 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AGvance - OCTOBER 2002
Water harvest idea is not all wet
Sometimes the water comes from above, and sometimes it comes from below. Scientists at the Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC) in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, have found that taking groundwater from wet areas has all kinds of benefits.
There are places on the Prairies known as seeps, where groundwater collects. This makes the soil unsuitable for cultivation, and can lead to soil salinity.Scientists at SPARC have found a way to extract shallow groundwater and lower water tables from these areas by using gravity and solar-powered pumps.
They then tested this idea by de-watering an area and using the saline soil for growing Harrington barley. Although that land had never been used for crop growth before, the barley responded with healthy growth and good yields.
So the land can be re-habbed, but there's no sense wasting that water. In this case, the researchers used the harvested water to irrigate woody-crop seedlings in a new shelterbelt.
For further information, contact:
Mr. Paul Milburn, Acting Science Director
Potato Research Centre
850 Lincoln Road
P.O. Box 20280
Fredericton, New Brunswick
E3B 4Z7
Tel: (506) 452-3260
Fax: (506) 452-3316
e-mail: milburnp@agr.gc.ca
WWW: http://res2.agr.ca/fredericton/
Return to Table of Contents
Irrigation system operates on 'need to drink' basis
The old proverb 'waste not, want not' is becoming hard currency where water is in short supply. The Okanagan Valley in British Columbia's interior is just such a place, and scientists at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre (PARC) in Summerland are working on a system to deliver water when orchards need it.
More than this, say researchers, it will provide only as much water as is needed. This not only conserves water resources, but it reduces the risk of nitrate leaching, a chronic concern where the area's coarse-textured soils are concerned.
The key to minimizing water use is to have a clear understanding of how much moisture is used by the plant, how much is transpired through its leaves, and how much is lost through the soil.
Scientists have been compiling data that allow them to estimate crop water use. Various monitoring equipment technologies provide the information. For instance, a porous ceramic plate attached to a length of pipe measures evaporation, and a lysimeter, essentially a large, buried pot, shows water balance.
Now, factor in weather data and tree leaf canopy size, and you should be able to tell just how much water is needed. But here's the really cool part: just feed the data into an electronically controlled irrigation system.
Researchers have been doing just that with a drip irrigation system. They've scaled up the technology to the farm level, and the results are very promising. They figure it would cost about $5 thousand to install in a typical operation.
The study received funding from the Matching Investment Initiative.
For further information, contact:
Mr. Paul Milburn, Acting Science Director
Potato Research Centre
850 Lincoln Road
P.O. Box 20280
Fredericton, New Brunswick
E3B 4Z7
Tel: (506) 452-3260
Fax: (506) 452-3316
e-mail: milburnp@agr.gc.ca
WWW: http://res2.agr.ca/fredericton/
Return to Table of Contents
Scientists use weather to predict soil moisture
Looking to the skies can tell you about the drought beneath your feet, provided you have a computer interface between zenith and nadir. Scientists at the Lethbridge Research Centre in Alberta are using computer modelling to determine the aridity of the soil.
Soil moisture modelling is used to get up-to-date data on a given area. And once you know the current readings, you can predict what the levels will be under different weather circumstances. Researchers have modified a modelling program so that they can predict the moisture, for both spring wheat and pasture lands.
Meteorological data provide drought indices based on rainfall. But it's the timing of the rainfall that's critical. When the days are long and it's really hot out there, rainfall isn't going to have the same impact that it has during cool spring weather when the soil still holds meltwater moisture from the snow.
The Lethbridge modelling system provides soil moisture content at different soil layers to provide an accurate picture of what's really in there. It also gives a running account of the soil moisture–water stress threshold, which indicates how much water is needed.
The information generated by the system can be used as a management tool to decide, for instance, when to seed. The province of Alberta is using it for crop insurance purposes, and it can be used to determine the persistence of intense drought.
For further information, contact:
Dr. Gilles Rousselle, Science Director, Air Quality
Soils and Crops Research and Development Centre
2560 Hochelaga Boulevard
Sainte-Foy, Quebec
G1V 2J3
Tel: (418) 657-7980
Fax: (418) 648-2402
e-mail: rousselleg@agr.gc.ca
WWW: http://res2.agr.ca/saintefoy/
Return to Table of Contents
It's on the level: terraced potatoes save water, reduce erosion
Controlling variability is thinking behind a terracing experiment carried out by the Potato Research Centre in Fredericton. The idea is to reduce erosion and runoff while making moisture more available to the crop.
Some of the most serious water erosion in Canada is associated with potato production in the rolling topography of the upper Saint John River Valley in northwestern New Brunswick. And once the water races off to seek its own level, dragging some of the topsoil down with it, the potatoes are left high and dry.
Researchers fought back by terracing the fields and creating grassed waterways. They found that contour planting of potatoes associated with terracing reduced runoff and flooding of ditches and streams, and increased soil moisture retention.
The evaluation showed that, under potatoes, these structures reduced runoff by as much as 150 mm of rainfall equivalent, thereby increasing available moisture for potato growth, and reduced soil losses from 20 t/ha per year to 1 t/ha per year.
