Tackling grapevine viruses
An overview of the present grapevine viruses in Canada. | 12
Organic horticulture research
Exploring pest management options for Spotted Wing Drosophila. | 16
International views
Insights into fruit and vegetable production in Bulgaria. | 23
November 2019
Investigating declining potato yields
A look at multiple factors influencing potato yields across Canada. 12 16 23
Tackling grapevine viruses
Graduate student Carolyn Wilson works alongside Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers in a small plot compost trial as part of a comprehensive five-year investigation into multiple factors influencing potato yields in Canada. Photo courtesy of Bernie Zebarth. For more, see page 8.
An overview of the present grapevine viruses in Canada and efforts to establish virus-free nursery stock. BY
TOM WALKER
Researchers explore pest management options for Spotted Wing Drosophila. BY
EMMA GELDART
International views
Insights into fruit and vegetable production in Bulgaria.
BY CHRIS MCCULLOUGH
The fruit and vegetable industry in Canada is highly diverse. Growers produce over 120 different crop varieties on approximately 14,237 farms across the country. The growing season in Canada is also pretty quick and dirty. That is a whole lot of action to pack into just a few months.
Over the course of the summer, Fruit and Vegetable (F&V) magazine teamed up with BASF Canada to launch a video contest. This was a new initiative for us. The idea was to invite growers and industry members from across the country to capture and submit productionfocused video clips. We wanted the inside scoop on all of the hard work that takes place in our short growing season to produce the annual bounty of fruits and veggies.
As the submissions began rolling in, it was clear to see that Canadian growers work hard and take a lot of pride in what they do and the products they produce.
Now, with the submission period over, F&V is excited to share the great videos that we’ve collected. With the help of our digital team, we have posted all of the contest videos
winner. That’s right, we want you to vote on your favourite video. The video that ends up with the most votes by Dec. 6 will be named the winner of the grand prize – two tickets to the 2020 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention and $500.
On another note, in this issue of F&V you may notice a new addition to the content. Our editorial team has partnered up with the Organic Council of Ontario (OCO) to bring you the Organic Perspectives column, which can be found on page 16.
Throughout 2020, OCO will be co-ordinating a number of different organic fruit and vegetable experts to contribute to this column.
“Roughly two-thirds of Canadians are purchasing organic products weekly, and there is growing demand for local organic fruits and vegetables,” says Carolyn Young, OCO executive director. “The OCO represents organic producers and businesses in Ontario and is excited to partner with F&V to bring you the latest innovations in organic produce. This column will feature organic producers, marketers and experts from across Ontario and Canada to speak to each edition’s theme.”
F&V growers produce over 120 different crops on 14,237 farms.
to: WhatsgrowingCanada.com
What all takes place inside a cherry sorting facility? What is the process of growing a peach? How are cherries harvested? How does the local grower get her sweet corn to market? Visit WhatsgrowingCanada. com to see all the action and even take flight and get a bird’s eye view of an Ontario apple orchard.
Visit the site, check out all the great videos, and help us select the What’s Growing Canada contest
In the inaugural column, Emma Geldart, communications officer with the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada provides insight into the current research being conducted through the Organic Science Cluster program.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with OCO as we strive to bring our readers the most up-to-date information and research outcomes across all sectors of this highly diverse industry. •
Editorial Director, Agriculture STEFANIE CROLEY scroley@annexbusinessmedia.com 226-931-4949
Advertising Manager AMANDA MCCRACKEN amccracken@annexbusinessmedia.com 226-931-5095 • 888-599-2228 ext.
In an effort to resolve market access issues and ensure Canadian organic products remain competitive, the federal government invested $992,131 to the Canada Organic Trade Association. Alloted under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriMarketing Program, the
funding will also help create export and domestic opportunities to promote the “Canada Organic” brand. The Government of Canada has also recently supported a review of organic standards and has provided program support to the Organic Federation of Canada to help maintain the sector’s sustainability.
The University of Guelph (U of G) is planning a new, $12-million facility aimed at helping understand the stressors affecting honey bees and other pollinators and finding solutions.
U of G’s history and reputation for honey bee research goes back more than 120 years. “We are uniquely positioned to help make a difference,” said U of G president,
Franco Vaccarino. Worldwide, insect pollinators are falling in diversity and numbers.
