Garlic interrupted
An update on leek moth, stem and bulb nematode. | 16
Combating resistance
Genetic testing for problem weeds saves growers time and money. | 20
Preventing the spread
Tips to help protect produce from harmful contaminants. | 22
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Despite an oversupply in the market, Canadian cranberry production continues to expand.
Fast
Farm employees at Canneberges Quebec harvest cranberry fields by flooding the beds and dislodging the berries from the vines.
Photo courtesy of Canneberges Quebec. For more, see page 10.
BY TREENA HEIN
BY DIANE METTLER
BY ALICE SINIA
No matter how determined an industry is, without proper support from the country’s governing bodies it can be difficult to push forward and improve production and profits.
Over the past month the Canadian government has gained momentum rolling out aspects of the Canadian Agriculture Partnership (CAP). At the Canadian Horticulture Council’s (CHC) annual general meeting held in early March in Halifax, the feds came through with a substantial display of support for the horticulture sector – an $11.5 million investment.
An additional $6.5 million in industry contributions will see a total of $18 million sunk into the Horticulture Cluster – a collaborative research effort led by the CHC. The cluster will support cutting-edge research to develop new technologies and practices for better pest and disease management, post-harvest storage and handling for apples, berries, field vegetables, potatoes and strategies to improve soil health.
“This important funding allows
On the heels of that announcement came another notable proclamation from the other side of the country. In mid-March in Kelowna, B.C., the government announced $4.2 million will be allocated from the CAP, AgriScience Program to the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association to support its efforts in developing apple and sweet cherry cultivars that enhance the profitability of Canada’s tree fruit sector. This project builds on research funding received under the previous agricultural policy frameworks, and although announced in B.C., it will have an impact across the country with research and testing set to take place in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
“Research enables change. The CAP funding provided for this project will help the industry develop and adopt the exciting new varieties developed at Summerland Research and Development Centre. The funding includes a number of activities to improve yields and quality of apples and cherries as well as to test the new varieties in a
“This research will help growers increase profits and production.”
us to broaden the scope of research for many different fruits and vegetables and address key issues, such as pest management tools, labour, production costs, and variety evaluation. AAFC’s Cluster program will help to ensure Canadian farmers can continue to grow fruits and vegetables of the highest quality, while supporting the sector’s competitiveness in an ever-changing world,” said Brian Gilroy, president of the CHC.
range of climates across Canada. This research project will help growers increase profits and production,” said Pinder Dhaliwal, president of the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association.
As these research projects and production tools develop, Fruit and Vegetable magazine looks forward to keeping growers up to date with the latest tips, tools and techniques to assist in creating and maintaining a productive and profitable farm business.•
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A new research facility was recently opened by AAFC at the Kentville Research and Development Centre in Nova Scotia. The new facility will help grape growers and vintners hone their production techniques to take full advantage of the province’s unique soils and growing conditions. The $1.8 million winery will allow researchers to investigate how locally grown varieties, growing conditions and vineyard practices affect the chemistry of the grapes, which
in turn influences the finishing characteristics in the wine, including taste and aroma. The 360-squaremetre winery is part of a wine research program that includes eight scientists, a vineyard and an on-going research project to map the grape varieties, growing techniques and conditions of every vineyard in Nova Scotia. Researchers will also study wine making techniques to evaluate the impact of fermentation and temperatures on the quality of wine.
Unprecedented spring flooding and relentless forest fires in 2018 have caused substantial damage to farms and farmland in B.C. In an effort to aid area producers, the governments of Canada and B.C. have together triggered the late participation mechanism under the AgriStability program for the 2018 program year. This new feature, means hundreds of additional farmers
and ranchers from B.C. will be eligible to join and benefit from the program. This feature can be triggered by governments in situations where there is a significant income decline in the farm sector and a gap in program participation. “B.C. ranchers and farmers work hard to support our province’s food supply and economy, and when they experience extreme hardship such as the
last two years, they need our help. Adjusting the AgriStability program to help more B.C. producers whose income declined in 2018, offers support to those farmers, the communities they are part of, and agriculture in BC,” said Lana Popham, B.C.’s Minister of Agriculture. This is in addition to assistance previously announced by governments in October 2018 under
the AgriRecovery disaster framework that provided up to $5 million to help the province’s agriculture sector recover from the agricultural losses caused by the 2018 wildfires. These fires consumed 1,300,000 hectares of land, surpassing the record damage caused in 2017. Information on AgriStability can be found on the program website or by calling 1-877-343-2767.
