Research

Create Two Open-Pollinated, Sugary Enhanced Sweet Corn Varieties - Year III

 

Very little sweet corn grown commercially today is open pollinated. Farmers who wish to save their own seed have few if any good choices of varieties to grow. Today’s hybrids have been developed for conditions that are different from those found on most organic farms. Organic sweet corn growers deserve better choices.

Developing "Organic-Ready" Maize Populations with Gametophytic Incompatibility Year III

The purpose of this five-year breeding project is to reduce transgenic contamination of organic maize grown in the USA by maintaining the integrity of organic maize seed.  Organic farmers are not required to produce transgene-free crops, but they must plant seed that is free of transgene.  An important objective of this project is the education of seed producers and organic farmers on how to use these “Organic-Ready” varieties for reducing the incidence of transgenic contamination. 

Establishing breeding populations for organic broccoli, sweet corn, and red kale varieties

Organic farmer interest in on-farm plant breeding has been on the rise due to a lack of available germplasm adapted to organic systems, a growing awareness of the value of regionally adapted varieties, and consolidations in the seed industry that have led to a decline in varietal offerings.

Managing Natural Habitat Can Aid in Organic Pest Control

Summary

Determing habitat requirements for natural enemies of farm pests

Coordinator: Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer, University of California, Berkeley

Maintaining a healthy population of beneficial insects that serve as natural enemies to crop pests is an important component of pest management for organic farmers. To do so, we must understand the habitat requirements of these insects.

Developing “Organic-Ready” Maize Populations with Gametophytic Incompatibility Year 2

The purpose of this five-year breeding project is to reduce transgenic contamination of organic corn grown in the USA by introducing genes that do not accept pollen from other corn varieties—including genetically modified varieties--into a number of modern corn populations. Thirty-seven populations and lines are currently in the development pipeline.

Breeding day-neutral strawberry cultivars for organic production in the Pacific Northwest

This award continues OFRF support for a breeding effort to develop strawberry varieties that produce fruit over a 4-5 month period in the Pacific Northwest. In contrast, June-bearing strawberries only produce fruit for about one month. Increasing the availability of local, organic, high-quality strawberries from late spring to mid-fall will increase demand, overall consumption, and value of this crop.

Participatory screening of broccoli varieties for organic systems in Western North Carolina

Identifying appropriate varieties for organic production in the mountains of western North Carolina is considered a research priority by local growers. One of the main challenges in growing broccoli in the Southeast is that varieties are not heat tolerant. We received a grant from the Organic Farming Research Foundation to conduct a participatory screening of broccoli varieties for organic systems in western North Carolina.

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