PSI: Organic Plant Breeding

New Work in Organic Plant Breeding

King of the North Project:

Through the collaborative work we have done in the PSI, which has involved trialing existing public vegetable varieties on organic farms, we have realized that for maximum performance, we must breed varieties in organic systems, and make this process organic farmer-centered.

As a pilot project we are requesting the first year of funding from the Organic Farmer Research Foundation (OFRF) for a 3-4 year project to breed an open-pollinated cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) resistant bell pepper that is well adapted for Northeastern, Midwest and Northwestern climates. This virus has been ranked highly as a widespread problem by organic growers and, because of its wide host range, tends to be extremely destructive for growers with diverse cropping systems. In pepper, a very valuable and popular vegetable for most growers, particularly CSA’s, CMV can be a severe constraint to pepper quality (it causes disfiguring fruit symptoms) and yield.

King of the North is already well adapted to northern and central conditions across the U.S., is favorable in organic systems, and has been selected and provided by Turtle Tree Seeds, a biodynamic seed company in upstate NY that sells certified organic seed, and a partner in this project. Elizabeth Henderson, an organic farmer in upstate NY, will also cooperate on this breeding project. In addition, we anticipate having farmers who have been involved through the PSI project do quality and yield trials in year 2, 3 and 4. They will help to evaluate the breeding lines and can also select out their own favorite strains from our more variable populations.