The Agri-food Management Institute (AMI) has launched a new online resource to help producers increase efficiencies and reduce areas of waste on their farms.
“This resource is for newer producers and those who have been farming for years. It’s for anyone who wants easy-to-use tools that help improve productivity,” says Ashley Honsberger, executive director of AMI. “Taking baseline measurements in a few key areas can help producers make better business decisions that improve their overall bottom line.”
There are five commodity types featured on the website – grains, market vegetable, cow-calf, meat goat, and artisanal poultry. For each one, commodity experts and producers were consulted to identify the top key performance indicators or measurements that have the biggest impact on productivity.
Users start by selecting the commodity of their choice and are given access to tools and templates tailored for calculating their farm’s baseline numbers. Users are then guided through how to make improvements and set goals. Additional information on lean principles, reducing areas of waste, and technologies for improving productivity is included.
At the end of each module, producers receive a report that includes their data, goals set, and tools for on going tracking and monitoring. Users can also choose to receive check-in reminders to measure their progress in the future. For more information, visit: agrifoodproductivity.ca.
The Ontario Operation Pollinator program, which is delivered in partnership with the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), is set to build on its spring 2018 launch with a new initiative focused on attracting and promoting the health of monarch butterflies, in addition to bees and other pollinators.
Operation Pollinator is a program from Syngenta that is focused on research and partnerships to promote the health and well-being of bees and other pollinators.
“Operation Pollinator has spurred considerable interest with Ontario growers since being introduced last year,” says Peter McLaren, president of the OSCIA. “OSCIA is pleased to help build this momentum, and is keen to expand the program both in terms of focus and participants.”
Like the original Operation Pollinator program, participants
in the new initiative agreed to convert one-to-two acres of lowerproductivity land to establish a dedicated Operation Pollinator site. Farmers receive agronomic advice, and financial assistance to help offset initial site establishment costs. Seed is also provided and comprised of a locally-sourced mix of native plants, including milkweed, to help support the establishment of Monarch butterfly breeding grounds. The area will also serve as a habitat and food resource for native bees and other pollinators.
“The feedback from participants in Ontario after year one of Operation Pollinator was very positive,” says Paul Hoekstra, stewardship and policy manager with Syngenta. “We are happy to work with them to expand the focus to include Monarch butterflies, and contribute to the enhancement of Ontario’s biodiversity.”
In addition to the partnership between Syngenta and the OSCIA, other collaborators on this new initiative include St. Williams Nursery and Ecology Centre and Pollinator Partnership. The new initiative is fully subscribed with 20 southern Ontario farmers and rural landowners. They join over 30 farmers and landowners who signed up for the initial launch in Ontario, along with over 100 farmers in Western Canada that are also participating in the on-farm Operation Pollinator program.
Experts at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Pest Management Centre (PMC) are leading two global projects: One to control mites on greenhouse tomatoes and peppers, and the second to control downy mildew on basil.
In terms of Canadian production, in 2017 greenhouse tomatoes and peppers were valued at $978 million, some of which were exported to eight countries. The elimination of the European Union tariffs in 2017 has further opened up this export market.
While basil is an emerging market for Canadian producers, with most production consumed domestically, PMC’s work on global trials will benefit this growing sector through work on both field and greenhouse basil.
