Potato Growers Needed for Participatory Research Project

Are you interested in engaging in participatory research on soil microbial diversity and disease suppression in midwestern potato production fields?

We are continuing a research project funded by the USDA Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan (Suppressing diseases and optimizing yield in potato production via microbiome-based prediction and management). The overarching goal of this project is to develop soil microbiome-based predictive models for potato diseases, yield, and biological control that provide a platform for management decision-making (use of fumigation, biological control, and/or resistant cultivars). To establish the baseline information needed to develop microbiome-based predictive models, we seek first to characterize variation in pre-plant densities of potato pathogens in relation to: i) soil chemical characteristics; ii) pre-plant and late-season soil, root, and endophytic microbiomes; and iii) potato disease and yield among fumigated and non-fumigated potato production fields across the midwestern growing region. WE ARE ASKING FOR HELP FROM OUR GROWER COMMUNITIES.

What we are asking of volunteer participants: collect soil samples from fields in fall 2019 and summer 2020, and allow our personnel to collect tuber samples at harvest in fall 2020 (or sample them yourself if you prefer).

What we will do with the soil and plant samples: We will characterize the bacterial and fungal soil microbiomes along with soil chemical characteristics in every soil sample, Disease assessments will be determined for every tuber sample. By combining these diverse data from over 100 farms in MN, MI, and WI, we will establish a foundation for understanding the characteristics of soil microbiomes most important to supporting healthy and high-yielding potato plants.

What we will provide to you: Growers will receive a complete summary of the soil microbiome composition and diversity on your farm, information on the abundance of known beneficial and pathogenic microbes in your soil, and soil nutrient chemistry. In addition, you will receive a composite overview (with no identifying factors) of the variation in soil microbiomes across farms in the upper midwest, and the relationships between soil microbiome diversity, composition, potato diseases, and yields. This will allow you to compare your fields to other potato production fields in the upper Midwest. Finally, participation offers an opportunity for you to contribute to development of pre-plant decision-making tools to optimize potato health and yields for the upper Midwest.

For further information contact:

Richard Lankau
Associate Professor, Dept. of Plant Pathology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Phone: 608-262-3084, email: [email protected]