To each their own: case studies of four successful, small-scale organic vegetable farmers with distinct weed management strategies

Brown, B.J.H.; Gallandt, Eric R.

doi:10.1017/s1742170517000576

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(55 reference statements)

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“…Weed seed mortality may have been elevated in this study due to high soil organic matter. The 17.9% organic matter measured in our FIELD experiment, though still within the range found on operating organic farms in our region [52], is quite high. Incorporation of organic amendments prior to solarization, termed biosolarization, is known to decrease the time needed for thermal inactivation of weed seeds [53] and can lead to enhanced control of soilborne pathogens as well [12,54,55].…”

Section: Field and Greenhouse Solarizationsupporting

confidence: 78%

Effects of Field and Greenhouse Solarization on Soil Microbiota and Weed Seeds in the Northeast USA

Birthisel

Smith

Mallory

et al. 2019

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Soil solarization using clear plastic is a promising weed management strategy for organic farms in the Northeast USA. Based on grower concerns that the practice might negatively affect beneficial soil microbiota, we conducted experiments to measure the effects of 2 and 4 weeks of solarization in a field and a closed greenhouse. Soil microbial communities were assayed by dilution plating on semi-selective agar media. Populations of general bacteria, general fungi, bacilli, and florescent pseudomonads were unaffected by field solarization, but fluorescent pseudomonads were reduced following greenhouse solarization. At plastic removal, soil biological activity was reduced non-significantly in the field and by 45% in the greenhouse. Soil biological activity fluctuated following field solarization, being significantly suppressed at 5 but not 14 days after plastic removal. In the greenhouse, biological activity remained suppressed up to 28 days after plastic removal. Solarization increased available nitrogen in the field and greenhouse. Four weeks of solarization reduced viability of buried weed seeds by 64% in the field and 98% in the greenhouse, indicating that the practice can cause substantial weed seed mortality. Maximum soil temperatures, measured at 10 cm depth under solarization, were 44 • C in the field and 50 • C in the greenhouse; temperatures were theoretically sufficient for the reduction of some soil borne pathogens. A subsequent experiment measured the effects of solarization and tarping (black plastic) on soil biological activity. During mulching, biological activity was unaffected by treatment, but 14 days after plastic removal, biological activity was reduced in the solarized treatment as compared with the control. Overall, these results suggest that solarization can deplete the weed seedbank. Although soil biological activity was reduced by solarization, it may bounce back after a period. Greenhouse solarization achieved higher temperatures and was more lethal to weed seeds and some microbiota than field solarization.

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Section: Field and Greenhouse Solarizationsupporting

confidence: 78%

Effects of Field and Greenhouse Solarization on Soil Microbiota and Weed Seeds in the Northeast USA

Birthisel

Smith

Mallory

et al. 2019

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“…However, weed abundance increased between 2015 and 2016 in all treatments, which demonstrates the potential for rapid weed infestation even when initial weed abundance is low. A “zero seed rain” management strategy– preventing weeds from producing seeds– can be labor intensive, but may be necessary to maintain low weed seedbank abundance in the long‐term (Brown and Gallandt, 2017).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raised Beds for Vegetable Production in Urban Agriculture

