NOVIC: A Participatory Project to Trial and Breed
Vegetable Varieties for Organic Systems
Jim Myers1, Bill Tracy2, Micaela Colley3, Michael
Mazourek4, Julie Dawson2, and Erin Silva2
1 Oregon State University, United States,
2 University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States,
3 Organic Seed Alliance, United States,
4 Cornell University, United States,

Background pre-2000 North
America
• Continued consolidation of
seed companies
• Investment in most valuable
crops
• Elimination of many
traditional varieties.
• Elimination of breeding
effort on many traditional
crops
Percent of Harvested Field Crop and Vegetable Land in
Corn and Soybean

Background pre-2000 North
America
• Continued consolidation of
seed companies
• Investment in most valuable
crops
• Elimination of many traditional
varieties.
• Elimination of breeding effort
on many traditional crops
• Abandonment of the margins

Background post-2000 North
America
• Abandonment creates new
opportunities
• New farming systems – organic,
MIRG
• New niches for startup seed
companies
• Public breeders, NGOs
• Organic breeding.
• Education

Northern Organic Vegetable Improvement
Collaborative
• The overall goal of NOVIC is to
increase the proportion of U.S.
agriculture that is managed
organically.
1. Developing new vegetable
varieties for organic
agriculture.
2. Conducting variety trials with
farmers in real farm conditions
3. Improving the ability of
farmers and seed producers to
grow and breed organic seed

Northern Organic Vegetable Improvement
Collaborative – Current PIs

NOVIC is developing new vegetable varieties
for organic agriculture.

NOVIC Varieties
• Since 2009
• 12 varieties have been released to
seed companies
• 10 are pending
• Broccoli, Butternut squash, Sweet
corn, Tomato, Cabbage, Snap Peas,
Snow peas, Delicata squash, Peppers

NOVIC is conducting variety trials with
farmers in real-world conditions.

NOVIC is improving the availability of farmers and seed
producers to grow organic seed.

Thirteen graduate students trained in organic
plant breeding

Participatory Sweet Corn Breeding
Martin Diffley Farmington MN, John Navazio OSA, Bill Tracy, Jared Zystro,
Adrienne Shelton UW-Madison
Martin wanted
• Excellent eating quality
• Sugary enhancer (su1
se1).
• Good germination.
• Direct seeding.
• Good resistance to rust
and smut.
• Early vigor (weed
competiveness).
• Dependability.
• Availability.

• Good farmers know what they
need to be successful.
• Plant breeders can work with
them to achieve their goals.
• In a participatory model
• Indirectly using the information
gained from them in influencing the
breeding objectives.
• But sometimes farmers don’t
know what is possible.
• The farmer is the expert on the
crop and cropping system.
• The breeder needs to be an
expert on the species

Summer; selection at Farmington
100 families in each of two pops
15% selection intensity
Five cycles of full sib recurrent selection
Winter; recombine
selects in Chile

Gain from Selection Trials
Question
What gains have we made from our cycles of selection?
Experimental Design
Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD)
4 organic environments: Madison and Arlington, WI in 2012 and 2013
4 replications per environment
4 row plots
Entries
Cycles 0-5 of each population (early and late)
Traits of interest
Agronomic and eating qualities, disease resistance, germination

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Growing Degree Days (GDD) to Anthesis
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GDD(celsius)
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Growing Degree Days
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Ear Husk Protection Ear Length

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Texture
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Flavor Texture

The breeding continues…
Olympic Sweet OSA
Honey Badger Everlasting

wftracy@wisc.edu
Earworm resistance

Weed
suppression
Seed
production
Weed suppression

Thank you to the following funders
USDA – NIFA: Hatch Funds
USDA-AFRI
USDA -OREI
Thanks to Team Sweet

Background