Source: UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
IMPROVING SOIL QUALITY AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION IN UTAH FARMING SYSTEMS
Sponsoring Institution
State Agricultural Experiment Station
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
STATE
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0230734
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
UTA01081
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jul 1, 2012
Project End Date
Jun 30, 2017
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
Reeve, J.
Recipient Organization
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
LOGAN,UT 84322
Performing Department
Plants, Soils & Climate
Non Technical Summary
The need for diversified and sustainable farming systems is increasingly recognized worldwide. Utah in particular faces unique challenges as well as opportunities in this area. With a limited land base from which to compete in the national commodity market, Utah has a rapidly expanding urban population, putting pressure on the availability and value of prime agricultural land. The population of Utah is projected to double to 6 million over the next thirty five years. Together with rising land prices, water resources will also be stretched. With rising energy costs, the cost of inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides is also rising. Growers will increasingly be required to produce more on lower quality land and with fewer resources. Rising energy costs will also provide the economic incentive to source more food locally. Expanding urban populations provide considerable new market opportunities for growers. A growing interest in organic farming, farmers markets and direct marketing approaches coupled with an increasing rural urban interface provides a unique opportunity for Utah growers to fill an expanding niche. This project will develop new organic and sustainable cropping systems specifically adapted to the environmental and climatic conditions of the Intermountain West. On farm research trials in organic and integrated peach production, integrated vegetable grain irrigated cropping systems and organic dryland wheat systems will be developed for improved soil fertility, soil quality and economic viability. The knowledge generated will result in improved sustainability and viability of Utah farms and result in methods that can be used to meet the increasing demand for locally produced and organic produce. The research will be evaluated through regular meetings with project staff, students and faculty collaborators to ensure that research goals are met and data quality is maintained. Field days will be evaluated through surveys to determine level of interest, changes in knowledge and behavior as a result of the research generated.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
80%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
10201101070100%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;

Subject Of Investigation
0110 - Soil;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;
Goals / Objectives
Overall Goals for sustainable farming systems studies: A) Develop transition and maintenance strategies for organic annual and perennial crop production for shallow alkaline soils, short growing seasons, cold winters and hot summers that balance the goals of building soil quality, managing weeds, pests and diseases, and maximizing economic return for improved sustainability. B) Develop and evaluate integrated farming methods for shallow alkaline soils, short growing seasons, cold winters and hot summers to increase soil quality, crop quality, on farm diversity, and reduce reliance on external inputs for improved sustainability. Specific Objectives: 1. Evaluate effects of different treatment combinations (reduced vs higher input) on changes in nutrient cycling, water use, weeds, yield, fruit quality and economics of agronomic and fruit crops. 2. Assess cropping systems for soil quality, carbon and nitrogen storage potential 3. Test and refine methods for measuring compost carryover in irrigated and dryland soils for improved calculation of economic application rates. 4. Identify varieties adapted to efficient N utilization in low input systems. 2012: Showcase research at Kaysville Field Day. Give a presentation and a poster at the ASHS symposium in July and a poster to the ASA symposium in October. 2013: Present a poster at ASA Symposium on objective 1. Submit two papers on compost carryover (objective 3) 2014: Showcase research at Kaysville and Blue Creek field days. Submit one paper on soil quality in cropping systems (objective 2) and two papers on nutrient cycling in orchard systems objective 1. 2015: Present poster at ASA Symposium. 2016: Showcase research at Kaysville and Blue Creek field days. Present poster at ASA Symposium. Submit a paper on objective 4.
Project Methods
Objective 1) The organic transition trial at Greenville was certified organic in 2011. Three four year rotations, three cover crops, and three manure treatments are arranged in a RCBD with three replicates. Soil fertility will be evaluated each year, weed pressure monitored, and final marketable yields and total biomass determined at the end of the growing season. All inputs and outputs will be tracked for economic analysis. Additional organic and cover crop systems will be evaluated for soil fertility involving collaboration with existing USU field crop, vegetable, fruit, and forage programs. For example, at Kaysville, eleven orchard floor management treatments will be evaluated for tree growth (Brent Black), fruit quality (Sylvana Martini and Robert Ward), soil fertility (Jennifer Reeve), pest and disease dynamics (Corey Ransom, Diane Alston) and water use (Brent Black). Soil fertility will be evaluated by tracking changes in macro and micronutrients in response to treatment using standard methods. Objective 2) Soil quality and C and N storage potential will be assessed at long-term organic research plots at Greenville, Kaysville, the Blue Creek wheat systems plots, Lewiston forage plots and on grower's farms. Soil quality will be evaluated by tracking changes in soil organic matter, aggregate stability, water holding capacity, soil pH, cation exchange capacity, earthworm populations, microbial biomass, respiration and enzyme activities. Changes in soil C will be assessed with fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Methods in agreement with the proposed standardization of soil quality measurements will be used (Franzleubbers 2006). Objective 3) We have developed a method for measuring compost carryover on certified organic land using new applications of compost as a reference. Compost carryover from applications made in 2008, 2009 and 2010 to replicated plots at the Greenville Farm will be assessed in a corn, squash, and turtle bean rotation by measuring yield response and soil C, N and P levels. This approach will be extended to dryland systems at the Blue Creek research farm. Compost from a commercial source was applied at 0, 12, 25 and 50 tons per acre to 24 x 200 ft plots in a completely randomized block design with four replicates. The same compost will be applied at the same rates to new plots in 2015 and carryover measured in terms of wheat yield and soil C, N and P. Objective 4) Soil nutrient cycling and soil quality will be evaluated in field and greenhouse trials as part of an ongoing evaluations of BFT as an alternative forage crop for Utah. Available soil nitrogen, dissolved organic C and N, and soil enzyme potentials will be used to assess nutrient cycling and C and N dynamics in grass vs. BFT pastures. FTIR will be used to assess functional groups associated with potential changes in organic matter. Other variety trials will be focused on strawberry. East and west coast germplasm will be screened in the greenhouse for N use efficiency at high and low N. Biomass, tissue N and leaf chlorophyll content will be measured after 30 days growth and N use efficiency calculated as tissue N / total N in growth media.