Miernicki

Lovell

Wortman

2018

Urban Agric & Regnl Food Sys

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Core Ideas Infiltration rate, but also irrigation demand, was highest in compost raised beds. Compost in raised beds reduced the need for mineral fertilization across two seasons. Weed abundance in raised beds increased when top soil was mixed with compost. Crop yield was usually highest in raised beds, regardless of media composition. Raised beds are commonly used in urban agriculture, but crop production benefits have not been well studied. The objective of this 2‐yr field experiment in Illinois was to determine the effects of urban production system (direct soil, raised bed with compost, or raised bed with mixed compost and soil) and fertilizer source on growing media properties, weed abundance, and vegetable crop yield. Due to the presence of compost, raised bed media had higher pH, organic matter, and nutrient concentrations. Water infiltration rate was 20× higher in raised beds with compost only compared to soil. Mixing soil with compost in raised beds reduced nutrient concentrations and water infiltration rate compared to compost‐only beds. Compost‐only raised beds required more irrigation than direct soil due to lower bulk density and greater porosity, but mixing soil with compost in raised beds reduced irrigation demand by 32% in year two. Compared to direct soil, compost‐only raised beds reduced grass and broadleaf weed abundance by as much as 97 and 93%, respectively. Radish (Raphanus sativus L.), kale (Brassica oleracea L.), and cilantro (Coriandrum sativum L.) yields were highest in raised beds, regardless of growing media composition, whereas garlic (Allium sativum L.) and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) yields were less influenced by production system. We recommend raised beds with a mix of compost and soil for vegetable production in urban agriculture.

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“…Lower yields in NT organic vegetable systems are often attributed to greater weed densities (Delate, Cwach and Chase, 2012; Lilley and Sánchez, 2016; Rylander et al, 2020a, 2020b; Lounsbury et al, 2022). However, multiple crop cultivations and hand weeding events were performed to minimize crop-weed competition (Table 1), including a zero-seed rain approach (Brown and Gallandt, 2019) within NT and NTT systems. This suggests that NT yields in Y3 cabbage were likely limited by soil-related factors (e.g., N availability) rather than weed competition.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tarping and mulching effects on crop yields, profitability, and soil nutrients in a continuous no-till organic vegetable production system

Maher,

Rangarajan,

Caldwell

et al. 2024

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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Small-scale organic vegetable farms need strategies to overcome yield, labor, and economic challenges in transitioning to reduced and no-till practices. However, the production tradeoffs associated with different scale-appropriate management practices are not well documented for these operations. We evaluated crop yields, labor, profitability, and soil nutrients over four continuous years of management in Freeville, NY. Cabbage (Y1 and Y3) and winter squash (Y2 and Y4) were managed in permanent beds under four contrasting tillage systems: conventional rototilling to 20 cm depth (CT), shallow rototilling to 10 cm (ST), no-till (NT), and no-till with tarping (NTT), in which an impermeable, black polyethylene tarp was applied to the soil surface between crops. Within each tillage treatment, we compared three mulching systems: rye mulch (RM), compost mulch (CM), and no mulch (NM), where mulches were applied annually to each crop. Crop yields did not vary by tillage, except in RM, where yields were highest in CT and reduced in ST and NT over four years. Mulch treatments were a significant driver of crop yields. When compared to NM, RM reduced crop yields in the first two years and CM increased yields after the first year. Overall, RM systems had the lowest net returns and CM returns were equivalent to NM despite greater yields. No-till consistently required the greatest pre-harvest labor investment, up to two times greater than tilled systems with NM, and the lowest net returns. Labor requirements for NTT were greater than CT but up to 41% lower than NT, and profitability was equivalent to CT. Shallow tillage performed similar to CT across yield, labor, and profitability measures, except when combined with the use of RM. Compost mulching led to dramatic changes in soil properties after four years, including a 49% increase in total soil carbon, a 31% increase in total soil nitrogen, and a 497% increase in extractable phosphorus. Small farms adopting NT practices should: 1) consider the potential tradeoffs associated with annually applied organic mulches, and 2) integrate tarping to increase the profitability of NT over consecutive production years.

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To each their own: case studies of four successful, small-scale organic vegetable farmers with distinct weed management strategies

Cited by 9 publications

References 33 publications

Effects of Field and Greenhouse Solarization on Soil Microbiota and Weed Seeds in the Northeast USA

Effects of Field and Greenhouse Solarization on Soil Microbiota and Weed Seeds in the Northeast USA

Raised Beds for Vegetable Production in Urban Agriculture

Tarping and mulching effects on crop yields, profitability, and soil nutrients in a continuous no-till organic vegetable production system

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