PLANT-PARASITIC NEMATODES AND WEEDS ARE CRITICAL YIELD-LIMITING PESTS OF ORGANIC VEGETABLES IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS PROJECT PROPOSES A BROAD-BASED COORDINATED RESEARCH PROGRAM TO CONTROL NEMATODES AND WEEDS IN ORGANIC VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN GEORGIA, WHICH WILL SIMULTANEOUSLY BENEFIT TO ORGANIC PRODUCERS IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES.OUR OVERALL GOAL IS TO DISCOVER AND INTEGRATE BOTH NEW AND COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS, AND SUPPRESSIVE COVER CROPS TO DEVELOP A SUCCESSFUL NEMATODE AND WEED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM THAT GROWERS CAN ADOPT FOR ORGANIC VEGETABLE PRODUCTION. WE WILL IDENTIFY BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS (BT) CRYSTAL PROTEINS, ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODES (EPNS) AND EPN BACTERIAL METABOLITES FOR ROOT-KNOT NEMATODE (MELOIDOGYNE SPP.) CONTROL. WE WILL DETERMINE IF COMBINING COVER CROPS WITH DIFFERENT MICROBIAL TREATMENTS WILL IMPROVE CONTROL OF BOTH NEMATODES AND WEEDS. WE WILL ALSO IMPLEMENT COST-RETURN ANALYSES TO DEMONSTRATE THAT OUR INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ARE PROFITABLE TOOLS FOR ORGANIC VEGETABLE GROWERS. TECHNOLOGY-TRANSFER AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE PRESENTATIONS AT GROWER, SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRY VENUES TO FACILITATE ADOPTION OF THIS INNOVATIVE CONTROL METHOD.