Once the research trials and laboratory analyses are completed (i.e., product efficacy, crop tolerance, and pesticide residue) the PMC team will compile the data into an internationally acceptable submission package with the goal of receiving registration of the product for use in countries around the world. Ultimately, the final reports will be submitted to the United Nations Joint Food and Agricultural Organization/World Health Organization Meeting on Pesticide Residues for review to also obtain internationally recognized (CODEX) maximum residue limits.
This work will promote simultaneous global regulatory reviews and will help harmonize trade between nations.
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Mechanized harvesting allows growers to harvest several fields a day using the flood and pump method.
Cranberries were pushed into the spotlight a couple of decades ago after a number of different research initiatives showed off the fruit’s health benefits. Since then, consumer demand has been high and new cranberry products have been developed. Capitalizing on this growth, growers in Canada have been planting new bogs, renovating old ones and otherwise expanding acreage of the tart red berry.
According to Statistics Canada, in 2017, 8,189 hectares or approximately 20,235 acres of cranberries were planted, 59.5 per cent in Quebec and 32.8 per cent in B.C. The other eight per cent of total cranberry acreage is in Ontario and Alberta. A 17 per cent increase in planted acres was seen between 2013 and 2017. Quebec’s share was 12,039 acres in 2017, up from 9,120 in 2013. B.C.’s acreage was 6,650 in 2017, a very marginal increase from the 6,523 in 2013.
Quebec’s increased production occurred primarily due to new plantings from 2005 to 2012, says Monique Thomas, directrice générale with the Association des producteurs de canneberges du Québec (APCQ).
She notes that the Canadian cranberry market is relatively young compared to its U.S. counterpart but with the development of technology and understanding
of mechanical harvesting, pond construction, irrigation methods and other techniques, Quebec plantings flourished at the same time fields got up to full production, about five years post-planting. These are the primary contributors to the increased volume of Canadian cranberries in the last few years.
Generally, an increase in yield is something to hail, but if the value in the market drops, it can cause a fruit glut.
At the B.C. Cranberry Marketing Commission AGM in 2018, Grant Keefer of Yellow Point Cranberries and chair of the B.C. Cranberry Growers notes that trends show the world’s cranberry production was increasing while sales, or usage, was flat or maybe even negative at times, leading up to oversupply or surplus of concentrated fruits.
“We, the growers and handlers, should therefore be aware of these trends and understand the consequences when we see them in the future,” Keefer said.
An oversupply is less of an issue for Quebec growers than for their West Coast counterparts. Unlike B.C. growers, who are mostly contracted to Ocean Spray, in Quebec, according to Patrick Bedard, co-owner, general manager and president with Canneberges Quebec, there is greater flexibility.
“It’s changing right now,” he says
Despite an oversupply in the market, Canadian cranberry production continues to expand.
BY RONDA PAYNE
Both stem and bulb nematode and leek moth are pests that are being watched closely by garlic and onion growers in Canada. Both pests have the potential to greatly impact garlic harvest, especially in Ontario.
Advice for optimal control of leek moth and stem and bulb nematode.
BY TREENA HEIN
Protecting clean Canadian garlic crops (pictured here) from leek moth and stem and bulb nematode has become a priority for researchers.
So far, leek moth, an invasive insect from Europe, has spread to Ontario, the Maritimes and some northern U.S. states. There is only one species of the moth, Acrolepiopsis assectella , that infests garlic, leek and onion, notes Peter Mason, scientist at Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC).
“Depending on infestation levels, entire crops can be destroyed depending on the year,” he says. The pest spreads through both wind currents and the movement of infested seed.
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) vegetable crops specialist Travis Cranmer and horticulture entomologist Hannah Fraser surveyed for leek moth in 2018 in southwestern Ontario using pheromone traps and found them in every county surveyed. Cranmer says it was the first time that leek moth was detected in most of these fields. Previous research in eastern Ontario and in New York indicates there are three flight periods for this insect: Overwintering adults in the spring, first-generation adults in early summer and second-generation adults in late summer. Cranmer and Fraser note
that the best way to determine field pressure is to use pheromone traps (lined with a sticky card) at the end of April as the first-generation adults emerge when night temperatures reach 9.5°C. Placing traps at the field edge is best as populations are highest there.
