Organic Nutrient Management for North Carolina High Tunnels

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Organic Nutrient Management for North Carolina
High Tunnels

• Suzanne OConnell
• suzanne.oconnell_at_gmail.com
• North Carolina State University Horticultural
  Science
• Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS)
• High Tunnel Workshop
• Feb. 17, 2009

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Overview

• My Background
• CEFS Basics
• Site Assessment
• Nutrient Inputs
• Crop Growth
• On-Farm Examples

U-Mass Apple Orchard IPM, Amherst MA
Cavicchio Greenhouses, Sudbury MA
Appleton Farms, Ipswich MA
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High tunnel challenges

• High-levels of P, micro-nutrients, and high pH
  with animal-based fert. applications
• Increasing organic matter content and cation
  exchange capacity (CEC) of sandy soils
• Inclusion of cover crops strategic crop
  rotations
• Potential for fertilizer salt build-up
• More plant growth may req. increased fert.
  applications

CEFS, High Tunnels Spring, 2008
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The Basics

• Site Assessment
• (Soil, Water, Solution Plant Analysis)
• http//www.ncagr.gov/agronomi/sthome.htm
• Crop Selection
• Hybrid System

CEFS, C2 High Tunnels Summer 2008
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pH, why it matters.
6.0-6.5 beans, beets, broccoli, brussels
sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, cucumber,
eggplant, endive, escarole, head lettuce,
collards, kale, mustard, leeks, melons, onions,
parsley, peppers, radish, tomato,
watermelon. 5.5-6.5 Strawberries 4.0-5.0 blu
eberries
www.fao.org
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Greenhouse vs. Field Sample Give operation
details ask for what you want.
Field Sample
High Tunnel Sample
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Nutrient Inputs

• Animal Sources compost, feathermeal, bloodmeal,
  bonemeal, poultry litter, fish emulsion,
  crabshell meal, bat gauno
• Plant Sources compost, soybean meal, cover
  residues, seaweed sprays, wood ash
• Mined Minerals potash, lime, gypsum, rock
  phosphate, potassium chloride, sodium nitrate,
  
• Synthetic Fertilizers
• anhydrous ammonia, urea, ammonium nitrate,
  calcium nitrate, bio-solids
• not allowed in organic systems
• may constitute lt20 of total N inputs

Top to bottom Turkey litter leaf compost, rye
vetch cover crop, Nutrimax feathermeal
warehouse
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Nitrogen

• N is the most limiting nutrient for crop growth
  productivity
• The cost of fertilizer has risen over 25 in the
  last decade1
• gt50 of the energy assoc. with agric. is spent on
  the manufacture application of nitrogen1
• Fertilizers pesticides costs are second only to
  labor costs2

CEFS 2007 Recording Yield Data
1 Ali and Lucier, 2008 2 Brown et al., 1987
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CEFS Example Pre-Plant Decisions

• Field History
• Transition to organic
• Pre-Plant 2007
• Approach Start nutrient
• program with compost
• application at a rate of
• 10T/A to boost microbial
• Community increase
• organic matter content
• of sandy-loam soil

CEFS HT, Compost Application, Spring 2007
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N contribution from compost

• Considerations
• 1) CN Ratios
• 2) Nutrient Availability Coefficients

Composting on Organic Farms, Baldwin
Greenfield, 2006.
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Calculation N contribution from compost

• General Formula
• (total N concentration/1,000,000) nutrient
  availability coefficient nutrient multiplier
  (DM/100) 2,000 lbs. lbs. of plant available
  N for first crop/Ton of material
• Example
• (15937/1,000,000) 0.50 1 (68.42/100)
  2,000 Lbs. 10.9 Lbs. of plant available N/Ton
  of compost.
• So at a rate of 10T/A, we estimated that the
  compost supplied 109.0 Lbs. of plant available N
  for the crop
• NCDA nutrient multiplier for P2.27 and K1.2

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Information from SoilFacts, Poultry Manure as a
Fertilizer Source by Zublena et al., 1993. NC
Cooperative Extension Pub. AG-439-5 (rev.)
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Pre-Plant (cont.) Calculation N contribution
from feathermeal

• CN 41, 11N
• 213 Lbs. N/Ton 0.60 128 Lbs.
• plant available N/Ton)
• 50 Lbs. of feathermeal applied per
• high tunnel (30 x 90) 47 Lbs. of
• plant available N/A

Feathermeal Application CEFS, 2007
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Post plant fertilizer

• Pre-plant
• 106 Lbs. N from compost
• 47 Lbs. N from feathermeal
• _________________________________
• 153 Lb. N for tomato crop

Source E. Heuvelink (ed.), Tomatoes.
'Production in the Open Field.
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Soluble Fert. Supplement

• How did the plants respond to an additional 12N,
  62N, or 112N via drip (bi-weekly) from 1st
  bloom to harvest in 2007?

