Michigan State University (MSU-Led Team) Awarded $1M USDA NIFA Grant to Explore Precision Laser Weeding in Organic Vegetable Production

Photo Credit: MSU | Precision laser weeding between rows, which is effective for weed control and safe for crops when contact is avoided. Photo courtesy of Josh Miranda.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Weeds are one of the largest barriers to profitable plant agriculture, costing U.S. growers billions each year. For organic growers — or those transitioning to organic systems — the challenges can be even more daunting. Labor and management costs can soar due to avoidance of synthetic herbicides, instead relying on cultivation, mulches, organic herbicides and hand weeding.

A new $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA),

is supporting Michigan State University researchers in evaluating precision laser weeding as a method to assist vegetable growers transitioning to organic production. The grant is funded through USDA NIFA’s Organic Transitions Program, and MSU scientists will partner with a team from Oregon State University.

The Organic Transitions Program prioritizes research that improves soil health, soil fertility and conservation while bolstering the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers.

The four-year project is led by Joshua Miranda, an assistant professor and MSU Extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture. Miranda, whose work is also supported by MSU AgBioResearch, is an expert in specialty crop integrated weed management, concentrating on herbicide performance, crop safety, precision weed control technologies, innovative non-chemical control methods, agricultural robotics and the evolution of herbicide resistance.

New funding will allow the team to explore how precision laser weeding — when combined with other organic weed management strategies —

can be a mechanism for those transitioning to organic production to reduce risk and increase profitability.

“Organic growers rely heavily on cultivation and hand weeding, but repeated cultivation can disturb soil structure, reduce surface residue and stimulate additional weed emergence, while hand weeding is costly, labor intensive and increasingly difficult to sustain,” Miranda said. “The overall goal is to better understand how laser weeding can help overcome weed management and labor challenges during the transition to organic production, reduce dependence on hand weeding, improve profitability, and make organic vegetable production more competitive, practical and scalable.”

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Michigan State University AgBioResearch scientists discover dynamic solutions for food systems and the environment. More than 300 MSU faculty conduct leading-edge research on a variety of topics, from health and agriculture to natural resources. Originally formed in 1888 as the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, MSU AgBioResearch oversees numerous on-campus research facilities, as well as 15 outlying centers throughout Michigan. To learn more, visit agbioresearch.msu.edu.