High tunnels are an increasingly popular part of the infrastructure among small and diversified farms that market their products directly to consumers. In addition to extending the growing season, research has strongly indicated that high tunnels can increase yield, enhance shelf life, and improve the quality of crops grown. The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding, from the perspective of farmers, of the challenges and opportunities associated with adopting high tunnels for specialty crops in Indiana. We collected information through a case study that included questionnaires and in-depth interviews with 20 farmers. We found that the additional labor and time requirements of high tunnel production, the increased complexity of high tunnel production, soil fertility, and disease management, and limited winter markets posed the greatest challenges. The ability to differentiate their products based on higher quality and longer shelf life, the ability to obtain a premium price, the ability to have a source of income during the off-season, and the ability to produce complementary crops were the most important opportunities for using high tunnels. This research implied ways to expand opportunities and reduce barriers to maximizing the potential of high tunnels. Understanding the human dimensions of managing high tunnels is important for providing extension educators and Natural Resources Conservation Service field staff with better knowledge of the common difficulties and benefits of this technology so they are better able to advise farmers considering investing in a high tunnel. A focus on the human dimensions is also helpful for identifying research priorities to evaluate new approaches to decreasing problems and increasing benefits. Consequently, this study provided an in-depth understanding of farm-level challenges associated with high tunnel adoption to improve future research in diverse fields.

Over a 2-year period, samples of tomato suspected of being infected with bacterial spot were collected across Indiana and sent to the Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory (PPDL). A total of 50 strains were collected over 2 years. An effort was made to collect from both fresh market and processing tomato fields (22 from fresh market, 25 from processing, and 3 unspecified). The PPDL screened samples for bacterial spot, and they isolated and confirmed the pathogen. The Xanthomonas isolates were then sent to Jeff Jones at the University of Florida to determine taxonomic identification, race determination, and sensitivity to copper at 50 ppm and streptomycin at 200 ppm. The majority of Xanthomonas strains collected (78%) were classified as X. perforans. The majority of the X. perforans strains were designated race T4. A total of 12% of strains were classified as X. gardneri, all of which were collected north of U.S. I-70, a route that bisects the state into approximately even halves. X. euvesicatoria was only observed on one sample. X. vesicatoria was not observed. Of all strains collected in Indiana, 84% were copper tolerant. In contrast, only 58% of the strains were insensitive to streptomycin.

The influence of management practices at a system level is rarely studied in weed science, even though weed communities respond to the cumulative effect of farm management systems. On-farm visits and detailed grower surveys were used to objectively classify 59 Indiana tomato fields into management systems. Fields were chosen to represent a range of practices used to grow conventional and organic tomatoes. Multivariate statistical analyses identified five distinct management systems based primarily on differences in hours spent hand-weeding, use of plastic mulch, irrigation, row spacing, and whether tomatoes were staked. Farmers generally reported many more hours of hand-weeding for organically managed fields than for fields in the other groups. This finding may reflect a trade-off between the use of herbicides and the need for hand-weeding. However, some organically managed fields were grouped with conventional fresh market fields, suggesting that management practices besides herbicide inputs can be used to reduce hand-weeding. Although some fresh market fields used to produce organic or conventional tomatoes had similar management systems, there was little overlap between fields in fresh market or processing tomato production. Further research is needed to determine underlying relationships among management systems and weed control in Indiana tomato production.

This study evaluated the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative, or HTI, that the USDA expects to strengthen local and regional food production by increasing the availability of fresh, locally grown food. Goals of the HTI include improved plant and soil quality, reduced nutrient and pesticide runoff, and increased availability of fresh vegetables and fruits for local food markets. This study explored the farm-level impacts of production via high tunnels among Indiana farmers relying on the infrastructure. We identify characteristics of farmers who have obtained high tunnels through the cost-share program, to better understand the types of farm enterprises that are using the HTI to date and the effects that high tunnel implementation may have on their farms' economic success and contributions to locally sourced food systems. farm's economic stability, and increase the quality and yield of their crops. Our survey also finds that those farmers who have self-funded all or a portion of their high tunnels report greater increases in their farm's economic stability from investing in high tunnels than farmers relying on the NRCS funds for their high tunnels.

Weed species respond to the cumulative effect of multiple practices employed within weed management systems. However, this response is rarely studied at the system level, and the relationships between weed communities and management systems in crops are not well understood. We used multivariate analyses to assess relationships among tomato management systems and weed species identified through on-farm sampling of 59 fields. Giant foxtail, common lambsquarters, prickly sida, and carpetweed were common in all systems. Eastern black nightshade was common in the conventional processing and mixed fresh-market systems but largely absent from the organic system. Barnyardgrass and goosegrass were common in the organic fresh-market system but not in the other systems. Canonical correspondence analysis identified distinct associations between specific species and the management systems. Common purslane was strongly associated with the rain-fed, mixed fresh-market system, and barnyardgrass, goosegrass, yellow nutsedge, and green foxtail were associated with the irrigated, organic fresh-market system. Indicator species analysis identified five species that were significant indicators of the organic, fresh-market system and one species that was a significant indicator of the rain-fed, mixed fresh-market system. Weed populations persist or increase when a set of species-specific environmental conditions are met. The association of weed species in this study with particular systems supports the hypothesis that weed communities are strongly affected by management systems.