Organic Friends' E‑zine: July 2015

Photo of the Month, by Andy Hammermeister
Optimal agronomy and weed management for the production of organic flax is being explored in an Organic Science Cluster II Research Activity led by Dr. Steve Shirtliffe. For more information about Dr. Shirtliffe's organic weed management work, please read our new Q&A article, The People Behind the Research: An Interview with Dr. Steve Shirtliffe.  

In this issue:

• Organic Science Cluster II
  
• Practical Resources
• Scientific Results
• Courses
• Events

Organic Science Cluster II

This month we continue the series of Question & Answer style articles with the lead researchers of Organic Science Cluster II. These articles capture conversations with the researchers about themselves, their research, and the potential impacts of their work.

• The People Behind the Research:
  A Conversation with Dr. Steve Shirtliffe

As well, we also begin a series of similarly-styled articles with Organic Science Cluster II partners. These articles capture conversations with partners about their organizations, their support of OSCII research, and the potential impacts of the work that they are supporting.

• Partners in Organic Innovation:
  A Conversation with Ian Grossart of Howpark Farm
  

Practical Resources

Soils and Fertility

• On-farm Production and Utilization of AM Fungus Inoculum
  • eOrganic. 2015

Field Crops

• Organic no-till farming video
  • Iowa State University

Crop Rotation

• Can Soil Save Us? Making the Case for Cover Crops as Extreme Weather Risk Management
  • National Wildlife Federation. 2015
• Using Sheep to Terminate Cover Crops in Organic Farming: Video
  
  • eOrganic. 2015

Pest Management

• Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada: Identification and Management Field Guide [PDF - 6.7 MB]
  
  • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. 2015
• Insect-Parasitic Nematodes for the Management of Soil-Dwelling Insect Pests
  • eOrganic. 2015
• Redroot Pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus), Smooth Pigweed (A. hybridus), and Powell Amaranth (A. powellii)
  • eOrganic. 2015

Ecology and Environment

• The Role of Organic in Supporting Pollinator Health [PDF – 1.6 MB]
  • Organic Center. 2015

Scientific Results

Soils and Fertility

• Linking alkaline phosphatase activity with bacterial phoD gene abundance in soil from a long-term management trial
  • Geoderma (2015) 257-258: 115-122
• Nutrient Cycling and Soil Health in Organic Cropping Systems - Importance of Management Strategies and Soil Resilience
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 80-88
• Optimising Cropping Techniques for Nutrient and Environmental Management in Organic Agriculture
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 15-25
• Replace, reuse, recycle: improving the sustainable use of phosphorus by plants
  • Journal of Experimental Botany (2015) 66: 3523-3540
• Root expression of nitrogen metabolism genes reflects soil nitrogen cycling in an organic agroecosystem
  • Plant and Soil (2015) 392: 175-189
• Soil and human security in the 21st century
  • Science (2015) 348: 6235
• Soil bacterial phoD gene abundance and expression in response to applied phosphorus and long-term management
  • Soil Biology & Biochemistry (2015) 88: 137-147
• Soil Health and Related Ecosystem Services in Organic Agriculture
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 116-125
• Tightly-Coupled Plant-Soil Nitrogen Cycling: Comparison of Organic Farms across an Agricultural Landscape
  • PLoS ONE (2015) 10(6): e0131888

Horticulture

• The Challenge of Peat Substitution in Organic Seedling Production: Optimization of Growing Media Formulation through Mixture Design and Response Surface Analysis
  • PLoS ONE (2015) 10(6): e0128600
• Evaluating the environmental impacts of conventional and organic apple production in Nova Scotia, Canada, through life cycle assessment
  • Journal of Cleaner Production (2015) 104: 40-51
• Organic No-Till with Roller Crimpers: Agro-ecosystem Services and Applications in Organic Mediterranean Vegetable Productions
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 70-79
• A Phenology Model for Codling Moth Management in Quebec Apple Orchards
  • Acta Horticulturae (2015) 1068: 51-56
• Physiological responses of processing tomato in organic and conventional Mediterranean cropping systems
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2015) 190: 161-172

Field Crops

• The effect of weeds on soil arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and agronomic traits in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under organic management in Canada
  • Canadian Journal of Plant Science (2015) 95: 615-627
• A Review of Long-Term Organic Comparison Trials in the U.S.
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 5-14

Crop Rotation

• Ecological principles underlying the increase of productivity achieved by cereal-grain legume intercrops in organic farming. A review
  • Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2015) 35: 911-935
• Enhancing Yields in Organic Crop Production by Eco-Functional Intensification
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 42-50
• Influence of Seeding Ratio, Planting Date, and Termination Date on Rye-Hairy Vetch Cover Crop Mixture Performance under Organic Management
  • PLoS ONE (2015) 10(6): e0129597
• Integrating a complex rotation with no-till improves weed management in organic farming. A review
  • Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2015) 35: 967-974

Pest Management

• Both farming practices and landscape characteristics determine the diversity of characteristic and rare arable weeds in organically managed fields
  • Applied Vegetation Science (2015) 18: 423-431
• Managing Bees for Delivering Biological Control Agents and Improved Pollination in Berry and Fruit Cultivation
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 89-102
• Organic farming enhances parasitoid diversity at the local and landscape scales
  • Journal of Applied Ecology (2015) 52: 1102-1109
• Weeds for bees? A review
  • Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2015) 35: 891-909

Seed Production and Plant Breeding

• Feasibility of new breeding techniques for organic farming
  • Trends in Plant Science (2015) 20: 426-434
• Participatory tomato breeding for organic conditions in Italy
  • Euphytica (2015) 204: 179-197

Livestock

• The Role of Animals in Eco-functional Intensification of Organic Agriculture
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 103-115
• The Role of Trees and Pastures in Organic Agriculture
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 51-59

Ecology and Environment

• Agroecology and the design of climate change-resilient farming systems
  • Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2015) 35: 869-890
• Eco-functional Intensification and Food Security: Synergy or Compromise?
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 126-139
• Functional Biodiversity in Organic Systems: The Way Forward?
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 26-31
• Water Quality in Organic Systems
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 60-69

Nutrition, Safety and Health of Organic Foods

• Comparing the Microbiological Status of Pre- and Postharvest Produce from Small Organic Production
  • Journal of Food Protection (2015) 6: 1072-1080
• Compound-Specific δ15N and δ13C Analyses of Amino Acids for Potential Discrimination between Organically and Conventionally Grown Wheat
  • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2015) 63: 5841-5850

Social Science

• Keeping the Actors in the Organic System Learning: The Role of Organic Farmers’ Experiments
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 140-148
• Supporting Innovation in Organic Agriculture: A European Perspective Using Experience from the SOLID Project
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research (2015) 4: 32-41

Courses

Certificate of Specialization in Organic Agriculture - Online Courses Offered in the Fall 2015 Semester

• Transition to Organic Agriculture
• Composting and Compost Use
• Principles of Organic Horticulture

Events