“It is a serious problem threatening our food system and environment. Improving the health of bees and other pollinators is critically important,” Vaccarino said.
The new facility will house the existing Honey Bee Research Centre, which currently numbers more than 300 hives used in teaching
Top potato producing provinces (by hectares):
and research. The hives produce honey (more than 28 tons sold annually), beeswax, pollen and queen bees. Interactive teaching spaces will help accommodate visitors and programming. Currently, more than 4,000 people visit the centre annually and more than 700 students take courses each year.
The new facility will expand the University’s capacity to address honey bee health
65%
21% 14% of Canadian-grown potatoes are used for processing for fresh table consumption for seed
through teaching.
Apiculture training and research was established in the Ontario Agricultural College in 1894. Today, the Honey Bee Research Centre continues that tradition as the home to North America’s largest research and teaching apiary.
For more information about the University’s Honey Bee Research Centre and new facility, visit: alumni.uoguelph.ca/hbrc
THERE ARE
1,005 potato farms in Canada
Source: The Canadian Horticulture Council of Canada Average Canadian potato yield (tons per harvested hectares) Annual potato production
4,770,552 tons
34.39
Grape production has increased substantially in Canada over the past 25 years. By 2015, Canadian activities associated with the grape-growing industry, farm tourism, and oenology (the science of wine) together generated $9.2 billion in economic activity, with $6.7 billion of that amount coming from the provinces of Eastern Canada.
To help producers protect their vines from pests, three scientists from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), one scientist from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the director of Co-Lab R&D, a research agency, developed the Guide to the Key Arthropods of Vineyards of Eastern Canada
The guide provides a detailed look at nearly 40 pests (insects, mites and spiders) and close to 20 of their natural predators. With this guide, users will be able to identify the pests and natural enemies in vineyards.
Natural enemies are very important because they can become true allies in the vineyard: they feed on or parasitize pests and therefore help protect crops. Promoting the presence of natural enemies leads to less need for pesticides to protect crops and more profitable grape production that is also environmentally sustainable.
The first section of the guide contains factsheets on the biology of various pests and how to scout for them. On the factsheets, coloured icons show at a glance whether the pests pose a low, medium or high risk of damage. High-resolution photos illustrate the specific characteristics of each species so that it can be distinguished from other species. Each factsheet provides:
• A description of the arthropod, its biology and its life cycle
• Crop damage and critical period(s) for monitoring
• Scouting methods and control and/or management strategies
The second section covers various species of natural enemies that feed on or parasitize vineyard pests. Included in this section are strategies for attracting and conserving natural enemies and enhancing their populations.
The guide, which was released in Spring 2019, is available for download free of charge from AAFC’s Pest Management Centre website. A French version of the guide is published under the title Guide des principaux arthropodes des vignobles de l’Est du Canada.
Farmers have had long-running battles trying to keep birds of many varieties from eating their sweetcorn. They’ve used propane cannons, visual deterrents and even shotguns, but none succeed for very long.
Now a University of Rhode Island (URI) researcher has created what she calls a laser scarecrow. She has found that the technology is highly successful at scaring birds from cornfields.
“Birds, especially starlings and redwinged blackbirds, are a major pest of sweet corn,” says Rebecca Brown, a URI professor of plant sciences. “They rip up the husks, peck at the kernels, and make the ears unmarketable. Despite all the approaches the farmers have used to keep the birds away, it’s not uncommon for them to lose as much as 75 per cent of their crop. And it all happens within about 48 hours of harvest.”
Although propane cannons are somewhat successful at scaring birds away, they are quite loud, which creates conflict between farmers and their neighbours.
“The laser scarecrow has the advantage that they’re relatively simple to set up, and the neighbours don’t even notice them
because they’re completely silent and the beam isn’t visible to humans in the sunlight,” Brown says.
Lasers have been used for bird control for more than two decades, but mostly in indoor or partially enclosed settings like warehouses and sports stadiums. The commercial devices developed for those applications were not
adapted for use in farm fields.
