Research Library
EFAO’s research library is an open access resource where you can find all of EFAO’s research protocols, reports and publications, and other on-farm research guides.
As part of the Living Lab–Ontario project funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Brett Israel tested strategies to make reduced tillage more scalable for organic field crop production systems in southern Ontario by double cropping soybeans with small grains and forages and adding N-fixing forages to his corn rotation.
In a Nutshell
Over two years of trials, the most promising systems that emerged from his investigations included:
- Overwintered cereal rye harvested for forage before planting soybeans
- Winter barley planted ahead of short season soybeans
- Spring-planted alfalfa harvested for forage and then incorporated as the sole nitrogen source for the following corn crop
To innovate systems that reduce tillage and keep the soil covered using cover crops for organic vegetable production in southern Ontario, Ken Laing tested 60+ combinations of crops and ground cover over three years.
In a Nutshell
The most promising systems that emerged from his investigations included:
- Garlic no-till planted in the fall into a mown cover crop of sorghum sudangrass
- Potatoes no-till planted into winter rye, which is mown before potato emergence
- Winter squash no-till planted into hairy vetch or deep compost mulch
- Field tomatoes planted into winter rye and hairy vetch; with more trials needed to confirm
Watch videos about Ken’s no-till potato trials
- EFAO Living Lab-Ontario: Ken Laing No-Till Vegetables, 2021
- Soils and Spuds: Experimenting with No-Till Potatoes
The growers’ objectives were to document the best iceberg lettuce varieties for successional head production across different farms in southern Ontario; and to assess the viability of the varieties for seed production in Zone 3 in northern Ontario.
In a Nutshell
- Iceberg can be a difficult lettuce to grow and market because of the variability and inconsistencies in head development
- Due to issues with replication, no concrete recommendations can be made on which iceberg variety is best for successional head production in southern Ontario
- Two varieties that rose to the top for growers were Laibacher Eis 4 and Marius, both of which came from a co-operative organic breeding network in Germany
- Due to disease pressure, no seed was produced in Zone 3 from any of the iceberg varieties
The growers’ objectives were to document the best fava varieties for urban rooftop and field production across different farms in southern Ontario.
In a Nutshell
- Distinguishing the “best” and “worst” among fava varieties wasn’t possible due to crop failure and missing data
- All fava varieties had issues with disease and heat stress, leading growers to note a need for regionally adapted varieties of fava
- Fava was a popular item at markets and through CSAs as many customers don’t see fresh fava very often!
Mike and the other farmers wanted to document the best red pepper varieties for production across different farms in southern Ontario and on one farm in British Columbia.
In a Nutshell
- Ace F1 is still the red pepper to beat in terms of productivity and flavour
- Some growers around Guelph experienced extreme levels of pepper maggot infestation, which prevented some data collection for the trial
- Most Ontario growers mentioned that they would not likely grow these varieties of red peppers outdoors again, but instead would stick to poly tunnels or hoophouses as yields and quality are better
- Ace F1, Sprinter, and Crimson Carillon surfaced as favourites for the unreplicated hoop house trial in British Columbia
Rav and the other farmers wanted to document the best okra varieties for production across different farms in southern Ontario and Québec.
In a Nutshell
- High variability among varieties made it difficult to distinguish “best” and “worst” okra varieties
- Emerald Green performed well with respect to germination, yield, ratings, and grower preferences
- Market and CSA customers like all varieties, so go with the varieties that are best suited to your production system
In a continuation of his 2021 quinoa variety screening trial, Dean screened the viability of transplanting quinoa for five seeding dates and two transplant dates.
In a Nutshell
- Quinoa can be successfully grown from transplants and this method offers excellent weed control under organic management
- The efforts and cost of transplanting labour appears to be feasible with the high price of organic quinoa
- Dean believes that with no difference in germination and transplant survivability, earlier transplanted quinoa would be easier to manage with a longer harvest window and less possibility of head sprouting in the fall
Hans was interested in finding a starter mix that can produce healthy and vigorous seedlings without the use of peat moss.
In a Nutshell
- Both biochar and coco coir mixes performed comparatively well to ProMix BX by Hans’ observation
- Hans prefers the potential of biochar mixes over coco coir, given that biochar can be locally sourced or produced
- More on-farm trials are needed to assess the viability of alternative starter mixes
- More research is needed into the life cycle assessment of both peat moss and biochar
Ann wanted to know if there was a yield benefit to growing four-row compared to three-row beets in a three foot bed system. She also wanted to investigate whether there is a difference in labour required for weeding and disease pressure between the two systems.
In a Nutshell
- Using an Earthway seeder with no thinning, Ann found no difference in beet yield between three-row and four-row plantings.
- Ann observed three-row beets were less labour intensive for weeding and that she could use time-saving tools like a wheel hoe longer into the season.
towards the nitrogen requirements of the following cash crop. They established a randomized
block design with low- and high-legume cover crop treatments. They sampled cover crop
biomass and used lab analyzes paired with a free online calculator from Oregon State
University to estimate plant available nitrogen (PAN) from the cover crops, and also tested
an in-field method to estimate PAN. Finally, they took soil nitrate samples throughout the
growing season to better understand the best tools to manage his fertility.
In a Nutshell
- Legume cover crop mixes can supply a lot of PAN, potentially in excess of the needs of some vegetable crops.
