ASD WEED MANAGE - ANAEROBIC SOIL DISINFESTATION WEED MANAGEMENT FOR A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO ORGANIC SPECIALTY CROP PRODUCTION

The primary project goal is to increase the profitability and sustainability of organic specialty crop production systems and to facilitate the transition from conventional to organic production practices by optimizing and integrating the use of Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD) as a biological weed management tactic in specialty crops systemswhile promoting soil health.The specific objectives proposed are to:1) Optimize and evaluate the efficacy of ASD as a biological solution for the management of weeds in organic and transitioning to organic specialty crops systems representative of the U.S. Northeast and Southeast.2) Evaluate the impact of ASD applied using alternative organic amendments on soil ecology and microbiome dynamics and seed-associated microbiome in organic and transitioning to organic specialty crops systems examining the effect on nutrient dynamics and overall soil health.3) Investigate the mechanism of weed suppression using targeted and non-targeted soil metabolomic analysis techniques.4) Evaluate the economic viability and identify barriers to the adoption and integration of ASD in organic and transitioning to organic specialty crop systems.5) Conduct on-farm ASD demonstrations for weed management and a range of outreach activities employing multiple extension delivery methods to transfer science-based knowledge on ASD and promote its adoption for the management of weeds while promoting soil health in organic and transitioning to organic specialty crop systems.