“In the past five years or so, several things came together to make the technology possible,” Brown says. “LEDbased lasers have become much less expensive, they can now be run off batteries that are more powerful and less expensive, and solar panels are available to charge the batteries off the grid. We’ve been able to capitalize on all those developments.”
Brown’s laser scarecrow is housed in a five-gallon bucket to protect the electronic components from the elements, and it can be raised on a pole to the height of the corn tassels. The green laser light – which is the most effective color because birds are especially sensitive to green lighting –automatically moves back and forth across the tassels in a field as large as 600-feet across, scaring the birds away before they can reach the corn ears.
She has tested the device, as well as two commercially available lasers made for other bird control applications, for three years at the URI agricultural fields, as well as at commercial farms in Charlestown, Cranston, Exeter, Little Compton and Warwick.
A comprehensive five-year investigation examines the multiple factors influencing declining potato yields in Canada.
BY JULIENNE ISAACS
In January 2013, a group of industry representatives came to Bernie Zebarth with a problem: according to crop insurance data, potato yields in New Brunswick were stagnating or declining.
“Seven years ago we were tasked with increasing our yields and keeping costs as low as possible in order to be more competitive with our North American processors and maintain our markets,” explains Matt Hemphill, executive director of Potatoes New Brunswick.
The group quickly formed a steering committee consisting of McCain Foods, Potatoes New Brunswick and the federal and provincial governments, and hired a manager.
Zebarth, a research scientist at the Fredericton Research and Development Centre, initiated a project later that year to look into the issue in the province.
“The real issue for us – and this is true for all of Canada, but particularly New Brunswick – is that our potatoes are mostly intended for export. The market we have here is the eastern seaboard of the U.S. If we
“We looked at our soil, seed, water management and technology, and we also looked at sustainability and the economic side of things to make sure we were going to remain profitable,” he says. “We quickly determined that we had some soil health challenges, low organic matter and compaction issues and other problems that were related directly to yield.”
can’t be cost competitive we lose that market,” Zebarth says.
“Our goal was twofold: we wanted to identify what is limiting yield, and secondly, determine what we can do about it.”
Zebarth’s project became a comprehensive five-year investigation into multiple factors influencing yield in both the eastern provinces and Manitoba. Studies sought to identify zones within potato fields in which yield was limited, to zeroin on the causes of those limitations, and finally to evaluate practices that might overcome those problems.
Under the project’s third mandate – to evaluate practices that might overcome yield limitations – the team quickly identified soil health and soil-borne diseases as key “yield robbers,” and began studies looking at practices that might mitigate these problems, including the use of nurse crops, fall cover crops, biofumigation, variable rate irrigation, in-furrow decompaction and the use of compost.
Zebarth says the work points to soil health as being absolutely key to productivity.
“The fact that soil health is declining is one of our main findings – this shows itself as a loss of organic matter, loss of soil structure, loss of biological activity and compaction,” Zebarth says. “But we didn’t anticipate our second main finding, which is how important soil-borne diseases are.”
The two factors are linked, he says, and although his team doesn’t yet have indisputable evidence backing the claim, they believe the better the soil health in a given field, the less susceptible that field is to soil-borne diseases.
Soil-borne diseases – particularly Verticillium wilt – were issues in almost all of the team’s trial sites, Zebarth says, and the presence of root lesion nematodes, which increase the severity of disease symptoms, were also wide spread. The disease also seemed to mask some of their efforts. In other words, disease pressure could limit positive outcomes of beneficial practices.
“Once you begin to look for something you start to see it everywhere,” he says. “We realized we had a far bigger disease problem than we thought.”
Zebarth says that at the very beginning, his industry
collaborators asked him, “If we’re going to focus on one practice, what would have the best odds of increasing yields?”
The answer, he says, was compost, as it can help build soil organic matter relatively quickly.
Two major compost studies were set up – an on-farm trial that was mostly conducted by McCain agronomists, and a small plot trial run by Zebarth at the Fredericton Research and Development Centre.
The on-farm trials compared paired strips – one treated with compost, the other managed conventionally. The compost used in the field trials was a wood waste-based product.
The small plot trials compared five composts against a no compost control; the composts were added at high rates for two years running. These included a marine with shells compost, a poultry manure compost, a forestry residues compost, a municipal source separated organic waste compost and a forestry waste and poultry manure compost.
