Muck Crops Research Station

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The Muck Crops Research Station is an agriculture research facility near Kettleby and Ansnorveldt, in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by the Office of Research at the University of Guelph.

Contents

The station's research [1] is focussed on several key areas:

The station features greenhouses with a system-controlled environment, a plant pathology laboratory, and long-term cold storage. Seven hectares of land are split into plots devoted to researching organic and mineral soils. Local growers also participate in commercial field trials on occasion. [2]

Crop protection

Various long-term research projects analyze and assess the impact of indigenous and invasive pests and parasites. Since 1998, the site has studied the over-wintering ability of the pea leafminer [3] in southern Ontario, as well as associated parasitoid complexes collected from leafminer pupae. [4]

Protection from fungi and molds during storage is also studied at this station. For example, the mold Sclerotinia releases oxalic acid, a compound that allows the mold to infect carrots. Researchers are studying the use of "calcium formulations to deter Sclerotinia growth". [5]

Another focus is to establish sustainable methods of dealing with agricultural pests, such as the carrot weevil and the carrot rust fly. [6]

Vegetable cultivars

One of the site's important functions is to determine the viability and suitability of specific crop cultivars in the Holland Marsh. [7] The area is a major producer of onions, carrots, lettuce, celery and Asian vegetables. [2]

Storage and treatment

The aim of research into storage of crops is to identify crops that may be grown in the Holland Marsh and stored for eventual winter distribution, so that residents of Ontario may have access to Ontario-grown vegetables year-round.

Onions, especially, and carrots go into long-term cold storage here," says McDonald. "So Ontario could supply the market year round and avoid importing from other countries. [5]

Soil and crop management

To improve yield and reduce the negative impact of agricultural practices on farmland, studies at this research station have attempted to identify conditions under which it is most appropriate to apply specific fertilizers. For example, nitrogen fertilizers are typically applied to carrot crops to improve yields and reduce leaf blight. Research at this station suggests that by matching the use of nitrogen fertilizers to the type of soil in which carrots are grown, high yields may be achieved. Moreover, this can be done with less nitrogen fertilizer and minimizing the use of fungicides to control leaf blight, decreasing costs and mitigating some environmental concerns. [8]

Related Research Articles

Vegetable farming is the growing of vegetables for human consumption. The practice probably started in several parts of the world over ten thousand years ago, with families growing vegetables for their own consumption or to trade locally. At first manual labour was used but in time livestock were domesticated and the ground could be turned by the plough. More recently, mechanisation has revolutionised vegetable farming with nearly all processes being able to be performed by machine. Specialist producers grow the particular crops that do well in their locality. New methods—such as aquaponics, raised beds and cultivation under glass—are used. Marketing can be done locally in farmer's markets, traditional markets or pick-your-own operations, or farmers can contract their whole crops to wholesalers, canners or retailers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legume</span> Plant in the family Fabaceae

A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae, or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock forage and silage, and as soil-enhancing green manure. Well-known legumes include beans, soybeans, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, tamarind, alfalfa, and clover. Legumes produce a botanically unique type of fruit – a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces on two sides.

A sapric is a subtype of a histosol where virtually all of the organic material has undergone sufficient decomposition to prevent the identification of plant parts. Muck is a sapric soil that is naturally waterlogged or is artificially drained.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kettleby, Ontario</span> Unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada

Kettleby is an unincorporated community in the northeastern part of King Township in Ontario, Canada. It is located about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) east of Highway 400, 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Toronto, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Barrie, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) west of Newmarket, and about 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of Orangeville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organic fertilizer</span> Fertilizer developed from natural processes

Organic fertilizers are fertilizers that are naturally produced. Fertilizers are materials that can be added to soil or plants, in order to provide nutrients and sustain growth. Typical organic fertilizers include all animal waste including meat processing waste, manure, slurry, and guano; plus plant based fertilizers such as compost; and biosolids. Inorganic "organic fertilizers" include minerals and ash. The organic-mess refers to the Principles of Organic Agriculture, which determines whether a fertilizer can be used for commercial organic agriculture, not whether the fertilizer consists of organic compounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yukon Gold potato</span> Cultivar of potato

Yukon Gold is a large cultivar of potato most distinctly characterized by its thin, smooth, eye-free skin and yellow-tinged flesh. This potato was developed in the 1960s by Garnet ("Gary") Johnston in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, with the help of Geoff Rowberry at the University of Guelph. The official cross bred strain was made in 1966 and 'Yukon Gold' was finally released into the market in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaf miner</span> Larva of an insect that lives in and eats the leaf tissue of plants

A leaf miner is any one of numerous species of insects in which the larval stage lives in, and eats, the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths (Lepidoptera), sawflies, and flies (Diptera). Some beetles also exhibit this behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trial garden</span>

A trial garden is a type of garden grown specifically for the purpose of testing and evaluating plants. Universities, plant breeders, and garden-industry companies frequently have trial gardens, as do many private and public botanical gardens and professional garden journalists. In the classic trials model, newly developed varieties of plants are compared with the closest similar industry standard plant throughout their life cycle—from germination/propagation through maturity, from seed to harvest. By growing new varieties side-by-side with existing ones, researchers can determine whether these new varieties are indeed better, and, if so, in what respects.

