The Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station has published MR448: Bees and Their Habitats in Four New England States. Authors Alison C. Dibble, UMaine Francis A. Drummond, UMaine Anne L. Averill, University of Massachusetts Kalyn Bickerman-Martens, UMaine Sidney C. Bosworth, The University of Vermont Extension Sara L. Bushman, UMaine Aaron K. Hoshide, UMaine Megan E. […]
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Cooperative and cultural effects on resource harvesting are likely to influence forestry, fisheries, and agriculture in Maine through a variety of mechanisms. Maine’s local food industry is poised for growth that entails economic, environmental an social benefits. But to provide lasting positive impacts on all three fronts, local food organizations need to be socially and […]
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Evidence of anthropogenic climate change has become increasingly stronger and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has called for strong, global action to reduce the risk of human-induced climate change. Agricultural practices adopted since the mid-twentieth century have progressively diminished soil quality through the reduction of soil organic matter levels. Sustainable agricultural practices provides a […]
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Weeds remain the foremost production problem on organic farms. Organic farmers rely mostly on cultivation for managing weeds, yet weed density is generally high, and often increasing on these farms. There are two central problems with physical weed control: First, cultivation efficacy is often low and is highly variable. We aim to characterize this variability […]
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Biologically based soil fertility systems provide multiple ecosystem and crop production services. These systems rely on organic sources of nutrients (e.g., manure, compost, green manure, and plant and seed meals) to meet crop needs. They can replace some or all of the need for synthetic fertilizer, improve soil quality and productivity, and recycle nutrients that […]
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Because soil organic matter stores both nutrients and water, it is a key to soil quality in both agricultural and forested ecosystems. The overall goal of this research is to help us to understand the factors that preserve organic matter in soils and also understand how soil organic matter levels may be affected by rising […]
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Maine’s agricultural economy is restricted to some extent by short seasons, extremely cold winters and soils that may be erodible, acidic, low in organic matter, underlain with compacted glacial till or with a sandy subsoil that promotes nutrient leaching. In spite of the challenges, Maine has a thriving agricultural sector that has adapted to soil […]
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Profitable production of potato, which continues to be the most important agricultural commodity in the state of Maine, is impossible without successful control of its insect pests. Insecticides do not provide a long-term solution because of the rapid evolution of resistance in the targeted populations. Furthermore, they are largely ineffective in preventing the spread of […]
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Most potato production systems used in the U.S. require high rates of chemical fertilization to maintain yields and frequent chemical sprays for disease control. This project will develop and evaluate nutrient management practices that will reduce the dependence of potato production systems on purchased P and K fertilizers. It will also improve the nitrogen fertilization […]
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Consumer demographics and food preferences present new challenges for farmers who seek to supply high quality, highly nutritional products to consumers, while maintaining economically and environmentally sustainable production practices. This multidisciplinary regional research project helps farmers address these needs. Specifically, we propose to provide farmers new potato varieties to solve production problems and meet consumers […]
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