Results from the on-farm trials weren’t hugely promising, says Zebarth, with some producers noticing slight improvements in yield, at levels insufficient to justify the cost of the compost. In the small plots, the researchers noticed a dramatic increase in soil organic matter and an increase in many indices measuring soil health – but, again, little yield benefit.
“We increased soil organic matter by 25 per cent and doubled organic matter fractions used as indicators of soil health, but we didn’t really increase water holding capacity, to our surprise,” Zebarth says. “Many of the indices were around organic matter and they pretty much all improved. But we didn’t see a crop response.”
Zebarth says these findings led to a discussion among the collaborators.
“I think we evaluate soil conservation practices incorrectly,” he says. “If you’re looking at an application of a fertilizer or crop protection product, you look at whether it was a wise decision based on return on investment the following year. There is likely no soil conservation practice that would meet that threshold because the benefits are diffused over the long term. How do you put a dollar value on that?
“Soil conservation is less about return on investment in the short term, and more about soil as part of the farm
“infrastructure.” Here in New Brunswick, the land itself may constitute about 50 per cent of the value of the farm operation. The infrastructure – the soil – makes growth or profit possible. Let’s maintain that,” Zebarth says.
For producers thinking of using compost on their operations, he says to look for low-ash composts with as much organic matter as possible. It should also be dry, because compost is purchased by weight, and matured, so nutrients are available to crops.
Sheldon Hann, a research biologist at Fredericton Research Station, led trials evaluating the effects of field pea and winter rye as nurse crops to potatoes.
Nurse crops work similarly to cover crops, providing soil cover prior to crop establishment, except that they are planted with the cash crop and terminated roughly three weeks after planting. Theoretically, nurse crops can help build soil structure, add nutrients and improve soil water holding capacity.
Two trials were evaluated for the nurse crop study; a one-year screening trial and a three-year trial that incorporated the findings of the screening trial, says Hann. In the first trial, he and his team evaluated three possible nurse crops for potatoes – field pea, buckwheat and winter rye – and two planting methods (drill and broadcast). They settled on field pea and winter rye as the best options for the longer trial; they also found that drill planting was most effective.
Nurse crops were seeded at two rates
– high and low – and planted two days prior to potatoes, says Hann. They were then terminated 20 days after planting via hilling or chemical desiccation followed by hilling.
Hann says results were complex. Over the three years combined, there was no statistical improvement in yield with the use of nurse crops. But analyzed yearby-year, Hann says the data does show interesting interactions. A high seeding rate of winter rye showed a negative impact on potato yield compared to a low seeding rate. But with field pea, a higher seeding rate had a positive impact on potato yield.
Hann is currently analyzing “over 300 variables” of data collected from the study.
“What I expect is that the evaluation of the plant and soil data will provide insight into the potato yield responses. Understanding the competitive and/or nutrient enrichment effects of the nurse crops on the potato crops will become clearer once we get more into the data,” he says.
But Hann echoes Zebarth in claiming that although yield responses are negligible now, they might show up further down the road.
“Nurse crops are not a silver bullet,” he says. “We were hoping that we’d add something to the equation that won’t have a detrimental effect on the crop. The nurse crops intercept the rainfall, allow moisture to stay in the potato hill, add organic inputs and potentially have effects on soil physical and chemical parameters as well,” he says.
Bernie Zebarth is a research scientist at the Fredericton Research and Development Centre.
Zebarth says next steps will focus much more on soil-borne diseases, particularly Verticillium wilt, which emerged as a key area of investigation in the final year of the project.
“Verticillium seems to be everywhere,” Zebarth says. “It’s just a matter of degree.”
Follow-up work on Verticillium across all main Canadian potato production areas is planned in collaboration with the Canadian Horticultural Council.
A major emphasis of the research effort is the development of a method for testing Verticillium levels, Zebarth says, because there are as yet no reliable commercial tests.
Diagnostic tools are also needed for root lesion nematodes, and Zebarth says his AAFC colleagues are working on developing PCR based tests to improve testing accuracy.
Overall, improving cropping systems via lengthened rotations, the use of compost and nurse crops and other beneficial management practices represent the best opportunity the industry has for improving soil health and mitigating disease, he says.
Data is just rolling in on the use of biofumigation via the use of crops such as mustard, says Zebarth, and while this method shows promise for mitigating pest pressures, it does mean producers have to use more tillage, which tends to break down organic matter.
“There are lots of trade-offs,” he says. “These methods should all help, but how much and how long it’ll take is less clear. You can’t change soil health overnight.”
Hemphill says the steering committee sees the five-year project as a success. “We’re in the process of wrapping things up in order to move on to other focuses,” he says. “But we’re continuing to encourage our processors and provincial and federal governments to work together with industry and continue communicating so we know what everyone is working on when it comes to research. We’ve come a long way.” •
Tips on incorporating a pest management program into your winter maintenance plan.
BY ALICE SINIA, ORKIN CANADA
As temperatures drop and days get shorter, pests make their way toward civilization – otherwise known as your buildings and warehouses – for the winter. Just like us, pests avoid freezing temperatures and harsh weather by seeking warmth and shelter indoors. Before closing up shop or maintaining your facility during colder months, it is important to incorporate a pest management program into your winter maintenance plan.
A proactive, effective Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program can help your facility combat increased pest pressures by deterring pests from encroaching on your business – and prevent pests from taking a bite out of your revenue. Limiting pests’ access to your building and implementing frequent pest monitoring can help keep them out.
Pest monitoring devices can help you stay one step ahead of pests and keep your business operations running smoothly all season long. Choosing the right pest monitoring devices can seem intimidating. With the help of your pest management provider, you can determine which devices can effectively monitor pest activities inside your facility. Consider using common devices that can help you detect a pest presence in your building, such as:
• Remote rodent monitoring stations. While these devices can be expensive, remote rodent monitoring stations are capable of sending a signal to mobile devices or can even alert your pest management provider any time a rodent is sensed inside the trap. Timely rodent detection leads to timely control and can prevent infestations.
bottle flies, can be monitored using light traps that are placed around the inside of warehouses or other buildings in select areas. These devices use ultra-low voltage (ULV) light to attract pests and then use an electric zapper or glue board to contain the pest inside the trap.
Your team is the first line of defense against pests. No matter an individual’s role within your business, every single employee should be encouraged to take part in your facility’s pest management practices by being aware of potential indicators.
Training team members on the ins and outs of your pest management program not only helps educate each member on what to look out for but can provide them with a procedure to follow if a pest is spotted. Create and use a pest sighting log as a tool to communicate amongst your team about the types and timing of pest activity.
• Insect monitoring devices. These sticky glue boards are placed strategically throughout the inside of facilities to passively capture both flying and crawling insects. While these devices cannot be used to control pest populations, they can help you and your pest management provider determine what type of pests are invading the facility, how many are present, how they are getting in and any possible pressure points to consider.
• Electric insect light traps. Larger flies, such as house flies and
A detailed pest sighting log can help determine which areas of your facility are susceptible to pest activity or may even need additional treatment. To create an effective pest log, encourage employees to include details like the number, type and location of pests spotted. This information can be used to inform your IPM program and make it more effective in the long run.
Even the smallest gap or structural deficiency can allow pests inside your building. Before pests start seeking shelter from the cold, establish a routine facility maintenance schedule and frequently inspect for pest activity. Be sure to note any crack or crevice around doors and windows, and keep an eye out for any holes in exterior-facing walls.
No space is too small for a pest to make its way inside. Mice can squeeze through holes the size of a pinky finger and rats can enter through holes the size of a thumb, while pests like flies and crawling insects need much smaller spaces to enter. Caulking any gaps with sealant and repairing holes around your building’s structure can deter pests from invading your space and allow your business to remain pest free. •
An overview of the Canadian Grapevine Certification Network, the presence of grapevine viruses in Canada, and the network’s efforts to establish virus-free nursery stock.
BY TOM WALKER
As the Canadian wine grape industry develops and matures, the incidence of grapevine leaf viruses is expanding to the point where they are impacting grape production, and as a result, are affecting the finances of the wine industry as a whole.
