Past Projects

Past Projects

Alternatives to plastic mulch for organic watermelon production

WatermelonComparing mulches for weed management in organic watermelon.

KSU Contacts:
Michael Bomford, Tony Silvernail

Duration: 2006-07

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Biofumigation in organic high tunnel and conventional field vegetables

mustardOn-farm tests of brassica cover crops for their potential to control soil-borne diseases that threaten two emerging vegetable production systems in Kentucky.
    • Preliminary study results, 2006 (pdf)
    • Preliminary results, 2007
    • Streaming video introducing high tunnel production system and presenting results from 2007 and 2008 high tunnel studies

KSU Contacts:
Michael Bomford, George Antonious

Duration: 2006-10

Funding: SARE

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Companion plant spacing calculator

mustardA spreadsheet to calculate spacing in mixed plantings.

KSU Contacts:
Michael Bomford


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Does Brix equal quality? Testing a popular alternative agriculture hypothesis using kale

Refractometer and kaleDoes the soluble solid content of kale juice, measured with a refractometer in degrees Brix, correlate with other quality parameters?

KSU Contacts:
Changzheng WangMichael Bomford

Duration: 2006-07

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Evaluation of alternative bioethanol feedstock crops

Alternative bioethanol feedstock cropsHow do sweet corn, sweet potato, sweet sorghum and Jerusalem artichoke compare in terms of land-use efficiency for ethanol production in a low-input organic system?

KSU Contacts:
Michael Bomford, Tony Silvernail

Duration: 2007

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Evaluation of organic diets for Nile tilapia

Alternative bioethanol feedstock cropsAssessing organically-certified yeast and soybean meal as a complete protein replacements for fish meal in organic tilapia diets.

KSU Contacts:
Carl Webster

Duration: 2008-09

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The Great Kale Cook-Off

GrapesA taste test to determine how people like their kale cooked. Recipes and results.

KSU Contacts:
Changzheng WangMichael Bomford

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Natural capsaicinoids: Alternative pesticides for organic growers

peppersDeveloping botanical insecticides from peppers, and evaluating their environmental impact.

KSU Contact:
George Antonious

Duration: 2004-06

Funding: Capacity

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Organic cucumber beetle management in muskmelon

Spotted Cucumber BeetleEvaluation of pyrethrum insecticide, reflective mulch, companion plants, and row covers for cucumber beetle management in organic muskmelons. 

Contact:
John Sedlacek, Tony Silvernail

Duration: 2002-04

Funding: SARE

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Organic pawpaw production

pawpaw clusterDeveloping practices to promote earlier bearing and consistent tree performance, and longer tree life for organic and limited resource farmers.

Contact:
Kirk Pomper

Duration: 2005-08

Funding: SARE

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Organic weed management in sweet corn and edamame soybean

Edamame plotsA soil-to-plate study, examing the effect of various organic cultivation and weed management tactics on soil quality, weed pressure, crop yield, and crop quality. Includes complementary studies examining the effectiveness of corn gluten meal as a herbicide.

KSU Contacts:
Tony Silvernail, Michael Bomford, Changzheng Wang

Duration: 2004-07

Funding: Evans-Allen

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Physical pest management tools

Slug fenceTraps and barriers to protect plants from pests.

KSU Contact:
Michael Bomford

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Sweet corn pest management and ecology

peppersA whole-crop ecological comparison of organic, conventional, and biotechnology-enhanced sweet corn production systems.

Contact:
John Sedlacek

Duration: 2004-08

Funding: Evans-Allen

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Updated 06/18/10

College of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems