2018 ASHS Annual Conference

Demographics on the Delmarva Peninsula are becoming more diverse; hence, the need for small farmers to capitalize on this trend and diversify crop offerings. The goal of this project was to provide research-based production practices for high-yielding ethnic crops that can be grown on the Delmarva Peninsula. Six studies were conducted, at two separate locations at the UMES Agricultural Experiment Station, to examine yield of Brassica rapa cv. Bosai Chinensis (bok choy), Amaranthus viridis Linn (amaranth), and Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (hibiscus), using sustainable production practices. Two varieties of bok choy, Mei Qing Choi F1 and Joi Choi F1, were planted using a complete randomized design with six treatments ((1) Control (chemical fertilizer 20:20:20), (2) Vermicompost Tea and Fish Emulsion (VCT+FE), (3) Poultry Litter Leachate (PLL), (4) Control + Azospirillum (AZO), (5) VCT+FE+AZO, and (6) PLL+AZO) and four replications each. Two fertilizer regimes, biofertilizers and organic fertilizers, were used for amaranth and hibiscus production using a complete randomized design with three treatments and four replications each. The biofertilizer treatments included (1) Control, (2) AZO, and (3) Endo/Ecto Mycorrhizae, (Endo/Ecto), and the organic fertilizer treatments included (1) Control, (2) VCT+FE, and (3) PLL. Bok choy was harvested at the mature stage, amaranth was harvested for thirteen consecutive weeks, and hibiscus calyces were harvested four months after planting. Results showed that the yields for all three crops treated with sustainable fertilizers were not different from the control (chemical fertilizer). The yields of bok choy and hibiscus calyces grown in different locations with different soil properties were significantly different (P<0.05), but those of amaranth leaves were not. At both locations, the yield of the PLL treatment for the amaranth organic fertilizer study, the yield of the AZO treatment for the amaranth biofertilizer study, and the yield of the VCT+FE for the hibiscus organic fertilizer study was higher than the other treatments. The higher yields varied among treatments and locations for the bok choy studies. There was no significant difference between the control and treatments for each study, which indicates that either treatment can be used to produce a quality yield.