Organic Friends' E‑zine: February 2015

Photo of the Month
We are excited to share this new map and overview of Organic Science Cluster II Research Activities across Canada [PDF - 621 kB]. To further explore, please click the map to open a PDF version with additional information and hyperlinks.

In this issue:

• Organic Science Cluster II
  
• Practical Resources
• Scientific Results
• Organic in Canada
• Student, Job and Apprentice Opportunities
• Events

Organic Science Cluster II

• Organic Science Cluster II Overview and Research Activity Map [PDF - 621 kB]
  
  
• Poster at the Guelph Organic Conference: Using High Tunnels to Produce High-Value Organic Vegetable and Nutraceutical Crops in Canadian Climates [PDF - 1.3 MB]
  

Practical Resources

Soils and Fertility

• Soils Sustain Life Video
  • Soil Science Society of America. 2015
    

Horticulture

• Apricot Diseases Identification Sheet
  • ATTRA. 2014
• Cyclamen Mite Management in Organic Strawberries
  • Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. 2015
• Plum and Apricot Insect Pests Identification Sheet
  • ATTRA. 2015
• Plum Diseases Identification Sheet
  • ATTRA. 2015
• Rotational No-till and Mulching Systems for Organic Vegetable Farms Recorded Webinar
  • eOrganic. 2015
• Systems Organic Management Suppresses Cabbageworm Outbreaks: Evidence from 4 Long-term Organic Farms Recorded Webinar
  • eOrganic. 2015

Pest Management

• Banking on Bugs [PDF - 433 kB]
  
  • Janet Wallace for Small Farm Canada. 2015
    

Scientific Results

Soils and Fertility

• Biologically Regulated Nutrient Supply Systems: Compost and Arbuscular Mycorrhizas—A Review
  • Advances in Agronomy (2015) 129: 293-321
• Ecological Sustainability of an Organic Four-Year Vegetable Rotation System: Carabids and Other Soil Arthropods as Bioindicators
  • Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (2015) 39: 295-316
• Fourteen years of evidence for positive effects of conservation agriculture and organic farming on soil life
  • Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2015) 35: 169-181
• Soil biota enhance agricultural sustainability by improving crop yield, nutrient uptake and reducing nitrogen leaching losses
  • Journal of Applied Ecology (2015) 52: 228-239

Horticulture

• Contrasting effects of cover crops on ‘hot spot’ arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in organic tomato
  • Biology and Fertility of Soils (2015) 51: 151-166
• Effect of pest management system on ‘Empire’ apple leaf phyllosphere populations
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2015) 183: 58-65
• Effects of production system and transplanting time on yield, quality and antioxidant content of organic winter squash (Cucurbita moschata Duch.)
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2015) 183: 136-143
• Evaluation of an Organic Nitrogen Source in a Yellow Squash–Collard Rotation
  • HortScience (2015) 50: 51-58
• Insect–flower interactions: network structure in organic versus conventional vineyards
  • Animal Conservation (2014) 17: 401-409

Field Crops

• Effect of intercropping winter peas of differing leaf type and time of flowering on annual weed infestation in deep and shallow ploughed soils and on pea pests
  • Organic Eprints. 2015
    
• Long-term feasibility of reduced tillage in organic farming
  • Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2015) 35: 339-346
• Yield and Agronomic Advantages of Pea Leaf Type Mixtures under Organic Management
  • Agronomy Journal (2015) 107: 113-120

Crop Rotation

• Late-season catch crops reduce nitrate leaching risk after grazed green manures but release N slower than wheat demand
  • Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment (2015) 202: 31-41
• Planting Date and Staggered Seeding of Rye–Vetch Mixtures: Biomass, Nitrogen, and Legume Winter Survival
  • Agronomy Journal (2015) 107: 33-40
• Productivity of Field Pea and Lentil with Cereal and Brassica Intercrops
  • Agronomy Journal (2015) 107: 249-256

Livestock

• Animal Welfare Concerns and Values of Stakeholders Within the Dairy Industry
  • Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics (2015) 28: 109-126
• Comparison of fatty acids in beef tissues from conventional, organic and natural feeding systems in western Canada
  • Canadian Journal of Animal Science (2015) 95: 49-58
• Comparison of meat quality and fatty acid profile in slow-growing chicken genotypes fed diets supplemented with Origanum vulgare or Melissa officinalis leaves under the organic system under the organic system
  • Organic Eprints. 2015
    
• Integrating Sheep Grazing into Cereal-Based Crop Rotations: Spring Wheat Yields and Weed Communities
  • Agronomy Journal (2015) 107: 104-112
• Soil phosphorus, potassium and sulphur excesses, regularities and heterogeneity in grazing-based dairy farms
  • Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment (2015) 201: 70-82
• Treatment of Organic Livestock with Medicinal Plants: A Systematic Review of European Ethnoveterinary Research
  • Organic Eprints. 2015

Ecology and Environment

• Landscape features are a better correlate of wild plant pollination than agricultural practices in an intensive cropping system
  • Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment (2015) 201: 51-57
• Managing habitats on English farmland for insect pollinator conservation
  • Biological Conservation (2015) 182: 215-222
• Sustainability of organic food production: challenges and innovations
  • Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2015) 74: 83-88

Nutrition, Safety and Health of Organic Foods

• Characterization of Conventional, Biodynamic, and Organic Purple Grape Juices by Chemical Markers, Antioxidant Capacity, and Instrumental Taste Profile
  • Journal of Food Science (2015) 80: C55-C65
• Nontargeted Metabolite Profiles and Sensory Properties of Strawberry Cultivars Grown both Organically and Conventionally
  • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2015) 63: 1010-1019
• Organic and conventionally produced milk—An evaluation of factors influencing milk composition
  • Journal of Dairy Science (2015) 98: 721-746

Organic in Canada

• Special Report: Consumers want organic, so why are farmers wary?
  • The Western Producer. 2015
• Latest proposed answers to questions regarding the National Standards for Organic Agriculture [PDF - 370 kB]. Comment period open to April 13, 2015
  • Standards Intrepretation Committee. 2015
• Visit www.ThinkCanadaOrganic.ca for information on the "Think Before You Eat - Think Canada Organic" brand campaign, as well as information, recipes and more about organic in Canada.

Student, Job and Apprentice Opportunities

• Internship opportunity with Jemseg River Farm (New Brunswick)

Events