Progress 07/01/12 to 06/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is both organic and conventional growers in the Intermountain West. In particular those looking for ways to improve soil quality on their farms. Other audiences include the general public, extension and NRCS personnel as well as researchers and industry leaders in the area of organic and sustainable agriculture. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project was used to train twenty five undergraduate students in organic farming practices, five technicians and one undergraduate student in field plot maintenance, sample collection and preparation and laboratory skills. In addition four PhD students and three MS students were trained in research skills, data collection, weed identification, data analysis, presentation and writing. A fifth PhD student used soils collected from the Greenville organic farming system trial for analysis of ammonia oxidizer communities. A fourth MS student used the Greenville organic farming system trial for his thesis on N use efficiency in corn. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Presentations describing the outcomes of this research have been given at a number of scientific venues including the American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, American Society for Horticultural Sciences, the Western Nutrient Management Conference, the USDA AFRI project directors meeting, Western Society of Crop Science, Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America, Soil and Water Conservation Society, International Symposium on Thysanoptera and Tosporviruses, International Integrated Pest Management Symposium, Entomological Society of America, Society for Range Management, Soil Metagenomics Argonne Labs, Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences, and internationally at the Food Bioacvtives and Health conference in the UK and conference on Nitrification in Canada. This work was also presented to growers and other industry personnel at field days, meetings and workshops such as the Utah State Horticultural Association Winter Meeting, Utah Urban and Small Farms Workshop, and the Western Colorado Horticultural Society. I helped organize and presented at a series of organic farming workshops around Utah specifically targeted to the needs of small scale and organic growers. I have also given a number of presentations on topics related to organic and sustainable agriculture to the general public in venues such as Access Utah on Utah Public Radio, Utah State University's Science Unwrapped series and at the University of Utah as part of their Social Soup lecture series. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Farmers in Utah need information on how to maintain soil fertility while reducing the need for purchased inputs, effectively managing weeds and maximizing environmental and economic sustainability. As part of this goal, the second phase of my organic rotation project at Greenville was successfully completed. The first and second year of phase three was also completed with beans planted as a cash crop in the spring of 2017. Sweet corn yield with compost was greater than manure when applied at a rate of 200 lb N/acre. Sweet corn yield with alfalfa and small grains in the rotation yielded most but there was no effect of summer cover crop. Yield of potato was greatest under manure, however, potato browning was also greater indicating potatoes grown with compost may be of better quality. Both amendments performed significantly better than the unfertilized control. Weeds were also most effectively controlled in the alfalfa rotation while weeds transitioned from a community dominated by green foxtail to that dominated by red root pigweed and lambs quarters with the use of compost and manure. Weed pressure was most intense in the manure fertility treatment. The organic and integrated peach project at Kaysville was also successfully completed. Results show that weeds not lack of fertility are the primary restraint on tree growth in establishing organic peach trees. However, planting birdsfoot trefoil in the alleyways as opposed to grass may reduce the need for expensive weed management in the establishment of organic peaches. This finding may be explained by greater density of roots in the alleyways under birds foot trefoil compared to grass, as well as increased soil nitrogen. Natural abundance N15 confirmed that legume fixed N was taken up by trees. Tree size accounted for differences in water use among treatments not orchard floor management. Yield was highly variable over the course of the experiment due to late freezes, however, yield under organic management was slightly reduced. Nevertheless, economic and market analysis indicated that organic peach production was more profitable than both conventional and integrated management due to highly stable prices. Conventional peach production had the greatest potential for profit when peach prices where high, however, the risk was greatest due to a highly volatile market. The final results on tree growth and establishment and weed dynamics as a result of eleven orchard floor management treatments were published in Scientia Horticulturae in the spring of 2017. We also investigated the role of reduced inputs, crop rotation and trap crops on yield, thrips, soil nutrients and N cycling in onion at Kaysville. Reduced N was sufficient to maintain onion yields while reducing pest pressure and N loss to the environment. However, the influence of trap crops incorporated as strips in the field was only marginally effective in reducing onion thrips. The work on trap crops was recently published in Southwest Entomologist in the spring of 2017. Objective 2: Soil quality and carbon and nitrogen storage are important for maintaining soil productivity in the long-run while minimizing the need for purchased inputs. Soil quality was assessed in six organic crop rotations at Greenville and organic peach and vegetable systems in Kaysville. Soil quality was also assessed in forage systems with and without the presence of tannin containing legumes. At Greenville, compost was associated with greater C storage compared to manure, while manure was associated with greater soil available N. While both manure and compost improved soil quality relative to cover crops alone, these results suggests the potential for improved soil quality with the use of compost and a greater potential for N loss under manure treatments. Similarly, in quinoa cropping systems, compost improved soil quality more than cover crops and or intercropping alone. Soil quality was also greater under organic and integrated than conventional orchard floor management. Both organic and integrated treatments included compost applications while the conventional treatment did not. Incorporating legumes into orchard alleyways and blowing the mowing residues into the tree row resulted in the greatest improvements in soil quality. Benefits to soil quality were also evident after direct seeding alfalfa into established grass orchard floors, indicating a benefit of relatively low densities of legumes. Simple tests to assess aggregate stability and soil organisms directly in the field were found effective at distinguishing between orchard soils with histories of tillage, herbicide use and or continuous perennial vegetation. The tests were also evaluated for ease of use by growers. Objective 3: Organic amendments such as composts and manures play a key role in maintaining soil productivity and quality. However, compost is expensive to apply so large scale growers rarely use it. Conversely, intensive specialty crop growers frequently apply compost at high rates with the concurrent risk of salt accumulation and loss of nutrients to the environment. Growers need information on the rate and frequency of compost needed to improve soil quality in a cost effective manner without causing negative effects on the environment. Soil quality was greatly improved as a result of a single application of compost to organic dryland wheat. Improvements were seen at all rates (12, 24 and 50 tons per acre wet weight) but appear most pronounced at the 50 ton rate. Soil moisture was greatest in the deeper soil profile at the 50 ton rate suggesting improved infiltration. Soil improvements appear to last longer in soil with lower initial organic matter and or elevated salt content. Single applications of compost also have a pronounced carryover effect in irrigated systems. The effect of a single application of compost was also apparent in an irrigated corn squash rotation four years afterwards. No increased yield response was seen above 30 tons per acre wet weight. This suggests compost applied every four years in combination with nitrogen fixing cover crops is sufficient for maintaining soil health and soil nutrient status such as phosphorus in irrigated systems on silt loam soils. Objective 4: Quinoa may have potential as a specialty crop for Utah. A number of varieties were evaluated under organic growing conditions in Utah for nutrient use efficiency, weed tolerance, water use and salt tolerance. Promising varieties were identified, however, the major constraint on successful quinoa production in Utah is the need to find and or develop heat tolerant varieties.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Reeve, J. (Presenter & Author), Black, B. L. (Author Only), Ransom, C. (Author Only), Alston, D. G. (Author Only), Curtis, K. (Author Only), Culumber, M. (Author Only), Tebeau, A. (Author Only), WCHS Annual Conerence, "Soils and cover crops: A six year comparison study in peach production.," Western Colorado Horticultural Society, Grand Junction, CO. (January 20, 2016 - January 21, 2016)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Alston, D. G. (Presenter & Author), Nischwitz, C. (Author Only), Drost, D. T. (Author Only), Bunn, B. (Author Only), Buckland, K. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Ransom, C. (Author Only), 62nd Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, "Field and farmscape management effects on Thrips tabaci and Iris yellow spot virus transmission in onion," Entomological Society of America, Portland, OR. (November 16, 2014 - November 19, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Nafziger, G. (Presenter & Author), Culumber, M. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Black, B. L. (Author Only), Utah Conference of Undergraduate Research, "Statistical analysis of organic non-chemical weed controls on peach tree fruit yield," University of Utah, Salt Lake City. (February 19, 2016)
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: R. J.P, A. P.K., Reeve, J., C.-B. L., S. C.W., A. R., R. C.F., D. N.M., Z. J. (2013). Organic versus conventional strawberry agroecosystems. Sustainable Soil Management (pp. 185-215).
