Tarping and Soil Solarization Working Group

Tarping and soil solarization in the field

Funded in 2020, the Tarping and Soil Solarization Working Group seeks to improve communication and coordination amongst stakeholders with a shared interest in IPM applications of tarping and soil solarization.

Our goals include:

  • Compiling and sharing knowledge on the benefits and risks of tarping and soil solarization in the Northeast
  • Establishing joint research and outreach priorities across the region
  • Developing collaborative research and outreach initiatives across states and institutional boundaries

The full working group meets quarterly, and sub-committees focused on specific projects meet intermittently. Membership includes Extension personnel, farmers, and other researchers and agricultural service providers with expertise in weed, disease, and insect pest management as well as soil ecology and plastics recycling. Members hail from six states ranging geographically from New York to Maine.