“Worldwide, grapes are known to be infected by nearly 60 different viruses,” notes Hans Buchler, a B.C. grape grower and research co-ordinator for the B.C. Wine Grape Council. “That is more than any other perennial woody crop. The incidence of viruses is becoming a matter of urgency.”
Grapevine leafroll disease is the top concern in Canadian vineyards. There are more than five viruses that cause leaf roll disease. Grapevine leafroll associated virus 3 (GLRaV3) is the most common and is present in all grape growing regions in Canada. Grapevine red blotch virus is the second concern for growers.
“We started with an inter-provincial committee looking at this about 10 years ago and the Canadian Grapevine Certification Network (CGCN) was incorporated in 2017 as a national not-for-profit organization with the aim to reduce virus impact to the industry,” says Buchler, who is the CGCN chair.
Buchler cites a study conducted between 2014 and 2017 that found 23.5 per cent of the more than 15,000 vines tested in B.C. were infected with GLRaV3 and 1.6 per cent of 10,000 samples had red blotch.
The FreshCloudTM Predictive Screening solution from AgroFresh is designed to help growers and packers gain insights to better predict the susceptibility to bitter pit and soft scald disorders in apples.
FreshCloud Predictive Screening works by analyzing skin samples from the same orchard block to determine if the fruit is at high, moderate or low risk for development of a specific disorder. This assessment empowers growers and packers with insight to make more informed storage management decisions. This integrated technology also helps to inform conditioning plans that may reduce storage losses, increase pack-outs and prevent potential produce quality issues throughout the supply chain, resulting in noticeable food waste reduction. To learn more, visit: Agrofresh.com.
Joining and suspension solutions manufacturer, Gripple, has launched a new joiner.
The Gripple GP90, a wire joining device, provides a faster and more versatile alternative to knots, U-bolts and ratchet strainers in the installation of overhead canopies. It quickly joins and tensions line wires to perpendicular boundary cables, creating overhead wires to support protective materials such as shade cloth, hail net and rain covers. GP90 clamps onto boundary cables, before the line wire is fed through the self-locking system and tensioned using a tensioning tool. Fitting uses a singlecomponent system, which is lighter and smaller than traditional U-bolts, turn buckles and ratchet strainers, offering significant savings in transportation costs, requires little training to fit, reducing the risk of injury and time working at height. For more information, visit: gripple.com
NNZ is now offering eco-friendly containers. The containers are recyclable or compostable and are manufactured from renewable resources. Pulp trays can extend the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetables up to three days longer then plastic packaging. NNZ supplies many different sizes and shapes.
For more information, visit: nnz.ca
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Clonostachys rosea CR-7 (CR-7) for use as a fungicide on commercial crops. CR-7 is the first registered active ingredient for the Canadian-based company, Bee Vectoring Technologies (BVT), and the first active ingredient approved by the EPA for application via bees, known as bee vectoring.
BVT has developed and owns patentpending bee vectoring technology that is designed to utilize bumblebees and honeybees as natural delivery mechanisms for a variety of powdered mixtures comprised of organic compounds that
inhibit or control common crop diseases, while at the same time enhancing crop vigor and productivity. This unique and proprietary process enables a targeted delivery of crop controls using the simple process of bee pollination to replace traditional crop spraying, resulting in better yields, superior quality, and less impact on the environment without the use of water or disruptions to labor.
Sold under the brand name Vectorite with CR-7, the product is labeled for numerous high-value crops, including strawberries, blueberries, sunflowers and almonds.
For more information, visit: beevt.com
The Compac SFS 6L InVision 5-View line with the TotalView inspection module combines powerful imaging, controlled lighting and cherry rotation to enable accurate and consistent grading for size, shape, color and blemishes. The TotalView module examines the cherries from seven different angles and detects stem and nose defects such as rain cracks and mildew, while keeping current production speeds. The InVision TotalView platform delivers high accuracy of defect grading, and particularly stands out for its ability to grade nose cracks caused by rain, run bad lots faster and recover good fruit from these lots. Compac technology is available in Canada, through a partnership with Van Doren Sales. For more information, visit: compacsort.com
Current organic research projects include fertility and lighting in greenhouses to improve vegetable yields and best practices for managing Spotted Wing Drosophila.