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Steinitz, T., Wagner, K. M., Drost, D. T., Alston, D. G., Hunter, B., Nischwitz, C., Ramirez, R., Allen, L., Barnhill, J. V., Frame, D., Pace, M., Durward, C., Reeve, J., Jewkes, M., Heflebower, R. F. (2014). A Guide to Common Organic Gardening Questions. USU Extension.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Buckland, K., Alston, D. G., Reeve, J., Nischwitz, C., Drost, D. T. (2017). Trap Crops in Onion to Reduce Onion Thrips and Iris Yellow Spot Virus. Southwestern Entomologist, 42(1), 73-90. www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.3958/059.042.0108
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Reeve, J., Culumber, M., Black, B. L., Ransom, C., Tebeau, A., Alston, D. G. (2017). Establishing organic and integrated peach orchards in Utah. Scientia Horticulturae, 214, 242-251.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Reeve, J., Hall, K., Kalkman, C. (2014). Student outcomes from experiential learning at a student run certified organic farm. Natural Sciences Education, 43, 16-24.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Tebeau, A. S., Alston, D. G., Ransom, C., Black, B. L., Reeve, J., Culumber, C. M. (2017). Effects of floor vegetation and fertility management on weed biomass and diversity in organic peach orchards. Weed Technology, 31(3), 404-415. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/weed-technology/article/effects-of-floor-vegetation-and-fertility-management-on-weed-biomass-and-diversity-in-organic-peach-orchards/2825B089ABB0B24FFDF66A98A76FE4CB
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Creech, J. E., Deakin, M., Reeve, J., Hole, D. J. (2016). Compost carryover and cover crop effects on dryland organic wheat in Utah. Madison, WI: Western Society of Crop Science.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Murphy, K., Reeve, J., Creech, J. E., Hinojosa, L., Maughan, P. J., Jellen, E., Kellogg, J., Machado, S., Ludvigson, K., Shroeder, K., Finkelnburg, D., Wu, G., Ganiyal, G., Ross, C., Morris, C., Packer, D. (2016). Quinoa cultivation in western North America: Lessons learned and the path forward. American Society of Agronomy.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Reeve, J. (2014). Sustainable food production includes human and environmental health (S1 ed., vol. 52-0267). Choice Magazine.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Reeve, J. (2014). Principles of sustainable soil management in agroecosystems (S623 ed., pp. 51-3262). CHOICE.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Reeve, J. (2012). Organic production and food quality: a down to earth analysis (TX369 ed., vol. 50-2049). Choice Magazine.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: A. K. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Creech, J. E. (Author Only), D. M. (Author Only), A. I. (Author Only), Western Nutrient Management Conference, "Effects of cover crops and compost on soil water availability in organic dryland wheat," Reno, NV. (March 1, 2017 - March 3, 2017)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Murphy, K., Reeve, J., Creech, J. E., ASA/CSSA/SSSA 2016 International Annual Meetings, "Quinoa cultivation in western North America: Lessons learned and the path forward," Phoenix, AZ. (2016)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Creech, J. E., Deakin, M., Reeve, J., Hole, D. J., Western Society of Crop Science 2016 Annual Meeting, "Compost carryover and cover crop effects on dryland organic wheat in Utah," Albuquerque, NM. (2016)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ouyang, Y. (Presenter & Author), Norton, J. M. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Stark, J. M. (Author Only), 2016 ASA, CSSA, and SSSA International Annual Meeting, "Effect of organic nitrogen management on soil enzyme activities and functional capacity," ASA, CAS, SSSA, Phoenix AZ. (November 8, 2016)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Norton, J. M. (Presenter & Author), Stark, J. M. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Ouyang, Y. (Author Only), Kakkar, A. (Author Only), Habteselassie, M. Y. (Author Only), USDA AFRI and NIWQP Project Director's Meeting, "Functional and Molecular Diversity in Nitrogen Cycle Enzymes under Contrasting Agricultural Management Systems," USDA, Washington D.C. (October 12, 2016 - October 13, 2016)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Alston, D. G. (Presenter & Author), Nischwitz, C. (Author Only), Drost, D. T. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Ransom, C. (Author Only), Ward, R. A. (Author Only), Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America 100th Annual Meeting, "System drivers of IPM for thrips and Iris yellow spot virus in onoin," Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America, Honolulu, HI. (April 3, 2016 - April 6, 2016)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: A. I. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Jacobson, A. (Author Only), Creech, J. E. (Author Only), Western Nutrient Management Conference, "Effects of a one-time compost application on soil health in a rain fed dryland organic wheat system." (March 1, 2017 - March 3, 2017)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Buckland, K. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Creech, J. E. (Author Only), American Society of Agronomy, "Developing organic quinoa cropping systems for the Western United States," Tri-societies, Long Beach, CA. (November 2, 2014 - November 5, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Reeve, J. (Presenter & Author), Atucha, A. (Author Only), Cambardella, C. (Author Only), Carr, P. (Author Only), Davis, D. (Author Only), Delate, K. (Author Only), Hoagland, L. (Author Only), Grossman, J. (Author Only), Jacobsen, K. (Author Only), Villalba, J. (Author Only), Soil Science Society of America, "Organic farming, soil health and food crop quality: Considering possible linkages," Tri-societies, Long Beach, CA. (November 2, 2014 - November 5, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ouyang, Y. (Presenter & Author), Norton, J. M. (Author Only), Stark, J. M. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Habteselassie, M. Y. (Author Only), ASA, CSSA & SSSA International Annual Meeting, "Ammonia-oxidizing Bacteria rather than Archaea Dominantly Contribute to Nitrification in an Agricultural Soil under Contrasting N Sources," Soil Science Society America, Long Beach, CA. (November 4, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Norton, J. M. (Presenter & Author), Ouyang, Y. (Author Only), Rice, M. C. (Author Only), Habteselassie, M. Y. (Author Only), Stark, J. M. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), ASA, CSSA & SSSA International Annual Meetings, "Nitrification under Contrasting N Management: From Soils to Genomes and Back Again," SSSA, Long Beach, CA. (November 3, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Norton, J. M. (Presenter & Author), Ouyang, Y. (Author Only), Stark, J. M. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Habteselassie, M. Y. (Author Only), 6th Annual Argonne Soil Metagenomics Meeting, "Process and Communities of Ammonia Oxidizers in an Agricultural Soil," TerraGenome, St. Charles Illinois. (October 2, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Alston, D. G. (Presenter & Author), Drost, D. T. (Presenter & Author), Ransom, C. (Presenter & Author), Nischwitz, C. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Utah Onion Association Field Tour, "Nation ipmPIPE and Western SARE Onion Projects Update: Onion Thrips Research," Utah Onion Association and USU Extension, West Weber, UT. (August 12, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Thomsen, E. (Presenter & Author), Culumber, M. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), American Society of Horticultural Science, "On-farm soil quality testing in organic, integrated and conventional peach orchards," American Society of Horticultural Science, Orlando, FL. (July 27, 2014 - July 30, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Reeve, J. (Presenter & Author), Culumber, M., Organic Farming Workshop, "Soil fertility management in organic orchard systems," Utah State University Extension, Hurricane, UT. (April 16, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Culumber, M. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Organic Farming Workshop, "Soil fertility management in organic orchard systems," Utah State University Extension, Moab, UT. (April 9, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Alston, D. G. (Presenter & Author), Nischwitz, C. (Author Only), Drost, D. T. (Author Only), Bunn, B. (Author Only), Buckland, K. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Ransom, C. (Author Only), 98th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Branch Entomological Society of America, "Landscape- and field-scale effects on thrips and iris yellow spot virus in onion systems," Entomological Society of America, Tucson, AZ. (April 6, 2014 - April 9, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Culumber, M. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Urban and Small Farms Conference, "Soil fertility management in organic orchard systems," Thanksgiving Point, UT. (February 19, 2014 - February 20, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Reeve, J. (Presenter & Author), Alston, D. G. (Author Only), Black, B. L. (Author Only), Ransom, C. (Author Only), Culumber, M. (Author Only), Teabeau, A. (Author Only), Utah State Horticultural Association Winter Meeting, "An update of organic peach research at Utah State University," Utah State Horticultural Association, Spanish Fork. (January 30, 2014 - February 1, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Tebeau, A. S. (Presenter & Author), Alston, D. G. