigating cover crop mixtures and mechanical kill methods to maximize benefits in organic vegetable production systems. |
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| Weed Management and High Residue Reduced Tillage | |
| Evaluating Meadowfoam as a Pesticide in Dryland Organic Wheat Production |
News Articles
New Organic Agriculture Courses Offered Spring Term 2014
HORT 260 Organic Farming and Gardening (3)
Organic farming and gardening methods are discussed in class and practiced in the... more