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.
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 ninety 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,” Dr. Hammermeister, Director of OACC, explains. “Research activities under the Organic Science Cluster 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, Dr. Martine Dorais (Agriculture and Agri-food Canada – Université Laval), and Dr. Steeve Pépin (Université Laval) 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 vermi-compost, helped increase crop resilience. intra-canopy LED supplemental lighting was also found to be beneficial, increasing crop productivity by 20%. Tomato quality, colour, and firmness all improved with the intra-canopy lighting.
Current studies facilitated through OSC3 investigate pest management in horticulture crops. Spotted Wing Drosophila, 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. Dr. Juli Carrillo of the University of British Columbia, and Dr. Annabelle Firlej of 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 BC 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 Dr. Carillo and Dr. 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. Dr. 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 2, and ten are currently underway in OSC3. Organic fruit and vegetable producers can expect continued research and promising results in the years to come.
Originally published by Fruit and Vegetable Magazine: www.fruitandveggie.com
(OSC3) Published in Organic Science Canada magazine, Issue #2, Spring 2020