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Black, B. L. (Author Only), Ransom, C. (Author Only), Entomological Society of America 61st Annual Meeting, "Effects of orchard floor management on population dynamics of European earwig (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) in peach orchards of northern Utah," Entomological Society of America, Austin, TX. (November 10, 2013 - November 13, 2013)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Norton, J. M., Ouyang, Y. (Author Only), Stark, J. M. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Habteselassie, M., 5th Annual Argonne Soil Metagenomics Meeting, "Nitrification and Nitrogen Mineralization in an Agricultural System with Contrasting Nitrogen Sources," Argonne Laboratory, Bloomington Il. (October 4, 2013 - October 6, 2013)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Norton, J. M., Ouyang, Y. (Author Only), Stark, J. M. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Habteselassie, M. (Author Only), International Conference on Nitrification- 3, "Nitrogen source effects on nitrification, mineralization and ammonia oxidizers in an agricultural system," NSF, Japan Soc. Microbiol, Tokyo, Japan. (September 3, 2013 - September 5, 2013)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2012 Citation: Culumber, C. M. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Black, B. L. (Author Only), Ransom, C. (Author Only), Alston, D. G. (Author Only), Tebeau, A. (Author Only), Lindstrom, T., "Organic orchard floor management impacts soil nitrogen cycling and tree nitrogen uptake," Soil Science Society of America, Cincinnati, OH. (October 21, 2012 - October 24, 2012)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Reeve, J., Newhall, R., Wesern SARE Administrative Council Meeting, "Cultural Management of Onion Thrips and Iris Yellow Spot Virus," Western SARE Center, Logan, Utah. (July 29, 2013)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Hall, K. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Steinitz, T. (Author Only), North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Conference, "Mentoring Student Interns in Farm-to-Fork Opportunities," North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA), Blacksburg, VA. (June 25, 2013 - June 29, 2013)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Reeve, J., Organic Fruits and Vegetables Workshop, "Organic Certification: What, why and how?," Utah State University, Salt Lake City. (February 26, 2013)


Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience This research is targeted towards researchers, extension agents and practitioners in the emerging field of organic farming. This research is also targeted towards those interested in integrated farming systems for improved agricultural sustainability as a whole. Systems will be primarily of interest to those working in the Intermountain West, however, the broader knowledge generated will be of interest to a much wider community interesting in developing sustainable farming systems in their regions. Changes/Problems:Changes/Problems Problems continue to plague our quinoa salt tolerant trials in Corinne UT. This time our grower collaborator disked the plots before we had had a chance to collect the data. MS student Alanna Nafziger dropped out one year into her graduate program working on quinoa. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Opportunities This project was used to train eight undergraduate students (Joe Montoya, Daniel Stout, Ayla Stulz, Gustavo Quadros, Merrisa Woodbury, David Flocken, Kira Olsen and Marny Proudfit) in organic farming practices and field research methods, five technicians (Mae Culumber, Gaia Nafziger, Leanna Reynolds, Karen Maughan and Kareem Adeleke) and one undergraduate student (Eric Manrique) in field plot maintenance, sample collection and preparation and laboratory skills. In addition, two PhD students (Kristie Buckland and Idowu Ataloye), and three MS students (Esther Thomsen, Kareem Adeleke and Alanna Nafziger) were trained in research skills, data collection, weed identification, data analysis, presentation and writing. A third PhD student Ouyang Yang used soils collected from the Greenville organic farming system trial for analysis of ammonia oxidizer communities. A fourth MS student Avneet Kakkar is using the Greenville organic farming system trial for his thesis on N use efficiency in corn. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination I presented results from our paper on the linkages between soil health, plant health and human health at the first international conference on Food Bioactives and Health in Norwich UK. In August I left on sabbatical for a year at the University of East Anglia in the UK where I am working with a group of landscape ecologists and sharing work and experience. In October I visited researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, one of the leading research groups on cover crop and root competition research in Europe. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Plan of Work Objective 1: We will start the second year of the third round of the rotation with beans, alfalfa and cover crops planted. Weed pressure and yields will be evaluated. My former graduate student Mae Culumber will submit two papers on peach tree growth and root growth in response to cover crops and water use by cover crops in an orchard setting. My student Andrea Clemensen (co-advised with Dr. Juan Villalba) hopes to graduate in early 2017 and two papers will be generated on her work on the role of plant secondary compounds on soil nutrient cycling. I will recruit a new student to continue working on this project starting in August 2017. I also hope to publish a paper describing the first four years of the on-farm onion survey conducted between 2008 and 2010, although this paper may now be combined with the new survey results from 2013-2014. Objective 2: Soil quality and carbon and nitrogen storage will continue to be assessed in organic peach and vegetable systems in Kaysville, and organic wheat at Blue Creek and Snowville. MS student Esther Thomsen will submit a research paper and two factsheets submitted for publication from her work. Objective 3: Wheat and over crops will be planted at the Blue Creek and Snowville sites. Soil moisture access tubes will continue to be installed at the BlueCreek site. My time on this objective is now funded by an USDA NIFA grant. Objective 4: Varieties of quinoa will be evaluated at an organic farm in Logan Utah and in Corinne, UT. Former PhD student Kristine Buckland will submit at least three research papers on quinoa. My time on this project is mostly funded through our USDA NIFA grant. No other activities are planned on this objective.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Accomplishments Objective 1: The first year of phase three of my organic rotation project at Greenville was successfully completed. Potatoes were planted in rotation 1 and evaluated for weed control and total and marketable yield. Alfalfa was planted in rotation 2. Cover crops were planted in rotation 3 and evaluated for weed control and total biomass. Data analysis is ongoing. A ninth year of soil and tree nutritional data and yield was collected from the organic peach orchard at Kaysville. A paper describing the results of the first four years of this experiment was accepted for publication in Scientia Horticulturae. Results show that weeds not lack of fertility are the primary restraint on tree growth in establishing organic peach trees. However, planting birdsfoot trefoil in the alleyways as opposed to grass may reduce the need for expensive weed management in the establishment of organic peaches. The role of high vs reduced inputs on onion production and soil nutrients and N cycling was investigated in ongoing experimental plots at Kaysville. A paper on the role of trap crops in thrips control in onion was resubmitted. Unfortunately, the influence of trap crops in onion was minimal. Additional funding was obtained to assess the role of tannins on soil nutrient cycling and carbon storage in pastures seeded to birdsfoot trefoil and sanfoin. A review paper was published in Advances in Agronomy that documented current scientific understanding of the links between soil health, organic farming and food quality. A second review paper on definitions and use of the term agroecology was published in Sustainable Agriculture Reviews. Objective 2: Soil quality and carbon and nitrogen storage were assessed in three organic crop rotations at Greenville and organic peach and vegetable systems in Kaysville. A specialty crop block grant was obtained to assess the role of birdsfoot trefoil in reducing the need for purchased external inputs in organic peach. Mae Culumber graduated with her PhD and Esther Thomsen graduated with her MS degree on research in soil health completed in the organic peach orchard. The first of three factsheets on her work was published by USU Extension. Objective 3: Soil quality as a result of compost additions was assessed in the new dryland wheat plots in Snowville. PhD student Idowu Ataloye submitted a graduate student enhancement grant to expand on this work. Objective 4: Varieties of quinoa are being evaluated as a potential specialty crop for Utah. Ongoing funding was obtained through the USDA OREI program to support the continuation of this work.

