New England Plant, Soil and Water Lab.
Numerous problems face the potato industry in the Northeast.
Maine alone has experienced a 100,000 acre decline in potato production during the past 30 years. Developing profitable crop rotations for potato production was identified as the number one research need. A marketing approach was utilized to identify new, potentially profitable crops for potato rotations. Fall-formed raised beds are under investigation to promote earlier soil drying and warming in spring, effectively lengthening the growing season for potato production and increasing the opportunities for winter cover crop establishment. An interdisciplinary team of scientists has been assembled to evaluate these cropping systems.