Food security needs long-term research

UAF Agriculture and Forestry station researchers have been addressing food security in Alaska for more than a century, experimenting with various small grains, vegetables and fruits to see which do well in Alaska’s challenging climate, with the goal of easing Alaskans’ reliance on imported foods. Researchers at Alaska’s two experiment farms, one in Palmer and one in Fairbanks, have developed varieties of barley, wheat, sunflowers, potatoes and other vegetables that thrive in the far north. Other areas of study include invasive species, pesticide and herbicide persistence in cold soils and the effects of a changing climate on Alaska from an agricultural and natural resource perspective.

 
 

 

IANRE researchers study

  • Small grains variety development 
  • Vegetable variety development 
  • Peony and cut flower cultivation
  • Soil fertility
  • Composting
  • Climate change
  • Greenhouse crop production 
  • Food policy
  • Public health
  • Birch sap production
  • Pest management
  • Farming on permafrost
  • Plant light use 
  • Plant pathology 
  • Livestock nutrition 
  • Herbicide and pesticide use
a woman measures a squash plant in front of a high tunnel

State-wide study inventories Alaska soils to help expand, improve agriculture

When it comes to soil, location matters. Caley Gasch, a soil scientist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, has spent the last few years working with farmers, home gardeners and community and tribal agriculture projects across the state collecting soil samples to create an inventory of soil conditions. 

From farm visits and mail-in samples, Gasch has over 600 samples from areas on and off the road system. Each sample was analyzed for properties that show how healthy the soil is, including nutrient content, organic matter, pH level, nitrogen content and even electrical conductivity. This analysis allowed Gasch and her team to provide participants with individualized reports that gave practical advice on improving or managing soil conditions. 

While this dataset provides information on the chemical nature of the soil, Gasch also wants to understand the physical and biological properties. Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic matter, living organisms, gas and water. To get a more complete picture of soil properties, Gasch is resampling 20 farms that span Alaska’s agricultural regions, including the farm in Juneau. 

She is measuring components to better understand the microbial community (which includes bacteria, f​​ungi and protozoa), how well the soil structure resists water erosion, and how compact the soil is, which can affect water infiltration, root growth and aeration. These characteristics help determine the health of the soil. 

“A healthy soil supports plant life, and the life of soil critters, which requires a mix of air and water, drains well — doesn’t stay saturated and mucky— and has sufficient organic matter and nutrients to support the life within it,” Gasch said. It is also free of toxins, has near-neutral pH and is protected from erosion. 

“If a soil is eroding, nothing else matters because it is in an active state of degradation,” Gasch said. 

Understanding these characteristics allows Gasch to assess the condition of Alaska’s agricultural soils and compare them to soils in other regions of the country. This data can also reveal potential areas to expand agriculture and address food security and food sovereignty concerns. 

two women in a high tunnel next to a soil pit

Gasch (right) is collecting the data to provide locally relevant recommendations to support healthy ecosystems.

hands holding soil

“Our climate (and our soil climate), our styles of farming and gardening, and the soil’s origin are different from most places at more southern latitudes,” Gasch said. “Guidance developed for soil management elsewhere doesn’t necessarily translate to our environments.”

Research continues on finding the best early-maturing spring wheat variety. Zhang and and Van Veldhuizen have grown as many as 80 varieties of wheat each season.

The quest for a spring wheat variety that grows well in Alaska has been going on for more than 200 years, since Russians reportedly tried to grow wheat for bread flour for the Russian American Co. fur trading posts in the 1790s.

Trials continued at agricultural experiment stations in Sitka, Rampart and Palmer in the early 1900s, and several varieties were developed, including Ingal in 1981.

°Ä˛ĘÍĽżâ agronomist Mingchu Zhang is continuing the research with Bob Van Veldhuizen, a research assistant in agronomy and soils. Zhang believes that with Alaska’s warming climate, more opportunities may exist to find or develop a wheat variety that grows well in Alaska.

Zhang and and Van Veldhuizen have grown as many as 80 varieties of wheat each season, including the crosses, parent varieties of the crosses and 68 varieties Jones obtained from northern European countries, including Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Switzerland. All varieties were grown in a one-acre plot at the UAF Farm. 

The process of selection, however, will take years. They expect to grow all varieties again next year and then select for the varieties that mature early, don’t shatter, have high yields and don’t fall down. The varieties will also be tested to determine nutritive value, baking quality and shelf life. Selections will continue for three to five years in Fairbanks.

 

wheat crop in UAF farm fields

Since Alaska does not have a plant breeder, Zhang and Van Veldhuizen are working with Washington State University wheat breeder Stephen Jones and several of his graduate students at the Mount Vernon Research Center. 

Farm hands, students and researcher standing in front of wheat combine.

Zhang believes that with Alaska’s warming climate, more opportunities may exist to find or develop a wheat variety that grows well in Alaska.