Publications

  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Book Chapters Brym, Z., Reeve, J. (2016). Agroecological Principles from a Bibliographic Analysis of the Term Agroecology (vol. 19, pp. 203-232). Sustainable Agriculture
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Book Chapters Reeve, J., Hoagland, L., Villalba, J., Carr, P., Atucha, A., Cambardella, C., Davis, D. R., Delate, K. (2016). Organic Farming, Soil Health and Food Quality: Considering possible links (vol. 137, pp. 319-368). Advances in Agronomy.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ouyang, Y., Norton, J. M., Stark, J. M., Reeve, J., Habteselassie, M. Y. (2016). Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria are more responsive than archaea to nitrogen source in an agricultural soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry/Elsevier, 96, 4-15.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Presentations Reeve, J. (Presenter & Author), Hoagland, L. H. (Author Only), Villalba, J. (Author Only), Atucha, A. (Author Only), Carr, P. (Author Only), Cambardella, C. (Author Only), Delate, K. (Author Only), Food Bioactives and Health, "Linking soil health, food crop quality and human health." (September 13, 2016 - September 15, 2016)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Presentations Reeve, J., Science Unwrapped, "What is Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Anyway?," Utah State University, Logan, UT. (January 29, 2016)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Presentations Reeve, J., WCHS Annual Conference, "Use of cover crops in orchards, vinyeards and vegetables," Western Colorado Horticultural Society, Grand Junction, CO. (January 20, 2016 - January 21, 2016)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Presentations Ward, R. E., Chandra, V., Annual Meeting, "Peach fruit quality analysis in relation to organic and conventional cultivation techniques," Institute of Food Technologists, Chicago, Il. (July 2014 - Present)


Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience This research is targeted towards researchers, extension agents and practitioners in the emerging field of organic farming. This research is also targeted towards those interested in integrated farming systems for improved agricultural sustainability as a whole. Systems will be primarily of interest to those working in the Intermountain West, however, the broader knowledge generated will be of interest to a much wider community interesting in developing sustainable farming systems in their regions. Changes/Problems:Changes/Problems Two of the six replicate compost carryover blocks have been abandoned in favor of establishing two new sites at Snowville. This is because compost carryover is minimal at this high fertility site compared to poor fertility sites in Snowville. Cows ate one of our quinoa salt tolerant trials in Corinne UT. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Opportunities This project was used to train five undergraduate students (Cambria Beebe, Sara Simmons, Charlie Burgart, Joe Montoya and Jordan Seegrist) in organic farming practices, three technicians (Alicia Campbell, Karen Maughan and Kareem Adeleke) and two undergraduate students (Gaia Nafziger and Eric Manrique) in field plot maintenance, sample collection and preparation and laboratory skills. In addition four PhD students (Mae Culumber, Kristie Buckland, Andrea Clemensen and Idowu Ataloye), and three MS students (Esther Thomsen, Kareem Adeleke and Alanna Nafziger) were trained in research skills, data collection, weed identification, data analysis, presentation and writing. A fifth PhD student Ouyang Yang is using soils collected from the Greenville organic farming system trial for analysis of ammonia oxidizer communities. A fourth MS student Avneet Kakkar is using the Greenville organic farming system trial for his thesis on N use efficiency in corn. My students Esther Thomsen and Kristie Buckland attended the Tri-Societies annual meeting in Minneapolis, MN. Esther Thomsen also attended the Soil and Water Conservation Society meeting in Greensboro, NC. My student Alanna Nafziger and I attended the Western Society of Crop Science meeting in Logan, UT. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination I have used this project to generate new knowledge which my student Esther Thomsen and I disseminated to growers and other interested members of the public at the Small and Urban Farming Conference in West Jordan, and summer fruit growers field tour in Santequin, UT. I was co-author on an invited presentation on the linkages between soil health, plant health and human health at the Soil Science Society of America meeting in Minneapolis, MN. PhD student Kristie Buckland presented her work on organic cropping systems on quinoa at the Agronomy Society of America meeting in Minneapolis, MN. MS student Esther Thomsen presented her findings on simple tools for assessing soil health on farm at the Soil and Water Conservation Society meeting in Greensboro, NC and the Agronomy Society of America meeting in Minneapolis, MN. And my MS student Alanna Nafziger presented her preliminary work on salt and draught tolerance in quinoa at the Western Society of Crop Science meeting in Logan, UT. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Plan of Work Objective 1: We will start the first year of the third round of the rotation with small grains, beans, potatoes and cover crops planted. Weed pressure and yields will be evaluated. My graduate student Mae Culumber defended in December 2015 and will graduate in the spring of 2016. Two papers will be submitted on peach tree growth and root growth in response to cover crops and water use by cover crops in an orchard setting. A paper on establishing organic peach orchards is close to completion also. My student Andrea Clemensen (co-advised with Dr. Juan Villalba) hopes to graduate in 2016 and three papers will be generated on her work on the role of plant secondary compounds on soil nutrient cycling. The role of high vs reduced inputs on onion production and soil nutrients and N cycling will continue to be investigated in ongoing experimental plots at Kaysville. I also hope to publish a paper describing the first four years of the on-farm survey conducted between 2008 and 2010, although this paper may now be combined with the new survey results from 2013-2014. Objective 2: Soil quality and carbon and nitrogen storage will continue to be assessed in organic peach and vegetable systems in Kaysville, and organic wheat at Blue Creek and Snowville. A paper on soil quality in orchard systems will be submitted. MS student Esther Thomsen plans to defend in February and a research paper and three factsheets submitted for publication from her work. Objective 3: Cover crops will be planted and a second application of compost will be applied to plots at the Blue Creek and Snowville sites. Soil moisture access tubes will continue to be installed at the BlueCreek site. My time on this objective is now funded by an USDA NIFA grant. Objective 4: Varieties of quinoa will be evaluated at an organic farm in Logan Utah and in Corinne, UT. PhD student Kristine Buckland will complete writing her dissertation on her work on quinoa. She hopes to defend in June 2016. My time on this project is mostly funded through our USDA NIFA grant. No other activities are planned on this objective.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Accomplishments Objective 1: The fourth year of phase two of my organic rotation project at Greenville was successfully completed. Corn was planted and evaluated for weed control, tissue N status, total and marketable yield and total biomass. Data analysis is ongoing. An eighth year of soil and tree nutritional data was collected from the organic peach orchard at Kaysville. Plantings of novel cover crops at the Capitol Reef National Park were evaluated for biomass production, weed suppression, and water use. The role of high vs reduced inputs on onion production and soil nutrients and N cycling was investigated in ongoing experimental plots at Kaysville. Onion samples were sent to Dr. Phelan's lab at the University of Ohio for evaluation of amino acid and secondary compound content. Data analysis is ongoing. A manuscript was published on organic establishment of Birdsfoot trefoil. Results showed that weed pressure and management practices such as type and frequency of irrigation were the main barriers to successful establishment of Birdsfoot trefoil in Cache Valley rather than soil type or soil nutrient availability. A review paper was accepted for publication that documented current scientific understanding of the links between soil health, organic farming and food quality. A second review paper on definitions and use of the term agroecology was accepted for publication. Objective 2: Soil quality and carbon and nitrogen storage were assessed in three organic crop rotations at Greenville and organic peach and vegetable systems in Kaysville. The Kaysville orchard site was used for a second year to evaluate simple soil tests that can be used by growers to assess their own soil health. Eight simple tests were compared to standard laboratory tests to assess sensitivity at discriminating between soils with different soil quality status. The best four were evaluated by growers. MS student Esther Thomsen has been supported on a WSARE graduate grant on this work. A manuscript describing a survey of soil quality and livelihood strategies of smallholder farmers in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique is currently under revision for the second time. Objective 3: Assessment of compost carryover in dryland wheat was completed on a project funded through the NRCS. Two new long-term compost carryover experiments were established on Richard Grover's farm in Snowville with the new USDA OREI funded project and PhD student Idowu Ataloye recruited. A manuscript describing compost carryover in a corn squash rotation was published. Results showed positive effects on yield and soil parameters four years after a single application of compost regardless of rate, in an irrigated silt loam soil. Objective 4: Varieties of quinoa are being evaluated as a potential specialty crop for Utah. This project is funded through the USDA OREI program. MS student Alanna Nafziger was recruited to complete this work.

