Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

As most economic activities, the potato production damages the environment through the use of natural resources as an input or by using 'clean' environment as a sink of pollution. Since the costs of misusing the environment, called externalities, are not part of the prices, they distort the market by encouraging activities that are costly to society even if the private benefits are substantial. The farm is where decisions are taken. However, farmers often express their concern that research is becoming too narrowly focused to address holistic relationships of soil health, productivity, and environmental protection. The novelty of this project is that it brings together, in a triadic problem-solving approach, the expertise of researchers, research laboratories, highly qualified persons, and leading farmers on key production and environmental issues of the potato production. Our main objective is to develop ecosystem services across scientific disciplins for more sustainable potato agro-ecosystems. Our specific goals are to: (1) define geo-referenced soil management zones to monitor carbon and nitrogen ecosystem services using ICBM and NLEAP models considering a representative soil volume and fractal kinetics, (2) analyze soil functions through biological soil quality indexes and protocols for assessing possible interference by antibiotics, (3) conduct meta-analyses across experimental sites in eastern Canada to improve tuber yield and quality for specific markets considering interactions among factors, (4) develop a nutrient balance concept for diagnosing and fertilizing groups of cultivar, (5) develop potato scab identification protocols and diagnostic methods, (6) develop predator dispersal technologies to combat the Colorado beetle, and (7) survey the effect of mancozeb on human health. Our spatial units will be soil management zones (SMZ) and experimental plots to meet goals 1 to 5, a field for goal 6 and all farms for goal 7. Canada will benefit from HQP's, biological indicators for C, N, and potato scab, meta-analysis model for crop yield and quality available to users, low-cost NIRS for analyzing organic inputs, SOC fractions and soil texture, nutrient balance concept, IPM, and farm decision support for prevention against pesticide risks.