Dosatron Injector with Phytamin 801 fert. CEFS,
2008
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Post-plant fertilizer (cont.)
Source Jones, 1983 Hochmuth, 1988.
The plants that received the medium (62N)
high levels (112N) of additional soluble
fertilizer had N concentration tissue values
within the optimum range slightly high in the
beginning slightly low towards the end of the
harvest period.
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N level effect on yield

• 2007 Pre-plant compost feathermeal ( 153 Lbs.
  plant available N)
• Low N level (165 Lbs.), Medium N level (215
  Lbs.), High N level (265 Lbs.)

Average of HT Field Yields, grafted
non-grafted plants
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N contribution from cover crops
HT, Winter Rye Hairy Vetch Cover Crop Jan.24,
2008
Field, Winter Rye Hairy Vetch Cover Crop Feb.
19, 2008
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Sampling N contribution from cover crops

• Avg. 1.1 Lbs. of cover crop biomass per sampling
  square which translated to 4,078 Lbs. of cover
  crop/A
• Tissue samples indicate the of N other
  nutrients in the leaf tissue rye _at_ 4 vetch _at_
  5
• 167 Lbs. N/A 0.50 availability coefficient
  83.5 Lbs. plant available N

Sampling Cover Crops Feb. 2008
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Feb., 2008
Incorporation 2 weeks later and 1 month before
planting tomato crop
Flail mowing
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Soluble Fert. Supplement

• How did the plants respond to an additional 0N,
  17N, or 67N via drip (bi-weekly) from 1st
  bloom to harvest in 2008?

Dosatron Injector with Phytamin 801 fert. CEFS,
2008
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N level effect on yield

• 2008 Cover Crop pre-plant only ( 83 Lbs. plant
  available N)
• Low N level (83 Lbs.), Medium N level (100 Lbs.),
  High N level (150 Lbs.)

Average of HT Field Yields, grafted
non-grafted plants
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Other Nutrient Applic.

• K2so4 pre- and post-
• Pre-plant, 130 Lbs. K2so4/A based on NCDA soil
  test rec.
• Post-plant, soluble 81.6 Lbs. K2so4/A via drip
  during harvest period and based on NCDA tissue
  analysis

CEFS Tomato Harvest 1st week June, 2008
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Ken Dawson, Maple Springs Gardens

• General Practices

• Seedling Media Farfard Custom Mix 20 compost
  homemade starter fertilizer (bonemeal,
  feathermeal, wood ashes)
• Soil Amendments Pre-plant lime, K, feathermeal,
  azomite, soybean meal as needed Post-plant
  potash (K2SO4) Chilean NO3- as needed (lt20 of
  total N)
• Crop rotation Tomatoes, cucumbers cut flowers
  followed by cole crops greens
• Cover crops not used on a regular basis in HTs,
  rape cover crop for nematode control 2007-2008

Maple Spring Gardens Tomatoes, Cucumbers,
Cauliflower, Flowers April 2007
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Alex and Betsy Hitt, Peregrine Farm
General Practices

• Soil Amendments Pre-plant lime, feathermeal,
  potash (K2SO4) as necessary Post-plant none
• Crop rotation 12 year rotation cycle year
  (1), tomatoes/greens, (2) cut flowers/lettuce
  then summer cover winter cover, (3) melons, (4)
  flowers/greens then summer cover winter cover,
  (5) tomatoes/greens, (6)..
• Cover crops Winter oats/crimson clover or
  winter rye Summer-Fall millet/soybean

Peregrine Farm, Cut Flowers Spring, 2008
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Stefan Hartmann, Black River Organics

• General Practices

• Seedling Media Sunshine Professional Blend
  homemade starter fertilizer (feathermeal, P, K,
  bonemeal)
• Soil Amendments Pre-plant lime, K, and
  feathermeal as necessary (bands half of
  feathermeal application for tomato crop)
  Post-plant none
• Crop rotation Spring tomatoes followed by Fall
  lettuce and greens
• Cover crops Winter winter rye/hairy vetch
  Summer-Fall Sudan grass , Cowpeas or Pearl
  Millet

Black River Organics Winter Greens Selectively
Cut Head Lettuce - January, 2007
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Thank you.
Research Team Mary Peet, Frank Louws, Thomas
Rufty, Chris Harlow, Cary Rivard. Collaborating
Farmers Ken Dawson, Stefan Hartmann, Alex Hitt.
CEFS Field Managers Carolyn Lowry, Josh
Moore. CEFS Interns Part-time staff Seth
Avis, Jessica Best, Ryan Faulk, Vikram Kone,
Amanda McWhirt, Jamal Mitchell, Nathan Best.
NCDA Plant/Waste/Solution
Division. CEFS/NCDA Support Steve Moore, Ken
Fager, NCDA employees, CEFS apprentices
Goldsboro Correctional Center inmates.
Donations DeRuiter Seeds, Nutrimax Inc.,
Petrik, Inc. FUNDING