by Gena Moore, CFSA Organic Research Coordinator
An unfortunate reality of farming is that there will be failure.
I’m sure many of us can count back and remember a time when we experienced a significant setback or had a production challenge to which there was no readily available solution. Rather than give up, most farmers press on to solve their own problems with unique solutions. This is, regardless of scale, on-farm research.
Here at CFSA, we are fortunate to manage the Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm, a certified organic farm located in Concord, NC. However, Lomax is not just an incubator farm, but it’s also an education campus and research facility. In 2016, we launched our research program with a grafted heirloom tomato study (see this Expert Tip on how to graft tomatoes), which was conducted in one of our high tunnels. We’re excited to have that initial project completed and are moving forward to our second on-farm study, Evaluating the Efficacy of Organic Pesticides. This project, funded through an NCDA Specialty Crop Block Grant was developed to answer YOUR questions and solve pest issues that many of our farmer members face. Please keep reading to find out more about this study and how you can set up and conduct your own on-farm research!
Define your problem
This is the easy part, what issue are you facing? We identified the issue of pest control. Most of us know and use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on our farms, and as a part of this practice, control mechanisms are implemented when thresholds are met.
Once these thresholds have been exceeded, what next?
Although there are several control tactics in IPM, we chose to focus on control with naturally derived pesticides. In certified organic production, farmers are allowed to use OMRI or organic products as an effective control mechanism. However, what naturally derived products are on the market for certified organic farms? How do we apply these products? Which one(s) work best in our area and on which pests? With our new research study, we seek to gain answers to these, and other pest management, questions.
Study design
Developing a study design is important to help capture everything you want to learn. With our study, it was imperative to look at multiple categories of pest applications: herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. Also, time availability (and Mother Nature) is a factor, so planning each of these components at separate times of the growing season was important.
We will be evaluating:
- OMRI herbicides in the spring on a surrogate weed crop.
- OMRI fungicides on summer zucchini.
- OMRI insecticides on a fall tatsoi crop.
For each category, three naturally derived products were chosen, each with a unique, active ingredient. We also added a control treatment that would receive no applications. This made a total of four treatments. Each treatment will be replicated four times. We chose to use a complete randomized block design for the each of the categories. As mentioned above, each category will be studied individually at a specific time during the year. The first category is herbicides. Plots have been designated in the field and the surrogate weed crop planted on April 20th. Figures 1 & 2 show the developed field design in Excel and its implementation in the field.
Figure 1. Field design for a complete randomized block design. The letters A-D represent treatments and the adjacent number represent replications.
Figure 2. Study design implemented in a field at Lomax Farm.
All product applications will begin on the same day, three to four weeks after planting/transplanting. All products will be applied according to label directions for a duration of four to six weeks. During this time, data will be collected. Remember pesticide safety is important to humans, animals, and the environment. All applications will be made by a licensed pesticide applicator. For any questions about pesticide safety, contact your local Cooperative Extension Agent.
Collecting Data
Data points are determined by what you are interested in learning/studying. For example:
- In our herbicide trial, we will collect weekly weed counts from a .5m² block placed randomly in each plot. Also, biomass will be collected and dried at the conclusion of the trail to determine dry weight matter.
- In our summer fungicide trial, we will be collecting quantitative data on yield (marketable and unmarketable), disease data (based on the Horsfall-Barratt Scale), and plant mortality numbers.
- In our insecticide trial, we will collect insect counts per species, percent damage and plant mortality numbers.
We will also collect qualitative data from visual observations. We will additionally collect labor and inputs information throughout the study to develop an economic analysis. All data should be collected on a consistent basis with careful attention to details and organization. Excel is a great resource when collecting and organizing data.
Results
Determining results depends on what data was collected. Excel can be used to find totals, averages, and simple statistics, while also creating graphs and other visual representations of data. Whatever data is isolated, looking for a statistical difference is important. There are natural variances that are taken into consideration in most statistical software creating reliable outcomes.
Replication
One year of data is great, but two-three years of data is best. Results can be affected by a variety of environmental events, human error, and more. Create a project that can be replicated again, collect the same data the same way, and make inferences from the multiyear results. The only difference is to re-randomize the plots. Re-randomizing distributes environmental effects from land placement across all the treatments.
Funding
Small projects, or those more immediate, can be self-funded. Keep track of all expenses and time, this may come in handy if applying for grants to further the research. If seeking funding, grants will release a call for proposals. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) is a great resource. SARE funds research for institutions, non-profits, and farmers/producers. The website also contains past research studies that have been funded as well as helpful resources for farming and research.
Check out How to Conduct Research on Your Farm or Ranch from SARE if you’d like to know more about how to set up field designs for on-farm research.
Other Funding Opportunities and Helpful Links
In-Person Learning
Do you want to learn more about our research, pesticide safety or cover crops? Please consider joining us for the Third Annual Lomax Field Day on May 22, 2018!