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Project Leader: John J. Mishanec, CCE, NYS IPM Program
Cooperators: Ralph Childs Bob Leavitt and Ron Edgely, Franklin and Essex County
potato growers, Richard Gast, CCE Franklin County Agricultural Technician, Prof.
Don Halseth, Fruit and Vegetable Science Dept., Cornell University
Type of grant: Cultural methods; sanitation; physical controls
Project locations: This work occurred in Franklin and Essex counties. Findings
may be applied throughout the Northeast.
Abstract: North Country potato growers are looking at rotational crops they are
unfamiliar with. Sudangrass has been successfully employed throughout the state
as an excellent way to increase organic matter, break up soil hard pans and decrease
soil pathogens. In recent years, crops in the mustard family used as green manure
have shown soil benefits as well. We looked at yellow mustard, oilseed radish and
sudangrass as green manure treatments in a rotation with potato. In 2002, pre treatment
nematode and OM samples were taken from Malone and Lake Placid locations. The fields
were then planted to mustard, oil-seed radish and sudangrass. In the fall, the cover
crop treatments were plowed down as green manure. In May of 2003, those same fields
were re-tested for nematodes and OM prior to planting potatoes. One field had the
harvest evaluation carried out in the fall. Results were very encouraging. Nematode
levels were substantially reduced in the treatment fields. We found low numbers
of nematode in the field that had been fallow for a year as well. We also averaged
a 14% increase in yield with both Monona and Reba over the checks of those same
varieties. While the sample number is small, we hope to continue doing this work
for a few more years to see if the trends continue. Things we learned will also
lead to new investigations.
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