with biological treatments, they'll be measuring the effects on the microbiome and other soil health indicators. While all eight states focus on region-specific cropping systems, they all contain at least one rotation with Russet Burbank for control purposes, but Russet Norkotah and Bannock Russet are also being examined. Bannock Russet is being included because of its resistance to verticillium. " We're extracting DNA from soils, and we're basically using this process called DNA and meta barcoding. We're able to look at the taxonomic composition of the entire microbial community that's present in the soil, " said Ken Frost, associate professor and Extension plant pathologist at Oregon State University. There is a particular interest in using the soil microbiome as an indicator of change when using various practices. For example, Rosen and his team found a grower field where part of the field had been in potatoes for The biofumigant used in the Minnesota rotation is primarily mustard, paired with a previous crop of dried peas and a rye cover crop following mustard incorporation. Photos: University of Minnesota Spudman.com 9http://novasource.com http://www.Spudman.com