Nematode damage shown on a garlic plant.
“It is well worth the cost to the grower to purchase and maintain pheromone traps.”
“I know several growers that were using pheromone traps on their own in 2018, and now that more growers know that there is a good chance that leek moth is most likely in their area, they are looking into purchasing traps for the 2019 season,” Cranmer says.
Insecticide should be targeted at the eggs or larvae stage of the firstgeneration adults and is typically applied in late-June or early-July.
“Since the efficacy of the products registered for suppression and control depends greatly on timing the application, it is well worth the cost to the grower to purchase and maintain pheromone traps,” he adds, noting that producers should keep in mind that applying insecticide may impact the efficacy of biocontrol agents such as
the parasitic wasp commercialized by Quebec-based Anatis Bioprotection. This wasp (Trichogramma brassicae) parasitizes leek moth eggs so that they do not hatch. Cranmer says he’s spoken with many growers who are interested in using the wasp this year.
Back in 2010, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency also approved a parasitoid (Diadromus pulchellus), from the area in Europe where the leek moth originated. This parasitoid attacks at the pupal stage. Mason and his colleagues are now collecting data to determine the impact of its release in some areas of Eastern Canada.
Besides insecticide and biocontrol, Cranmer and Fraser point to floating row covers as an effective leek moth management strategy, but obviously these are difficult and expensive to use over large areas and must be applied prior to adult activity of each generation. No matter what, the experts agree that growers should always use at least a three-year crop rotation and avoid planting garlic near previously infested areas. Destruction of potentially infected or infected debris is also a must.
“Even if growers are not seeing leek moth damage in the field, they should be actively scouting for the moth with a pheromone trap as populations are more easily managed when the pest population is low,” Cranmer says.
Stem and bulb nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci) is currently found all across Canada. In the last decade, garlic producers from Ontario and Quebec have particularly felt the presence of this pest with severe infestations resulting in crop losses of up to 90 per cent.
Main symptoms on both garlic and onion are swelling and
Fast genetic testing for problem weeds saves vegetable growers time, money and increases productivity.
BY DIANE METTLER
Canadian vegetable growers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year on herbicides that don’t kill the weeds they are targeting. Not only do these herbicide-resistant weeds cause farmers yield losses, but also the farmers often find themselves paying for multiple weed control strategies, including hiring workers to manually remove the weeds.
Herbicide-resistant weeds are a growing problem. In Ontario and Quebec vegetable growers have seen 19 cases of suspected herbicide resistance since 2016. Understanding the need for farmers to find out if they have resistant weeds, scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) began studying the problem.
One obstacle in determining if a plant is resistant to herbicides has been the length of time it takes to test the plant. Traditionally, the seeds of the weed in question are collected, grown into a mature plant and then the herbicide is applied to these plants. By the time the test is complete, six months or more has elapsed, long after the farmer has harvested that season’s crop and dealt with the issue.
That is why, in 2015, Martin Laforest, a molecular weed scientist at AAFC’s Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Research and Development Centre, teamed up with research scientist Robert Nurse and weed scientist and ecologist Marie-Josée Simard to develop a new test that can detect herbicide resistance in less than two weeks.
consistently get back to the growers within the same field season and get them a recommendation that they can use,” Nurse says.
“The advantages are, if the grower knows that the plants are resistant in his field, he will not spray again with the same herbicide,” Laforest adds. “It will reduce his costs because the second spray will not be any more efficient than the first spray was. And it will reduce the amount of pesticides in the environment. This is a beneficial effect for the environment, but it also helps the producer and the people who eat the products.”
For the grower, the test is quite simple. During the season, if the grower observes that a weed didn’t die after an herbicide application, and suspects that it is resistant, he or she can take a small piece of the leaf – the size of a quarter – put it in a paper envelope within a bag that the Research and Development Centre provides.
