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Funded Project

Funding Program: IPM Partnership Grants

Project Title: A Working Group on Tarping and Soil Solarization

Project Director (PD): Sonja Birthisel [1]

Lead State: ME Lead Organization: University of Maine

Cooperating State(s): Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York

Undesignated Funding: $19,350

Start Date: Apr-01-2020 End Date: Mar-31-2021

No-Cost Extension Date: Dec-31-2021

Pests Involved: Weeds, soil-borne disease

Site/Commodity: Vegetables

Area of Emphasis: Tarping, soil solarization

Summary: Tarping and soil solarization are affordable technologies suitable to vegetable production in the Northeast, with particular applicability to organic systems. These practices have demonstrable utility for weed management, and may have additional IPM applications and benefits to farming systems. However, the mechanisms of action and long-term ramifications of these practices are poorly understood. Researchers at multiple universities in the Northeast are conducting disparate investigations of tarping and solarization, and no platform currently exists to facilitate sharing research results or building larger collaborations on these topics. We propose to form a working group on tarping and solarization that will improve coordination of research and extension efforts in the region. The working group will include members affiliated with at least six land grant universities. The group will include members with research and extension expertise in weed, insect, and soil microbial ecology, as well as farmers with practical experience in the application of tarping and solarization for IPM. The working group will meet quarterly via Zoom video conference calls, and once in person over the course of one calendar year. We will develop several outreach presentations, and engage in collaborative preliminary data collection over this period. We expect that the proposed working group will facilitate knowledge-sharing and aid us in prioritizing new outreach efforts and research questions that can be leveraged in developing larger multi-state proposals. Near term outcomes expected from this project include more farmers learning about and utilizing tarping and solarization. Long term outcomes could include: reductions in pesticide use through increased adoption of these effective non-chemical practices; increased yields and profits on organic farms due to improved pest management; and potentially climate resilience benefits through increased use of organic no-till and reduced-tillage systems. Objectives: Objective 1: Compile knowledge on the benefits and risks of tarping and soil solarization in the Northeast region. Objective 2: Evaluate how widely used these practices are currently and identify barriers to further adoption. Objective 3: Establish key questions and priorities for future research and extension efforts. Objective 4: Collect preliminary data on IPM efficacy and environmental impacts at existing field sites across the region. Objective 5: Develop multi-state proposals to address regional priorities as identified in Objective 3.

Final Report:

Outcomes A working group of seventeen participants including farmers, extension personnel, and researchers with expertise in weeds, entomology, plant pathology, and soil microbiology was convened and participated in 4 full working group meetings. -Three webinars were produced -One comprehensive outreach publication was released.

Outputs As a result of this project, Working Group members have forged friendships and connections across the region and developed new collaborative working relationships and initiatives. Several project members have given invited talks at grower meetings this winter based on our project activities and results. The emphasis has primarily been on outreach rather than scholarly products to date, though data collection resulting from this project will likely be included in forthcoming manuscripts in Maine and New York. An exciting emergent outcome of this work is a comprehensive Tarp Guide that was published recently and is freely available to growers here: https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/1075e/.

Report Appendices 9999372_0000001.pdf [PDF]

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