As the demand for organic fruits and vegetables grows amongst Canadian consumers, organic farmers are eager to improve their production practices. Researchers across the country have been committed to investigating best practices for organic fruit and vegetable growers. So far, the results have been promising.
Since 2009, the Organic Federation of Canada (OFC) and the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC) have been working in collaboration to drive organic research, in the form of the Organic Science Cluster (OSC) program. The OSC facilitates a national strategic approach to organic science in Canada, bringing industry partners together to direct and co-fund the research. The program links scientists across the country, and communicates results to the people who can use them.
The current Organic Science Cluster 3 (OSC3) runs from 2018 to 2023 and has projects in the areas of field crops, horticulture, pest management, livestock and environment. While the Organic Clusters are cross-sectoral, significant research and development has emerged in the fruit and vegetable sector. The total 15-year OSC investment in organic horticulture research is $12.5 million. This is made up by funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada (AAFC) and about 90 industry partners, who fund individual projects.
“With limited options for inputs in organic agriculture, the most common challenges facing farmers relate to managing soil fertility and dealing with pests,” explains Andrew Hammermeister, director of OACC. “Research activities under the OSC program relating to organic fruit and vegetable production have included sprout seed sanitation, weed management, biological control of insect pests, advanced greenhouse production, and participatory plant breeding programs.”
Facilitated through OSC2, Martine Dorais, former AAFC researcher and professor of sustainable protected crops and organic horticulture at Université Laval, along with her colleague Steeve Pépin, professor in the department of soil and agri-food engineering, looked at fertility and lighting in greenhouses to improve vegetable yields. To meet the Canada Organic Standard, organic greenhouses must have a soil-based growing system. Fertility management in these systems can be a challenge. The work was co-funded by Les Serres Lefort, Inc., and many of the experiments were done onsite.
Dorais and Pépin studied multiple factors within the greenhouses, seeking the perfect combination
to produce optimal yields. Fertilization management, the use of biostimulants, and LED intra-canopy lighting were investigated in their multi-year study. They found that there was no difference in nutrient availability or fruit quality when applying solid organic fertilizers every four weeks, compared to weekly application. The scientists determined that less frequent applications of amendments were sufficient due to the high background fertility and microorganisms in the soil. They also found that the use of biostimulants, wollastonite and vermicompost, helped increase crop resilience. Intra-canopy LED supplemental lighting was also found to be beneficial, increasing crop productivity by 20 per cent. Tomato quality, colour, and firmness all improved with the intra-canopy lighting. Current studies facilitated through OSC3 also investigate pest management in horticulture crops. Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), a type of fruit fly, is a top priority for entomological and agricultural research programs because of its negative impact on global small fruit production.
Juli Carrillo, assistant professor in the department of applied biology at the University of British Columbia, and
Annabelle Firlej, researcher with the Institut de recherche et de développement en agroenvironment (IRDA), are taking a closer look at managing this common and damaging pest. With support from six different industry partners and four research institutions, including Terramera and the B.C. Berry Councils, their research looks at best practices for managing SWD.
Organic berry producers currently have limited tools to manage SWD. Only a few pesticides are registered for organic use, and additional controls can be labour intensive and economically impractical.
The objective of Carillo and Firlej’s research project is to create multiple vectors of control, which will increase the likelihood of developing successful strategies for better SWD management. These results will also be of great benefit to non-organic growers.
These cutting-edge projects are just a sample of the scope of the OSC program. The organic horticulture research and development goes far beyond pest management and greenhouse lighting. Hammermeister is enthusiastic about the impact of the Clusters.
“The Organic Science Clusters have not
only produced results that are relevant and impactful to stakeholders within the organic sector, they have also helped to train dozens of students to become new professionals with agro-ecological training,” he says.
Thirty-four horticulture projects have already been completed under OSC1 and OSCI2, and 10 are currently underway in OSC3. Organic producers can expect continued research and promising results in the years to come. •
The Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada, based at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture in Truro, N.S., has been coordinating organic science in Canada and supporting organic extension since 2001. The OACC focuses on facilitating science supporting organic agriculture in Canada by identifying research priorities and linking researchers with organic stakeholders. The Organic Science Cluster program is supported by funding from the AgriScience Program under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Agricultural Partnership (an investment by federal, provincial, and territorial governments) and over 70 partners from the agricultural community. More information about the Organic Science Cluster Program can be found at: dal.ca/oacc.