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Periodicals Alston, D. G., Reeve, J., Thomsen, E. (2015). Collaborative organic orchard research with the National Park Service (Winter ed., vol. 9, pp. 6-7). Logan, UT: Utah Pests News, Utah State University Extension.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Refereed Journal Articles Hunt, S. R., MacAdam, J. W., Reeve, J. (2015). Establishment of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) pastures on organic dairy farms in the Mountain West USA. Organic Agriculture, 5, 63-77.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Refereed Journal Articles Olsen, D. J.R., Endelman, J. B., Jacobson, A., Reeve, J. (2015). Compost carryover: nitrogen, phosphorus and FT-IR analysis of soil organic matter. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 101, 317-331
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Other Reeve, J. (2015). Agricultural and food controversies: what everyone needs to know (BJ52 ed., vol. 52-5867). Middletown, CT: Choice connect.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Other Reeve, J. (2015). Interactions in soil: promoting plant growth (6th ed., vol. 52-3095, pp. S596).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Presentations Alston, D. G. (Presenter & Author), Nischwitz, C. (Author Only), Bunn, B. (Author Only), Drost, D. T. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Ransom, C. (Author Only), Buckland, K. (Author Only), Swain, A. (Author Only), 10th International Symposium on Thysanoptera and Tospoviruses, "Field and farmscape IPM for onion thrips and Iris yellow spot virus," University of California, Pacific Grove, CA. (May 16, 2015 - May 20, 2015)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Presentations Alston, D. G. (Presenter & Author), Nischwitz, C. (Author Only), Drost, D. T. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Ransom, C. (Author Only), Ward, R. A. (Author Only), 8th International Integrated Pest Management Symposium, "System drivers of IPM for onion thrips and iris yellow spot virus in onion," University of Illinois, Salt Lake City, UT. (March 23, 2015 - March 26, 2015)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Presentations Reeve, J. (Presenter & Author), Black, B. L. (Author Only), Ransom, C. (Author Only), Alston, D. G. (Author Only), Culumber, M. (Author Only), Tebaue, A., Urban and Small Farms Conference, "Organic Peach Research." (February 19, 2015)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Presentations Carr, P. M. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Atucha, A. (Author Only), Hoagland, L. (Author Only), Villalba, J., "Linking soil quality to human nutrition: the organic farming connection.," Soil Science Society of America. (November 15, 2015 - November 18, 2015)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Presentations Thomsen, E. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Culumber, C. M. (Author Only), "On-farm soil quality testing in organic, and conventional peach orchard systems," Soil Science Society of America. (November 15, 2015 - November 18, 2015)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Presentations Thomsen, E. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Cardon, G. (Author Only), Urban and Small Farm Conference, "Simple soil testing for Utah Orchards," West Jordon, Utah. (February 19, 2015)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Presentations Buckland, K. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Creech, J. E. (Author Only), "Developing organic quinoa cropping systems for Utah," American Society of Agronomy. (November 15, 2015 - November 18, 2015)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Presentations Nafziger, A. (Presenter & Author), Buckland, K. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Creech, J. E. (Author Only), "Developing quinoa for production in Utah," Western Society of Crop Science. (June 16, 2015 - June 17, 2015)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Presentations Ouyang, Y. (Presenter & Author), Norton, J. M. (Author Only), Stark, J. M. (Author Only), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Habteselassie, M. Y. (Author Only), International Conference on Nitrification 4th, "Nitrification Kinetics and Temperature Response of Ammonia?Oxidizing Bacteria and Archaea in an Agricultural Soil under Contrasting N Fertilization," University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta. (June 30, 2015)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Presentations Thomsen, E. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Culumber, C. M. (Author Only), "On-farm soil quality testing in organic, and conventional peach orchard systems." (July 26, 2015 - July 29, 2015)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Presentations Ward, R. E., Chandra, V., Annual Meeting, "Peach fruit quality analysis in relation to organic and conventional cultivation techniques," Institute of Food Technologists, Chicago, Il. (July 2014 - Present


Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Target Audience This research is targeted towards researchers, extension agents and practitioners in the emerging field of organic farming. This research is also targeted towards those interested in integrated farming systems for improved agricultural sustainability as a whole. Systems will be primarily of interest to those working in the Intermountain West, however, the broader knowledge generated will be of interest to a much wider community interesting in developing sustainable farming systems in their regions. Changes/Problems: Changes/Problems Eight out of nine bean plots at the Greenville Experiment station were severely grazed by marmots, the beans had to be replanted which meant there were insufficient growing degree days to harvest a mature crop which limited the data we were able to collect. The marmots live on three neighboring properties in areas that are extremely difficult to control according to animal control expert Terry Mesner. He would not allow us to use traps other than live traps due to the chance of a domestic pet being caught. Live traps worked for a while but the animals quickly learned to avoid them. This will likely be an ongoing problem and require buried fence lines in order to solve. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Opportunities This project was used to train five undergraduate students (Nate Staker, Eric Manrique, Tracey Munson, Cambria Beebe and Brik Anderson) in organic farming practices, two technicians (Alicia Campbell and Kareem Adeleke) and three undergraduate students (Eric Manrique, Brik Anderson and Erica Waters) in field plot maintenance, data collection, sample preparation and laboratory skills. In addition three PhD students (Mae Culumber, Kristie Buckland, Andrea Clemensen), and two MS students (Esther Thomsen, Kareem Adeleke) were trained in research skills, data collection, weed identification, data analysis, presentation and writing. A fourth PhD student Ouyang Yang is using soils collected from the Greenville organic farming system trial for analysis of ammonia oxidizer communities. My student Esther Thomsen and I attended the American Society of Agronomy meeting in Tampa, Florida. I also attended the Southern Coordinating Committee 083 Quantifying Linkages among Soil Health, Organic Farming and Food, of which I am chair. I took the lead on writing a review paper on the above topic which grew directly out of my involvement with the coordinating committee. This paper is near completion. I also attended the Organic Farming Systems Conference and the Tri-Societies annual meeting in Long Beach California How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Dissemination I have used this project to generate new knowledge which I have disseminated to growers and other interested members of the public at three field days (in Kaysville, Blue Creek and Greenville) and in presentations to the Utah State Horticultural Association, and the Organic Farming Workshop in Hurricane, Utah. My student Mae Culumber also gave two outreach presentations at the Organic Farming Conference in Salt Lake City, and the Organic Farming Workshop held in Moab, Utah. I gave an invited presentation on the linkages between soil health, plant health and human health at the Soil Science Society of America meeting in Long Beach California. PhD student Andrea Clemensen presented her work on the effects of secondary compounds on soil carbon and nutrient cycling in forage systems at the Society for Range Management. MS student Esther Thomsen presented preliminary findings on simple tools for assessing soil health on farm at the American Society of Horticultural Sciences in Tampa Florida. A poster describing N cycling in the Greenville rotation plots was presented by PhD student Yang Ouyang at the American Society of Agronomy. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Plan of Work Objective 1: The fourth year of my organic crop rotation trial will complete a second round of the rotation with corn planted in all plots. Weed pressure and yields will be evaluated. My graduate student Mae Culumber plans to graduate in the spring of 2015. At least two papers will be generated on peach tree growth and root growth in response to cover crops and water use by cover crops in an orchard setting. I will continue working on an overview paper on establishing organic peach orchards also. My student Andrea Clemensen also hopes to graduate in 2015 and three papers will be generated on her work on the role of plant secondary compounds on soil nutrient cycling. The role of high vs reduced inputs on onion production and soil nutrients and N cycling will continue to be investigated in ongoing experimental plots at Kaysville. I also hope to publish a paper describing the first four years of the on-farm survey conducted between 2008 and 2010. Objective 2: Soil quality and carbon and nitrogen storage will be assessed in quinoa and other organic crop rotations at Greenville, organic and conventional peach systems in Kaysville, and organic wheat at Blue Creek and Snowville. At least one paper on soil quality in orchard systems will be generated. MS student Esther Thomsen will continue working on comparing simple soil tests for on farm soil health assessment. I plan to submit the literature review on organic farming, soil health and food which is close to completion Objective 3: Yield of dryland organic winter wheat in response to three rates of compost applied in 2012 will be evaluated in Blue Creek. Cover crops will be planted and a second application of compost will be applied to plots at the Blue Creek site. Soil moisture access tubes will continue to be installed at the Snowville and BlueCreek sites. My time on this objective is now funded by an USDA NIFA grant. A response to review will be submitted for the paper generated by Davie Olsen's MS thesis on compost carryover in an organic, irrigated corn squash rotation. Objective 4: Varieties of quinoa will be evaluated at an organic farm in Snowville, the Greenville Experiment Station and a third location in Cache Valley as yet to be identified. PhD student Kristine Buckland will begin writing her dissertation on her work on quinoa. My time on this project is mostly funded through our USDA NIFA grant. No other activities are planned on this objective.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Accomplishments Objective 1: The third year of phase two of my organic rotation project at Greenville was successfully completed. Beans were planted, alfalfa was harvested and cover crops planted, evaluated for weed control and incorporated. Eight out of nine bean plots were severely grazed by marmots, the beans had to be replanted which meant there were insufficient growing degree days to harvest a mature crop which limited the data we were able to collect. A paper was published documenting learning outcomes on the USU Student Organic Farm in the Journal of Natural Sciences Education. A seventh year of soil and tree nutritional data was collected from the organic and integrated peach orchards at Kaysville. Plantings of novel cover crops at the Kaysville experiment station, Tintic Farm and Capitol Reef National Park were evaluated for biomass production, weed suppression, and water use. Yield, fruit quality and consumer taste preferences were assessed in all treatments. A PhD dissertation is in preparation by Mae Culumber describing this work. The role of high vs reduced inputs on onion production and soil nutrients and N cycling was investigated in ongoing experimental plots at Kaysville and on 30 farmer's fields. Onion samples were sent to Dr. Phelan's lab at the University of Ohio for evaluation of amino acid and secondary compound content. Data analysis is ongoing. Objective 2: Soil quality and carbon and nitrogen storage were assessed in three organic crop rotations at Greenville, organic and integrated peach systems in Kaysville and on five dairy farms in Cache Valley. The Kaysville site was used to evaluate simple soil health tests that can be used by growers to assess their own soil health on site. Eight simple tests were compared to standard laboratory tests to assess sensitivity at discriminating between soils with different soil quality status. A graduate student research grant of $24,844 was obtained from WSARE to continue this work. A manuscript describing a survey of soil quality and livelihood strategies of smallholder farmers in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique is currently under review. Objective 3: A manuscript describing compost carryover in a corn squash rotation is currently under review in the journal Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. Compost carryover in dryland wheat is now being investigated on a project funded through the NRCS. 1.5M was obtained from the USDA OREI program to continue this work. Objective 4: Varieties of quinoa are being evaluated as a potential specialty crop for Utah. This project is now funded through the USDA OREI program.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Reeve, J., Hall, K., Kalkman, C. (2014). Student outcomes from experiential learning at a student run certified organic farm. Natural Sciences Education, 43, 16-24
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Presentations Reeve, J. (Presenter & Author), Atucha, A. (Author Only), Cambardella, C. (Author Only), Carr, P. (Author Only), Davis, D. (Author Only), Delate, K. (Author Only), Hoagland, L. (Author Only), Grossman, J. (Author Only), Jacobsen, K. (Author Only), Villalba, J. (Author Only), Soil Science Society of America, "Organic farming, soil health and food crop quality: Considering possible linkages," Tri-societies, Long Beach, CA. (November 2, 2014 - November 5, 2014)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ward, R. E., Chandra, V., Annual Meeting, "Peach fruit quality analysis in relation to organic and conventional cultivation techniques," Institute of Food Technologists, Chicago, Il. (July 2014 - Present)


Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: This research is targeted towards researchers, extension agents and practitioners in the emerging field of organic farming. This research is also targeted towards those interested in integrated farming systems for improved agricultural sustainability as a whole. Systems will be primarily of interest to those working in the Intermountain West, however, the broader knowledge generated will be of interest to a much wider community interesting in developing sustainable farming systems in their regions. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? This project was used to train five undergraduate students in organic farming practices, two technicians and three undergraduate students in sample preparation and laboratory skills and three PhD students in research skills. I attended the American Society of Agronomy meeting in Tampa, Florida and the Southern Coordinating Committee 083 Quantifying Linkages among Soil Health, Organic Farming and Food, of which I am chair. I took the lead on writing a review paper on the above topic which grew directly out of my involvement with the coordinating committee. This paper is still in progress. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? I have used this project to generate new knowledge which I have disseminated to growers and other interested members of the public through a new website, in two presentations at the Organic Farming Conference in Salt Lake City, and the organic farming workshop held in Kaysville, Utah. I also appeared on the Utah Public Radio program Access Utah. I also presented my work with undergraduate students at two conferences and published a paper documenting learning outcomes on the USU Student Organic Farm in the Journal of Natural Sciences Education. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Objective 1: The third year of my organic crop rotation trial will commence with beans and alfalfa as cash crops and buckwheat, millet, black beans, hairy vetch and winter wheat as cover crops. Weed pressure and yields will be evaluated. A seventh year of soil and tree nutritional data will be collected from the organic and integrated peach orchards. Screenings of novel cover crops suitable for Utah orchards will continue in a heavy shade and two open canopy orchards. Peach yield and fruit quality will also be assessed. My graduate student Mae Culumber plans to graduate in the summer of 2014. At least two papers will be generated from this work. I will start work on an overview paper on the project also. My student Andrea Clemensen also hopes to graduate in 2014 and three papers will be generated on her work on the role of plant secondary compounds on soil nutrient cycling. The role of high vs reduced inputs on onion production and soil nutrients and N cycling will continue to be investigated in ongoing experimental plots at Kaysville and on 26 farmer’s fields in 2014. I also hope to publish a paper describing the first two years of the on-farm survey conducted between 2008 and 2010. Objective 2: Soil quality and carbon and nitrogen storage will assessed in quinoa and other organic crop rotations at Greenville, organic and integrated peach systems in Kaysville, and organic wheat at Blue Creek. A paper on soil quality in orchard systems will be generated. A new student Esther Thomsen will start her MS in soil science under this objective. I will continue working on the literature review on organic farming, soil health and food that I have started in collaboration with the members of the SCC 083. I also hope to complete a manuscript describing a survey of soil quality and livelihood strategies of smallholder farmers in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: The second year of phase two of my organic rotation project at Greenville was successfully completed. Beans were planted and harvested, alfalfa was harvested and cover crops planted, evaluated for weed control and incorporated. A sixth year of soil and tree nutritional data was collected from the organic and integrated peach orchards at Kaysville. Plantings of novel cover crops at the Kaysville experiment station, Tintic Farm and Capitol Reef National Park were evaluated for biomass production, weed suppression, and water use. An organic management plan was completed for the Capitol Reef National Park historic orchard, although they have postponed plans to for certification indefinitely due to budget constraints. Yield, fruit quality and consumer taste preferences were assessed in all treatments and a marketing study carried out in collaboration with Dr. Kynda Curtis to assess willingness to pay for organic, integrated and conventional peaches at four