Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture

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Special Research Program

Author: Dr. Tony Sturz - PEIDAFAF
Creation Date: 4 June 2004

Agricultural Research

The agriculture and agri-food sector is expected to move toward environmentally sustainable development, while increasing its productivity, and simultaneously protecting the natural resource base for future generations. Greater productivity and competitiveness is anticipated to come from increased efficiency through the acquisition and management of new technologies and crop production strategies. The research program at the PEI DAFAF is designed to develop high yielding, high quality product using sustainable systems of agricultural production.

Some of our on-going research projects include:

• Exploring the use of organic aphid repellants to reduce the spread of potato viruses.
• Finding alternative rotation crops and planting strategies to maximize soil health and quality.
• Immunizing potatoes against diseases at an early stage in the production system.
• Identifying and monitoring of the microbial components of disease suppressive soils.
• Developing agro-ecosystems that use natural products able to inhibit plant pathogen growth and plant disease development.

Table of Contents

2004

• SRR-04/2004 Some preliminary information on the efficacy of ‘compost teas’ as fungicides.
• SRR-03/2004 Weeds that stimulate populations of plant growth promoting bacteria in soils
• SRR-02/2004 - Potato cultivars can differ in their susceptibility to pink rot disease (Phytophthora erythroseptica).
• SRR-01/2004 - Creating soils that are resistant to potato common scab (Streptomyces scabies)

Research Papers(in print only)

• PETERS, R.D., STURZ, A.V., PLATT, H.W. (BUD), ARSENAULT, W.A. 2004. Recent investigations regarding the soil-borne pathogen Phytophthora erythroseptica and the management of potato pink rot. Recent Research Developments in Crop Science. 1: 479-498.
• WELBAUM, G.E., STURZ, A.V., DONG, Z., NOWAK, J. 2004. Managing Soil Microorganisms to Improve Productivity of Agro-Ecosystems CRC Reviews in Plant Science. Volume 23, Number 2 / March-April 2004, pp. 175 - 193.
• LADA, R., STILES, A., SURETTE, M.A., STURZ, A.V., BLAKE, T. J., CALDWELL, C. and NOWAK, J. 2004. Stand Establishment Technologies for Processing Carrots. XXVI International Congress: Issues and Advances in Transplant Production and Stand Establishment Research. Acta Horticulturae 631:105-116
• KIMPINSKI, J., GALLANT, C.E., HENRY, R. MACLEOD, J.A., SANDERSON, J.B., STURZ, A.V. 2004. Effect of compost and manure soil amendment on nematodes, and on potato and barley yields: a seven year study. Journal of Nematology. 35: 289-293.
• STURZ, A.V., RYAN, D.A.J., MATHESON, B.G., ARSENAULT, W.J., KIMPINSKI, J., and CHRISTIE, B.R. 2004. Stimulating disease suppression in soils: sulphate fertilizers can increase biodiversity and antibiosis ability of root zone bacteria against Streptomyces scabies. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 36: 343-352.
• PETERS, R.D., STURZ, A.V., ARSENAULT, W.J. 2004. Tuber response of six potato cultivars to inoculation with Phytophthora erythroseptica Pethyb., the causal agent of pink rot disease. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 23:106-109.
• STURZ, A.V., KIMPINSKI, J. 2004. Endoroot bacteria derived from marigolds (Tagetes spp.) can decrease soil population densities of root lesion nematodes in the potato root zone. Plant and Soil 262: 241-249.
• PETERS, R.D., STURZ, A.V., CARTER, M.R., & SANDERSON, J.B. 2004. Influence of Crop Rotation and Conservation Tillage Practices on the Severity of Soil-Borne Potato Diseases in Temperate Humid Agriculture Canadian Journal of Soil Science. Nov. (In Press).

2003

• SRR-02/2003 - Developing sustainable systems of crop production.
• SRR-01/2003 - Red clover-potato cultivar combinations for improved potato yield.