- Cover crops act as an effective catch crop by reducing soil nitrate early in the season.
- Legume content in a cover crop mix moderates in-season PAN as indicated by soil nitrate.
- Cover crop biomass sampling coupled with lab analysis and the online calculator provided a simple, cost effective tool for quantifying PAN contribution of cover crops.
- Both pre-plant and mid-season soil nitrate-nitrogen sampling were effective tools for predicting PAN availability when Jesse and Meghan compared their results to the literature.
En Bref
- Le paillis de résidus de cultures, du compost profond et le travail du sol (témoin) n’a donné aucun résultat appréciable par faute d’une mauvaise germination dans la répétition de son essai.
- Becky a eu de la chance en cultivant des tournesols dans deux parcelles de démonstration qu’elle a bâchées pendant 12 mois et 2 mois, respectivement.
- Becky recommande d’utiliser des bâches pendant de 2 à 12 mois avant de tenter la cultivation dans des pâturages permanents
The growers’ objective was to document the best summer and fall head lettuce across different farms throughout southern and eastern Ontario during the 2020 season.
In a Nutshell
- Magenta, Muir, and Nevada were the top varieties with respect to overall vigor, flavour, and germination in the summer.
- Green Star was the growers’ least favourite variety overall in the summer.
- Magenta, Ruby Sky, and Red Mist (from Vitalis Organic Seed) were the top varieties with respect to overall vigor in the fall.
- Encino was the growers’ least favourite variety overall in the fall.
- Red Mist (from another seedhouse) had poor germination rates, demonstrating that seed source – and not just variety – matters.
To help him optimize pasture growth, Andy assessed soil nutrient status from the top slope, side slope and bottom slope of a 50–year old pasture and a hay field that he will start grazing in 2021.
IN A NUTSHELL
- Organic matter was higher in the older pasture but did not change significantly with topography.
- Potassium, phosphorus and iron were also higher in the old pasture and potassium was higher on the top slope. Andy observed variations in manganese and copper for reasons that are unknown.
- Andy’s observations of better soil health at the top of the hills weren’t supported by the basic assessment of soil nutrient status used in this study.
En Bref
- En 2019, elle a utilisé pour la première fois des inoculants AMF et a observé des laitues et des oignons particuli rement gros et sains.
- En 2020, elle a mené un essai randomisé et répété comparant deux inoculants à des témoins non inoculé s pour la laitue Ariana, Cantarix, Nevada et Skyphos et l’oignon Patterson. Bien qu’ils soient également grands et sains, Dianne n’a détecté aucun effet sur le rendement des inoculants.
- Elle se demande si la conception de l’essai était viciée parce qu’elle a inoculé et / ou ressuscité sans méfiance la communauté mycorhizienne de tout son jardin en 2019.
Amaranth is climate-resilient and nutrient-dense, and is an important Indigenous plant of the Americas. To learn which varieties of amaranth are best suited for their region of southern Ontario, Ronaldo and Myriam compared five varieties of amaranth in an unreplicated screening trial.
In a Nutshell
- They observed differences among the varieties in germination, flowering times, flowering patters and yield and think that Grain Amaranth from Richters Herbs and Atitlan Dorado from IMAP Guatemala merit consideration for a replicated trial.
To identify the best performing crosses of sweet potato for organic farming systems in the Ottawa area, Kate, Erin and Lise-Anne compared nine new crosses of sweet potato and one check variety (Covington) in a replicated and randomized trial across three farms.
In a Nutshell
- They identified three varieties that they think are definitely worth continuing to grow and observe, and another two “runner-up” crosses that are alsopromising.
As a follow-up to their 2019 multi-farm trial, we compared 5 large tomato varieties and 4 cherry tomato varieties grown by grafting onto four different rootstocks and an ungrafted control.
In a Nutshell
- The best choice of rootstock was specific to the scion, with some rootstocks producing no improvement
or even reducing yield for some varieties of scion. - Compared to ungrafted plants, Caiman F1 large tomatoes had great yield and profitability when grafted DR0141TX rootstock.
- Preliminary data suggest that only Sakura cherry tomato may benefit from grafting on Fortanimo or Estanimo, but more replicates are needed to be confident.
- Preliminary data suggest that grafting “heirloom- like” hybrid varieties tested does not confer a yield advantage, but that open pollinated Striped German maybe benefit from being grafted onto Fortanimo.
Eric compared five methods of preparing fallow land for vegetable production with respect to soil regeneration and cost to implement.
In a Nutshell
- Cover crops with micronutrient amendments increased active carbon, a sensitive indicator of soil health and soil regeneration potential.
- Micronutrient amendment alone did not increase active carbon; and Eric saw no added benefit with respect to soil health of adding chicken manure or woody compost with cover crops.
- Balancing cost and soil health benefits, Eric will focus on micronutrient application and full season cover crops in areas that require regeneration.
To prevent chlorosis in chestnuts, Derick compared broadcasting and localized application of nutrient amendments to no amendment controls. After a year of growth, he measured tree height and leaf nutrient status.
In a Nutshell
- Derick detected no difference in plant health or leaf nutrient status between the two amendment methods. Given the extra labour involved with the localized treatment, he will not broadcast any amendments moving forward.
- He detected higher leaf potassium levels in the amended trees, which is important for iron availability in the plant.