“The bag is filled with silica gel,” Laforest says. “The silica gel will dry the leaf sample as it is shipped to the lab where the genetic test is done. And once the sample reaches the lab, the material’s DNA is extracted and the genetic test is done. And depending on the species and on the herbicide used, we have identified a number of mutations that are causing resistance or mechanisms. The results are either positive or negative. Meaning, that we have seen the mutation or we have not seen the mutation.”
“As part of this project, Martin [Laforest] has been developing the genetic quick test, where we can look at mutations, over expression, or other factors to see if we can identify the resistance or type of resistance and verify it in a much shorter time, like weeks or days. Our goal is to
ABOVE
Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) in a carrot field.
“If the test is positive and the weed is resistant, we would make recommendations for them to use another group of herbicides on those plants in the field,” Nurse says. “And then if there is no alternate herbicide available, we would recommend that they use some sort of cultural method, such
Tips to help you protect your produce from physical pest contaminants and indirectly prevent pathogen contamination and food-borne illness.
BY ALICE SINIA, PH.D., ORKIN CANADA
Food-borne illness can create big problems for both public health and a business. Most recently, an outbreak of E. coli made headlines across Canada and the U.S., with 29 confirmed cases in Canada. Romaine lettuce and other leafy greens were recalled by producers and food manufacturers after the outbreak was traced back to farms in California. The E. coli bacteria that contaminated the greens is commonly transmitted to fruits and vegetables through the feces of infected animals. However, E. coli and other pathogens that cause illness can also be transmitted by infected pests, especially those known to frequent filthy areas, like cockroaches and flies.
Cockroaches will eat just about anything, from feces and garbage to the produce harvested at your facility. If they come into contact with pathogenic bacteria, those germs can reproduce and stay in their stomachs for as long as they are alive. During that time, cockroaches can transmit the bacteria to new surfaces via their saliva, feces and body. In all, cockroaches have been known to spread at least 33 types of bacteria, six kinds of parasitic worms and other pathogens. Allergens from cockroach bodies can also cause gastrointestinal illness in children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.
and resting sites are found and eliminated.
Rats and mice can directly and indirectly transmit 35 different diseases through their fur, saliva, urine and feces. As they manoeuvre around your facility, a mouse will produce about 49 droppings in a day, and a rat will produce more than 60. Rodents also urinate very frequently, which implies that every surface they come into contact with will have urine stains – and hence, pathogens.
To prevent pests from spreading food-borne illnesses in your fields and storage or processing buildings, it is important to develop an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan that focuses on prevention through proper housekeeping practices, structural maintenance, sanitation, exclusion and monitoring. All pests need food, water and shelter to survive, so if you can eliminate and block their access to those elements on your facility and farm, you are one step closer to protecting your produce from food pest-related food-borne illness. Here are a few tips on how to protect your property:
While often considered just a nuisance, flies also breed in and consume garbage and feces – along with sewage and decaying matter – where they can pick up a wide range of pathogens. Flies have filthy feeding habits and when they feed, they regurgitate pathogen-loaded gut content. As a consequence, they transmit pathogens onto any surface or medium they touch or feed on. Because flies land often, they also have plenty of chances to these spread disease-causing pathogens around your facility. Fly populations can grow at an alarming rate, increasing the risk for contamination. Female houseflies, for example, can produce up to 1,000 eggs in her short lifetime of about 21 days. Controlling and eliminating fly populations can be very challenging unless the breeding source
• Monitor for pest activity regularly. Employ regular field scouting and install trap monitors to detect any infestations early.
• Remove idle, unused farm and processing equipment as pests may use it for harbourage.
• Remove rotting or overripe fruits and vegetables. Do not leave them in the field to decay.
• Do not allow for open garbage decomposition – this is the primary fly breeding medium.
• Eliminate overgrown weeds, bushes and shrubs next to the field edge.
• Avoid over-mulching.
• Inspect all produce at the time of harvest.
• Clean and sanitize har vest equipment regularly.
• Avoid bruising produce – the bruising can attract fruit flies.
• Remove standing water when possible.