<i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i> Species of fungus

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a plant pathogenic fungus and can cause a disease called white mold if conditions are conducive. S. sclerotiorum can also be known as cottony rot, watery soft rot, stem rot, drop, crown rot and blossom blight. A key characteristic of this pathogen is its ability to produce black resting structures known as sclerotia and white fuzzy growths of mycelium on the plant it infects. These sclerotia give rise to a fruiting body in the spring that produces spores in a sac which is why fungi in this class are called sac fungi (Ascomycota). This pathogen can occur on many continents and has a wide host range of plants. When S. sclerotiorum is onset in the field by favorable environmental conditions, losses can be great and control measures should be considered.

This article summarizes different crops, what common fungal problems they have, and how fungicide should be used in order to mitigate damage and crop loss. This page also covers how specific fungal infections affect crops present in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor A. Tiedjens</span>

Victor Alphons Tiedjens (1895–1975) was an American horticulturist, agronomist, biochemist and soil chemist. He was credited as "one of the pioneers in growing plants in chemical solutions."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biofertilizer</span>

A biofertilizer is a substance which contains living micro-organisms which, when applied to seeds, plant surfaces, or soil, colonize the rhizosphere or the interior of the plant and promotes growth by increasing the supply or availability of primary nutrients to the host plant. Biofertilizers add nutrients through the natural processes of nitrogen fixation, solubilizing phosphorus, and stimulating plant growth through the synthesis of growth-promoting substances. The micro-organisms in biofertilizers restore the soil's natural nutrient cycle and build soil organic matter. Through the use of biofertilizers, healthy plants can be grown, while enhancing the sustainability and the health of the soil. Biofertilizers can be expected to reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, but they are not yet able to replace their use. Since they play several roles, a preferred scientific term for such beneficial bacteria is "plant-growth promoting rhizobacteria" (PGPR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manure</span> Organic matter, mostly derived from animal feces, which can be used as fertilizer

Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are utilised by bacteria, fungi and other organisms in the soil. Higher organisms then feed on the fungi and bacteria in a chain of life that comprises the soil food web.

<i>Tephrosia vogelii</i> Species of legume

Tephrosia vogelii, the Vogel's tephrosia, fish-poison-bean or Vogel tephrosia (English), tefrósia (Portuguese) or barbasco guineano (Spanish), is a flowering plant species in the genus Tephrosia.

Organic hydroponics is a hydroponics culture system based on organic agriculture concepts that does not use synthetic inputs such as fertilizers or pesticides. In organic hydroponics, nutrient solutions are derived from organic plant and animal material or naturally mined substances. Most studies on the topic have focused on the use of organic fertilizer.

The International Fertilizer Development Center is a science-based public international organization working to alleviate global hunger by introducing improved agricultural practices and fertilizer technologies to farmers and by linking farmers to markets. Headquartered in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA, the organization has projects in over 25 countries.

Chickpeas are a major pulse legume grown in Nepal, either by themselves or as an intercrop with maize or rice. Chickpeas are an important legume to the population, as it is the primary protein source for nearly 2 million Nepalese people. In 2013, Nepal imported approximately US$10.1 million in dried shelled chickpeas, mostly from Australia and also from Canada, creating a need to increase production for its own people and to balance bilateral trade. Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein, especially when compared to other legume pulses. They are high in unsaturated fatty acids and minerals, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.

Liriomyza sativae, commonly known as the vegetable leaf miner, is a species of insect, a fly in the family Agromyzidae. The larvae of this fly mine the leaves of a range of vegetables and weeds, but seem to favour plants in the families Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae and Solanaceae.

<i>Liriomyza huidobrensis</i> Species of fly

Liriomyza huidobrensis, commonly known as the pea leaf miner, is a species of insect, a fly in the family Agromyzidae. The larvae of this fly mine the leaves and stems of peas and a range of other vegetables. It is also known as the serpentine leaf miner, but this name is also used for a closely related species, Liriomyza brassicae.

Liriomyza trifolii, known generally as the American serpentine leafminer or celery leafminer, is a species of leaf miner fly in the family Agromyzidae.

References

  1. "Kettleby/Bradford Muck Crops Research Tech Transfer Programs". Technology Transfer. Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph. Archived from the original on 2003-10-18. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
  2. 1 2 "Kettleby Research Station". Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
  3. D. Martin; R. H. Hallett; M. K. Sears & M. R. McDonald (2005). "Overwintering Ability of Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in Southern Ontario, Canada". Environmental Entomology . 34 (4): 743–747. doi: 10.1603/0046-225X-34.4.743 . S2CID   56390002.
  4. C. A. Bahlai; S. A. Goodfellow; D. E. Stanley-horn & R. H. Hallett (2006). "Endoparasitoid Assemblage of the Pea Leafminer, Liriomyza huidobrensis (Diptera: Agromyzidae), in Southern Ontario". Environmental Entomology . 35 (2): 351–357. doi:10.1603/0046-225X-35.2.351. hdl: 10214/2065 . S2CID   20952090.
  5. 1 2 Boersma, Sigrid. "Mad about mucks". Cosmic Crops Research Magazine. Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
  6. Dunning, Jenni (2 June 2019). "Researcher takes on beetle wreaking havoc in local carrot fields". Newmarket Today. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  7. "Where to Find Vegetable Variety Trial Information". Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
  8. Sean Westerveld, Alan McKeown & Mary Ruth McDonald (Fall 2006). "Optimizing Nitrogen Fertilizer Application". Columbia Publishing. Retrieved 2008-02-15.

Coordinates: 44°2′36.7″N79°35′34.25″W / 44.043528°N 79.5928472°W / 44.043528; -79.5928472