The Multi-functional Woody Perennial Polyculture (MWP) study was started in 2015 with a grant from iSEE as an ecological study on agroforestry for food production. This team planted currants in the spring of 2015, the understory crop, and three tree crops: chestnuts, hazelnuts, and apples. The hazelnuts have been ordered 3 times, planted twice (one order of tissue-culture propagated hazels were defective and died in the greenhouse), and have now failed twice. The chestnuts were planted in 2017 and have failed in the areas of the site that have persistently wet ground. This team has determined that is best to replant both tree crop species, while the apples are doing well and will continue to grow.

The second part of this project is to hire three undergraduate students (2/3 requested funds, 1/3 outside existing funds) to work on agroforestry for food projects this summer. This project has several sites that will require a significant amount of hand labor, the MWP site, the original agroforestry for food project, which we've called Woody Perennial Polyculture (WPP), and three currant trials. Currants (Ribes spp.) are a highly nutritious berry crop that can fill the understory niche of a polyculture system. We have a trial of 24 currant varieties that are grown in full sun and under 50% shade cloth. This team also has a currant germplasm trial that will provide important Midwest performance data that will be useful in future breeding programs.