Preventing Muck Soil Erosion by Reducing Tillage in Onion Production
Christy Hoepting, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program
The problem with using conventional tillage practices for onion production on muck soils is that it results in the subsidence of muck via wind and water erosion and oxidation of organic matter at a rate of one foot every 10 years, which is not sustainable for preserving these non-renewable natural resources for long-term productivity. Onions are one of the most valuable vegetable crops produced in New York State with the majority of the 13,000 acres being grown on muck soil. Producing onions using conventional tillage practices results in degradation of soil health and increased subsidence. This leads to increased fertilizer and crop protection chemical input to maintain productivity, resulting only in increased subsidence and declining productivity at ever increasing costs. It is a scientifically proven fact that wind and water erosion, and subsidence decreases as ground cover increases and cultivation decreases. In this project, we developed and evaluated growing onions from direct seed in reduced tillage production systems using oat and wheat cover crops on muck soil on a commercial scale. This was the first attempt of its kind, and a success with the minimum tillage systems producing comparable yields to the conventional system, having reduced onion thrips, bacterial rots and Botrytis leaf blight, and significant reductions in soil compaction and reduced wind erosion compared to the conventional system.
Preventing Erosion of Muck Soils by Reducing Tillage in Onion Production (pdf; 1908KB)
Upcoming Events
Oswego Muck Onion Growers Pre-Season Meeting: Stop the Rot, Nematodes and SLB Fungicide Resistance
March 20, 2024
Phoenix, NY
Christy Hoepting and Frank Hay will get growers ready for the season with updates on managing Stemphylium Leaf Blight fungicide resistance, progress made towards understanding and managing bacterial bulb rot of onion, and results of the 2023 nematode survey and research project. 2.5 DEC recertification credits will be offered in categories 1A, 10 and 23.
2024 NYS Dry Bean Meeting and Cutting Event
March 22, 2024
Geneva, NY
The NYS Dry Bean Meeting will be paired with the annual Dry Bean Cutting Event again this year! The morning meeting will include presentations on the latest dry bean research in New York, with topics including market updates, white mold management, western bean cutworm management, dry bean variety testing, and incorporating NY dry beans into schools. 1.5 DEC credits will be available in categories 10, 1a, 21, 23. CCA credits will be available too.
The Dry Bean Cutting will follow the meeting and showcase the canned dry beans from the 2023 Dry Bean Variety Trial.
Collaborative and Alternative Marketing for Farmers - Learning from Those Who are Doing It
March 25, 2024
Join us for a virtual panel discussion meeting where panelists will share their marketing enterprise, why and how it came to be, and what it takes for groups of farmers to work together to improve their marketing opportunities. Then the floor will be open for Q/A and discussion with the audience. The goal of this effort is to learn about these types of marketing alternatives, what it took to put them together, and maybe get interest enough from those attending to explore new collaborations.