WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University has
received a $2 million federal grant to lead multi-institution research
on breeding new varieties of organic tomatoes that would resist foliar
diseases and still have the delicious taste that consumers want.
The grant, awarded by the Organic Research and Extension Initiative
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, will also enable researchers to identify management
practices that reduce disease pressure while protecting soil and water
quality.
Lori Hoagland,
assistant professor of horticulture at Purdue, is heading the project
that includes researchers from North Carolina State University, North
Carolina A&T University, Oregon State University, University of
Wisconsin-Madison and the Organic Seed Alliance.
The research reflects increasing consumer interest in organic crops, said Jay Akridge, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Purdue Agriculture.
“Research like Dr. Hoagland’s is helping farmers
improve productivity and profitability in their organic and low-input
systems so they can take advantage of the demand and meet the needs of
this growing market,” Akridge said.
The researchers will look into ways farmers can
avoid foliar pathogen diseases such as early blight, late blight and
Septoria leaf spot. The issue is especially important in the Midwest and
Southeast regions of the U.S. where warm, humid conditions favor these
diseases and severe outbreaks can destroy tomato crops.
Tomato growers often plant heirloom varieties
rather than newer disease-resistant hybrids because of the heirlooms’
appetizing taste. But heirloom varieties tend to be highly susceptible
to foliar diseases.
Frequent application of copper fungicides can
help organic growers manage foliar diseases. But copper can kill
microorganisms in soil that help plants grow and can affect water
quality. Growers could forgo copper applications if a new, resistant,
sweet-tasting variety were produced.
Conventional growers also could benefit from such
new varieties because they would reduce the amount of pesticides they
use, thereby lowering their costs.
The researchers will work on breeding tomato
varieties that can connect with beneficial soil microbes in their roots
that help them fight diseases, Hoagland said. They will also investigate
management practices that favor these beneficial soil microbes and
identify new organic fungicides that are more environmentally friendly.
Vegetable producers will contribute to the four-year project.
“The growers will be intimately involved in all
phases of the research, especially the breeding component,” Hoagland
said. “The growers will help us identify key plant traits, and final
selections will be conducted on working farms.”
Other Purdue researchers involved in the project are Tesfaye Mengiste, professor in botany and plant pathology and Dan Egel, Extension plant pathologist.
Writer: Emma Hopkins, 765-494-8402, hopkine@purdue.edu
Sources: Lori Hoagland, 765-494-1426, lhoaglan@purdue.edu
Jay Akridge, 765-494-8391, akridge@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page
External Link: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q4/federal-grant-awarded-for-organic-tomato-research-led-by-purdue.html