Running your payroll is easier than ever. Set up staff. Print cheques. Submit remittance. Customize deductions. And a lot more.
Use AgExpert Accounting Premium for your payroll. Just $399 a year. Payroll made easy fcc.ca/AgExpertAccounting
Bartlett Superior “70” Oil is formulated with Petro-Canada’s ultra-pure oil base fluids. This combination delivers 99% unsulphonated residue and less phytotoxicity – which means it’s better for your orchards. Bartlett Superior “70” Oil is also better to use because it has reduced toxicity and is environmentally biodegradable. Outstanding fruit protection from an alliance you can trust – N. M. Bartlett and Petro-Canada. Now that’s revolutionary!
Insights into fruit and vegetable production in Bulgaria with a visit to the Agroproduct Group farm.
BY CHRIS MCCULLOUGH
Alack of unoccupied land available in the eastern European country of Bulgaria is slowing down expansion plans for a local fruit and vegetable grower.
Krasimir Kumchev is the owner of the Agroproduct Group Ltd. farm based near Trilistnik village in the Plovdiv region of Bulgaria. He grows a wide variety of fruit and vegetables on the farm that extends to 80 hectares but would like to grow more.
“I established our farm back in 1998. I am the majority shareholder and for the past three years my two sons, Peter and Hristo, work with me and manage the farm,” Kumchev says. “We farm 80 hectares in total with 51 hectares in fruit trees growing apples, cherries and plums. On the remaining 29 hectares we grow green salads, iceberg lettuce, Lolo Rosso, endivia, lattuga, broccoli and melons.”
With excellent soils and growing climatic conditions in Bulgaria the crop yields on Kumchev’s farm are respectable. The farm’s production manager plays a pivotal role in ensuring the yields are as good as they can be.
“Each stage of the production system is under the control of our production manager, Petar Kumchev. He carefully manages the ground preparation, seeding time, harvest time, fertilizer and spraying times,” Kumchev explains. “When it comes to yields, all our crops harvest very well. On average the apples yield 40,000 kg per hectare, the plums yield 35,000 kg per hectare, melons 40,000 kg per hectare and the salads 100,000 units per hectare.
the lack of unoccupied land. Having this in mind, we will expand if and when land is available,” Kumchev says. “This is hard to predict and we are also looking into investing in a facility to process some of our yield, which should save us some production costs as well.”
Kumchev has no immediate plans to export his produce to Europe but has other ambitions he would like to achieve.
“For the near future, we have no plans to export. However, we are interested in a partnership with a foreign party for processing bio plums, dried, puree or anything that is of mutual interest. Our annual production of plums is around 600,000 to 700,000 kg.”
European Union (EU) subsidies and sourcing labour are two topics that are discussed widely among farmers in Bulgaria but not always in a positive way.
“All of the production is sold via the big local retail chains including Billa, Metro, Lidl and Kaufland,” he said.
Kumchev and his sons would like expand the farm but there are some challenges when it comes to sourcing additional land to grow more crops.
“Yes, we do have plans to expand, but a limiting factor is
ABOVE
“We use the same subsidies as the other producers in our country. However, it is not enough compared to the other members of the EU. In that sense, we are left in a different competitive state. Personally, I appeal for the subsidisation to be equal in all of the different EU member states.”
Kumchev employs 17 full-time employees and around 20 to 50 seasonal workers. Harvesting is mostly done by hand, not machine.
“The cultures that we grow on the farm do not allow for the use of machines. Harvesting is done by hand and sourcing labour is a huge problem for us as thousands of Bulgarians go abroad and work in farms in different countries within the EU,” he explains. “If we were offering the same conditions as the other countries, the workers would stay in Bulgaria and work.”
“Bulgaria presents excellent growing conditions for vegetables and fruits. The taste characteristics are unmatched and, in that sense, we could potentially provide Europe with high quality products.” he adds. •
The Agroproduct Group farm is based near Trilistnik village in the Plovdiv region of Bulgaria.