For further information, contact:
Mr. Paul Milburn, Acting Science Director
Potato Research Centre
850 Lincoln Road
P.O. Box 20280
Fredericton, New Brunswick
E3B 4Z7
Tel: (506) 452-3260
Fax: (506) 452-3316
e-mail: milburnp@agr.gc.ca
WWW: http://res2.agr.ca/fredericton/
Return to Table of Contents
Fertilizer helps even under dry conditions
Producers tempted to cut back on fertilizer during dry years may want to reconsider, according to scientists at the Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre in Swift Current. They've compiled data from long-term fertilizer trials in southwestern Saskatchewan suggesting that even in dry years nitrogen applications are more likely to provide an economic benefit.
The common wisdom is that dry soils in springtime can mean big-time crop losses, so why waste money on fertilizer? But spring soil moisture is not an indicator of growing season rainfall, as the study showed.
In fact, failure to apply adequate nitrogen fertilizer to wheat even in dry springs could prevent the crop from taking advantage of any subsequent moisture received later in the growing season. The study showed that not applying nitrogen during dry springs resulted in a yield loss of over eight bushels per acre in six years out of ten.
Moreover, wheat typically responds to nitrogen fertilizer even in dry years. And crops need enough nutrients early in the growing season to develop a root system that can plumb the soil for moisture.
But the most important thing is to test for residual soil nitrogen in the spring. That way, say researchers, growers can determine the best application strategy for their crop.
For further information, contact:
Dr. John Richards, Science Director, Nutrients and Organic Residues
Atlantic Cool Climate Crop Research Centre
308 Brookfield Road
P.O. Box 39088
St. John's, Newfoundland
A1E 5Y7
Tel: (709) 772-7474
Fax: (709) 772-3820
e-mail: richardsj@agr.gc.ca
WWW: http://res2.agr.ca/stjohns/
Return to Table of Contents
New information system helps manage land and water resources
Farmers, planners and municipalities in Eastern Ontario can now 'point and click' their way to information on soils, land and water resources as part of a new online Regional Environmental Information System (REIS).REIS was developed by researchers at the Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre in Ottawa, in partnership with several municipalities and Autodesk Canada Inc.
REIS provides a regional information base, as well as data analysis planning tools for decision-making, and improves the capacity to anticipate and prevent environmental problems on a cost-effective basis. Current applications of REIS address issues of water resource management, regional nutrient mangement and agricultural land evaluation. Already launched in Eastern Ontario (http://reis.agr.ca), the National Land and Water Information Service is expected to gradually apply the REIS concept across the country.
For further information, contact:
Dr. Lianne Dwyer, Science Director
Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre (ECORC)
960 Carling Avenue, K.W. Neatby Building
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0C6
Tel: (613) 759-1952
Fax: (613) 759-1970
e-mail: dwyerl@agr.gc.ca
WWW: http://res2.agr.ca/ecorc/
Return to Table of Contents
Make your own instant data base with new software package
Horticulturalists can now create an instant data base for any type of crop, insect, pest, weed, or what have you, thanks to UniBase.
UniBase is a user-friendly software package derived in part from the Pedigree package of 1997. It allows the user to create one or multiple data bases by importing existing data and images.
Images and pedigrees of any horticultural crop can be viewed instantly, and there's no limit to the number of entries or images that can be stored.
The CD includes basic information on several horticultural fruit crops such as blueberries, apples, strawberries and cherries, and ornamentals including flowering bulbs and deciduous shrubs.
UniBase is an excellent tool for breeders or anyone who wants to develop a germplasm inventory.
For further information, contact:
Dr. Shahrokh Khanizadeh, UniBase Developer
Horticulture Research and Development Centre
430 Gouin Boulevard
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec
J3B 3E6
Tel: (450) 346-4494
Fax: (450) 346-7740
e-mail: khanizadehs@agr.gc.ca
WWW: http://www.universaldbase.com
Return to Table of Contents
Extra-dry is great for champagne or martinis. But unless you're a cactus farmer, it can be pretty brutal for agriculture. That's why scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's labs across the country are working on projects aimed at mitigating the effects of drought.
It's a tack that takes several tracks. There's the predictable breeding crops for drought tolerance, of course. But a lot of the effort is directed towards water conservation and effective use, too. Precision agriculture can play a role, as can erosion control, automated irrigation systems and fundamental agronomic management technologies.
If Canada is to become the world leader in food safety and quality, innovation, and environmentally responsible production to meet the needs of consumers at home and abroad, then consistency is key. Sure, the weather's a fickle friend, but when it blows cold, the sector needs the tools to thrive in a highly variable environment.
It's not that science can change weatherborne destiny overnight. Mark Twain was not entirely correct when he said that everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it. Whether it's too little water, or too much, or whatever adversarial curve nature can throw, AAFC scientists are on the case.
For further information, contact:
Mr. Paul Milburn, Acting Science Director
Potato Research Centre
850 Lincoln Road
P.O. Box 20280
Fredericton, New Brunswick
E3B 4Z7
Tel: (506) 452-3260
Fax: (506) 452-3316
e-mail: milburnp@agr.gc.ca
WWW: http://res2.agr.ca/fredericton/
Return to Table of Contents
Date Modified: 2002 11 15 |