Utah farmers markets. A peer-reviewed paper published in Acta Horticulturae described our finding that legumes planted in the alleyway were as effective as tillage and weed fabric in establishing young peach trees. A further $9,500 was obtained from the Utah Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to support data collection in the integrated orchard in 2014. The role of high vs reduced inputs on onion production and soil nutrients and N cycling was investigated in ongoing experimental plots at Kaysville and on 26 farmer’s fields. A paper was published in the journal of Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment describing our key findings during the first phase of the project. Reducing fertilizer inputs by two thirds the typical rate applied by growers significantly reduced onion thrips and risk of N leaching to the environment with little impact on yield or bulb size. Additional funding to continue this work was awarded by Western SARE in May. The potential for small and targeted inputs of sodium nitrate to improve grain yield and quality in organic wheat production was assessed at two locations in North Logan and Snowville Utah. Objective 2: Soil quality and carbon and nitrogen storage were assessed in three organic crop rotations at Greenville, and organic and integrated peach systems in Kaysville. A presentation was given by my graduate student Mae Culumber at the American Society of Agronomy meetings in Tampa, Fl. The major finding presented was that legumes grown in the alleyway improve soil quality in the tree row while maintaining nutrient cycling and tree growth despite the presence of weeds. Soil quality is declining under tillage and weed fabric. Objective 3: The irrigated compost carryover plots at Greenville have been discontinued as consistent compost effects were no longer evident five years after application. Soils from the site were archived for further analysis using FTIR spectroscopy. A manuscript describing the findings generated during the first four years of the project is nearing completion. Compost carryover in dryland wheat is now being investigated on a project funded through the NRCS. Objective 4: Varieties of quinoa are being evaluated as a potential specialty crop for Utah. This project is now funded through the USDA NIFA program.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Buckland, K., Reeve, J., Alston, D. G., Nischwitz, C., Drost, D. T. (2013). Effects of Nitrogen Fertility and Crop Rotation on Onion Growth and Yield, Thrips Densities, and Iris Yellow Spot Virus, and Soil Properties. Agriculture, Ecosystems, and the Environment, 177, 63-74. www.elsevier.com/locate/agee
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Reeve, J., Black, B. L., Ransom, C., Culumber, M., Alston, D. G., Tebeau, A. (2013). Developing organic stone-fruit production options for Utah and the Intermountain West United States. Acta Horticulturae, Proceedings # 1001, 65-72. http://www.pubhort.org/actahort/books/1001/1001_5.htm
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Reeve, J. (2013). Soils: principles, properties and management (S591 ed., vol. 50-6198, pp. 271). Choice Magazine.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Culumber, C. M. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Black, B. L. (Author Only), Ransom, C. (Author Only), Alston, D. G. (Author Only), "Organic orchard floor management impacts soil nitrogen cycling and soil quality indicators," American Society of Agronomy, Tampa, FL. (November 3, 2013 - November 6, 2013)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Reeve, J., Hall, K., Steinitz, T., Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences, "The development of a student run organic farm," Pittsburgh, PA. (June 19, 2013 - June 22, 2013)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Reeve, J., Organic Fruits and Vegetable Workshop, "Organic Tree-Fruit Research at Utah State University," Utah State University, Salt Lake City. (February 26, 2013)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Reeve, J., Organic Fruits and Vegetables Workshop, "Organic Certification: What, why and how?," Utah State University, Salt Lake City. (February 26, 2013) ,


Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: "Objective 1: Potatoes, cover crops, and alfalfa were planted in the organic systems trial at Greenville and assessed for weed biomass, leaf chlorophyll, total and marketable yield and soil nutrient status. Potato size classes, dry matter and browning quality was determined. Soil and tree nutritional data was collected from the organic and integrated peach orchards. Trees were assessed for root distribution in treerows and alleyways. Plantings of novel cover crops at the Kaysville experiment station and Tintic Farm were evaluated for biomass production, weed suppression and water use. A poster on tree growth, root distribution and soil nutrient dynamics was presented to the Soil Science Society of America conference in Cincinnati. A further $9,500 was obtained from the Utah Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to support data collection in the integrated orchard in 2013. The majority of the peach crop was lost to an early frost so yield and comprehensive fruit quality analysis was postponed. Preliminary fruit quality analysis was conducted on a limited sample size and number of treatments. I am the Utah State official representative to the Southern Coordinating Committee 083 and attended their annual meeting in Waikoloa, Hawaii. Objective 2: Soil quality and carbon and nitrogen data was collected from the Greenville Organic systems trial and the organic and integrated peach orchards. A poster on soil quality in organic orchards was presented to the International Society of Horticultural Sciences symposium in Washington. My student Mae Culumber received $20,000 from the College of Agriculture to analyze microbial community dynamics under organic soil management. Objective 3: Yield of corn and beans and soil data was collected from the irrigated compost carryover trial at the Greenville Experiment Station. Davey Olsen defended his MS thesis on this project in June 2012 and was awarded his degree at the end of the year. Funding was obtained from the NRCS to expand the compost carryover work on dryland soils at the Blue Creek Experiment Station. Baseline soil quality was assessed in two new blocks, compost applied and wheat planted. Yield was assessed in the plots that received compost in 2011. Objective 4: I am a collaborator on two projects to evaluate the role of plant secondary compounds on soil quality and nutrient cycling, forage quality, animal health and milk and meat quality. My role is the evaluation of soil quality and nutrient cycling in Birdfoot trefoil, alfalfa, sanfoin and grass pastures. Soil nitrogen and soil quality data was collected from the alfalfa and sanfoin plots at the Lewiston animal facility. I co-advise PhD student Andrea Clemensen on this project. Additional funding was obtained to evaluate Quinoa as a specialty crop for Utah. Site locations have been identified and a student is in the process of being hired." PARTICIPANTS: "Drs. Black, Alston, Ransom Ward and Martini are Co-PIs in the organic and integrated peach research. Dr Norton is a collaborator on the soil molecular work. Drs. Jacoben and Creech are collaborators on objective 3. Drs. Black, Drost, MacAdam, Vidalba and Creech are collaborators on the variety trial investigations. Alicia Campbell were supported off the project to assist with sampling and data collection in the laboratory. Undergraduate student Gaia Naffziger was paid to participate in data collection. The majority of their funding was supplied through additional funds obtained from outside sources. Mae Culumber continues her PhD on objective 1 and 2. My new technician Kareem Adeleke assists with all aspects of this work." TARGET AUDIENCES: Growers in Utah and the Intermountain West. Other researchers working on organic and sustainable agriculture and soil quality. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
"Objective 1: There is a considerable benefit in terms of yield to incorporating alfalfa in organic vegetable rotations due to the additional nitrogen supplied. Yield in potatoes was significantly greater with manure as fertilizer as opposed to compost. This effect was not seen in other crops or in potatoes in 2009. This is likely related to nitrogen release dynamics and differences in peak demand between different crops. Legumes sown in the alleyways of establishing organic peach trees significantly improve tree growth and soil quality. After four years trees were larger when grown with legumes in the alleyway than tillage and fabric mulch controls despite considerable weed pressure. Tree roots were found to be significantly more abundant under legumes than grass indicating trees grown with legume alleyways had access to a larger nutrient pool and were therefore less susceptible to competition from weeds in the tree row. Objective 2: Compost significantly increased soil carbon and nitrogen content, microbial biomass and enzyme activity in orchards when compared with NPK or paper mulch. Objective 3: We have demonstrated the effects of compost on dryland soils lasts in excess of 16 years. Findings from compost carryover studies in irrigated systems indicate that compost carries over up to four years, significantly longer than reported for many humid environments. We attribute the carryover to three mechanisms: 1) greater biomass return to the soil hence increased nutrient cycling 2) persistent enhanced P availability 3) persistent compost signatures remaining in the soil as detected using FTIR spectroscopy. Significant carryover effects need to be included in nutrient budgets for composts in arid soils. Objective 4: None as yet."

Publications

  • No publications reported this period