Organic Friends' E‑zine: May 2016

Photo of the Month, by Derek Lynch
This fall-seeded hairy vetch, established as a green manure for an organic malting barley trial, successfully persisted overwinter in Truro, Nova Scotia. In contrast, spring seeded hairy vetch consistently winter kills.  

In this issue:

• Organic Science Cluster II
  
• Practical Resources
• Scientific Results
• Organic in Canada
• Events

Organic Science Cluster II

Latest News and Results

• Effectiveness of organic fungicides in reducing the prevalence of Venturia inaequalis in ‘McIntosh’ apples [PDF - 428 kB]
  
  • Presented at the Niagara Fruit and Vegetable convention. 2016
• Gut Microbiota of Organic Broiler Chickens Fed with or without Blueberry Pomace [PDF - 171 kB]
  
  • Presented at the 12th Annual GFSS Symposium. 2015
    
• High Tunnels can Produce Higher Yields of Organic Cherry Tomato and Bitter Melon in Southwest Ontario Climate [PDF - 1.2 MB]
  
  • Presented at the 35th Guelph Organic Conference. 2016
    

Practical Resources

Soils and Fertility

• Prairie Organics: Think Whole Farm Recorded Presentations
  • Understanding the carbon cycle in agricultural fields with Jay Fuhrer
  • Linking soil fertility and soil health with Dr. Derek Lynch

Field Crops

• Prairie Organics: Think Whole Farm Recorded Presentations
  • Biodiversity in organic production helps yields, pest management and economics with Dr. Kathleen Delate

Crop Rotation

• Prairie Organics: Think Whole Farm Recorded Presentations
  • Green Manures: Ask an Expert with Dr. Kathleen Delate, Dr. Martin Entz and Dr. Derek Lynch

Pest Management

• Companion Planting & Botanical Pesticides: Concepts & Resources
  • ATTRA. 2016
• Diversity by Design: Using Trap Crops to Control the Crucifer Flea Beetle Recorded Webinar
  • eOrganic. 2016
• Managing Bad Stink Bugs Using Good Stink Bugs Webinar
  • eOrganic. 2016
• Prairie Organics: Think Whole Farm Recorded Presentations
  • Beating them down and cutting them off: Managing weeds organically with Dr. Steve Shirtliffe and Katherine Stanley
  • Farm equipment: The best bang for your buck with Jeremiah Evans, Ward Middleton and Steve Shirtliffe

Livestock

• Evaluating Sprouted Grains on Grazing Dairy Farms Recorded Webinar
  • eOrganic. 2016
    
• Improving health in native dual-purpose cattle (video)
  • FiBL. 2016
• Improving health of organic dairy cows through breeding and management (video)
  • FiBL. 2016
• Prairie Organics: Think Whole Farm Recorded Presentations
  • The whole is greater than the sum of its parts with Chris Boettcher

Ecology and Environment

• Prairie Organics: Think Whole Farm Recorded Presentations
  • Designing Sustainable Farming Systems with Dr. Martin Entz
  • Good to great with Tom Frantzen
  • Resilience and Innovation in Organic Farming with Dr. Caroline Halde

Scientific Results

Soils and Fertility

• Evaluating Measures to Assess Soil Health in Long-Term Agroecosystem Trials
  • Soil Science Society of America Journal (2016) 80: 450-462
• Nitrogen balances and nitrogen-use efficiency of different organic and conventional farming systems
  • Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems (2016) 105: 1-23
• Nitrogen mineralization dynamics of different valuable organic amendments commonly used in agriculture
  • Applied Soil Ecology (2016) 100: 185-193

Horticulture

• Agronomy of strip intercropping broccoli with alyssum for biological control of aphids
  • Biological Control (2016) 97: 109-119
• Decrease in diversity and changes in community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in roots of apple trees with increasing orchard management intensity across a regional scale
  • Molecular Ecology (2015) 24: 941-952
• Higher efficiency in organic than in conventional management of biological control in horticultural crops in north-eastern Italy
  • Biological Control (2016) 97: 89-101
• Influence of organic manures on carrot (Daucus carota L.) crops grown in a long-term field experiment in Sweden
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2016) 31: 258-268
• Soil Physical Properties, Nitrogen, and Crop Yield in Organic Vegetable Production Systems
  • Agronomy Journal (2016) 108: 1142-1154

Field Crops

• A Meta-Analysis of Maize and Wheat Yields in Low-Input vs. Conventional and Organic Systems
  • Agronomy Journal (2016) 108: 1155-1167
• Occasional reduced tillage in organic farming can promote earthworm performance and resource efficiency
  • Applied Soil Ecology (2016) 103: 22-30
• Suppressing weed growth after wheat harvest with underseeded red clover in organic farming
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2016) 31: 185-190

Crop Rotation

• Cover Crop Impact on Weed Dynamics in an Organic Dry Bean System
  • Weed Science (2016) 64: 261-275
• Selection of fungi by candidate cover crops
  • Applied Soil Ecology (2016) 103: 72-82
• Winter legume cover-crop root decomposition and N release dynamics under disking and roller-crimping termination approaches
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2016) 31: 214-229

Pest Management

• Exclusion of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug from Organically Grown Peppers Using Barrier Screens
  • HortTechnology (2016) 26: 191-198
• Landscape scale management affects weed richness but not weed abundance in winter wheat fields
  • Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment (2016) 223: 41-47

Season Extension

• Corky root severity, root knot nematode galling and microbial communities in soil, rhizosphere and rhizoplane in organic and conventional greenhouse compartments
  • Applied Soil Ecology (2016) 100: 112-123
• Soil health indicators and Fusarium wilt suppression in organically and conventionally managed greenhouse soils
  • Applied Soil Ecology (2015) 86: 192-201

Seed Production and Plant Breeding

• Release of Eight Open Source Carrot (Daucus carota var. sativa) Composite Populations Developed under Organic Conditions
  • HortScience (2016) 51: 448-450

Livestock

• Organic grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) seeds as a protein source for weaned piglets: Effects of seed treatment and different inclusion rates on animal performance
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2016) 31: 269-279

Nutrition, Safety and Health of Organic Foods

• Organic Farming, Soil Health, and Food Quality: Considering Possible Links
  • Advances in Agronomy (2016) 137: 319-367

Marketing and Economics

• Consumers' willingness to pay for conventional, organic and functional yogurt: evidence from experimental auctions
  • International Journal of Consumer Studies (2016) 40: 368-378
• Organic consumers’ preferences and willingness-to-pay for locally produced animal products
  • International Journal of Consumer Studies (2016) 40: 357-367

Organic in Canada

• New comment period for Standards Interpretation Committee's Questions and Answers Regarding the National Standards for Organic Agriculture [PDF - 522 kB]
  
  • Comment period open until June 6, 2016

Events