2004 Cereals reveal an intriguing surprise: the performance of cereals on organic farms

The great variability in the performance of cereals on organic farms that we have highlighted from past research trials has been confirmed in a new and more widely based trial. Participation from 20 producers gives the results a robust character and has enabled us to spot something we had not previously noted. EFRC researchers Prof Martin Wolfe AND Kay Hinchsliffe set out the results. Introduction EFRC is currently working on a Defra-funded project designed to use participatory research and development methodology, and is conducted on sites across the country with the participation of 20 farmers, seed producers and more than 10 researchers (EFRC, NIAB, Middlesex University, University of Kingston & HDRA). The idea is to integrate the contributions of different stakeholders into developing a robust system for identifying, testing, multiplying and marketing cereal varieties, lines, mixtures, and populations best suited to organic production in different parts of the country . Three high quality winter wheat varieties, Hereward, Solstice and Xi 19 and their mixture, were selected for the trial based on their performance in previous years’ replicated variety trials. Participating farmers drilled each variety in strips (total area of 1/10 ha) surrounded by their own winter wheat crop. This article summarises data from the first year of field trials (2003-4); since this is the first year they should be treated with caution. The trial is being repeated and has already been planted by essentially the same group of participating farmers

EFRC Bulletin 76 January 2005. With technical Updates from the Organic Advisory Service

The regular report from Elm Farm Research Centre - the Organic Research Centre in the UK - covering its own research and information and that of other relevant issue

Elm Farm Research Centre Bulletin with Technical Updates from the Organic Advisory Service 80

A collection of technical, policy and research articles on organic food and food system

A participatory approach to variety trials for organic systems

A participatory research methodology was used to compare the performance of UK wheat varieties under organic conditions. Plots of three breadmaking winter wheat varieties (Hereward, Solstice and Xi19) and a mixture (1:1:1) of the varieties were grown at 19 UK farms in two seasons (2003/04 and 2004/05). Meas-urements were taken of growth habit, yield and grain quality. Grain yields in both seasons showed significant site by variety interactions, although the variation among sites was greater than among varieties in both instances. Wheat grown at Western sites was significantly shorter and higher-yielding than that grown at Eastern sites in 2003/04 but significantly taller in 2004/05. As with grain yield, greater variation among site than variety was found in the Hagberg Falling Number and protein concentra-tion results in both seasons. The results from the two years of trials illustrate the variability of organic systems and the difficulty in selecting a single variety suitable for organic farms

Evolutionary breeding of wheat for low input systems

Genetically diverse Composite Cross Populations (CCPs) may be useful in environmentally variable low-input systems as an alternative to pure varieties. They are formed by assembling seed stocks with diverse evolutionary origins, recombining these stocks by hybridisation, bulking the F1 progeny, and subsequent natural selection of the progeny in suc-cessive natural cropping environments. CCPs derived from either 10 high yielding parents (YCCPs), 12 high quality parents (QCCPs), or all 22 parents (YQCCPs), were grown at four sites (2 organic, 2 conventional) in the UK. The YCCPs out yielded the QCCPs, which had higher protein concentrations and Hagberg falling numbers. Although the CCPs performed within the range of the parents, they often performed better than the mean of the parents

Evolutionary breeding of wheat for low input systems

Abstract -Genetically diverse Composite Cross Populations (CCPs) may be useful in environmentally variable low-input systems as an alternative to pure varieties. They are formed by assembling seed stocks with diverse evolutionary origins, recombining these stocks by hybridisation, bulking the F1 progeny, and subsequent natural selection of the progeny in successive natural cropping environments. CCPs derived from either 10 high yielding parents (YCCPs), 12 high quality parents (QCCPs), or all 22 parents (YQCCPs), were grown at four sites (2 organic, 2 conventional) in the UK. The YCCPs out yielded the QCCPs, which had higher protein concentrations and Hagberg falling numbers. Although the CCPs performed within the range of the parents, they often performed better than the mean of the parents

Terrestrial mammal responses to edges in Amazonian forest patches: A study based on track stations

Examining edge effects is imperative to developing effective conservation and management strategies in fragmented landscapes as they are a key component of how landscape change influences habitat quality. Although medium- to large-bodied mammals are recognised as key components of tropical forests, their responses to forest edges remain poorly documented. Here, we describe how five species of medium- to large-bodied terrestrial neotropical mammals respond to forest-pasture edges along 17 forest patches (ranging in size from 5-4714 ha) and two continuous areas of Amazonian forest in Alta Floresta, Brazil. Tracks from two rodent (Dasyprocta agouti and Agouti paca) and three ungulate species (Tayassu tajacu, Mazama gouazoubira and Tapirus terrestris) were recorded over 4900 sand track station nights during a 4-month study period. When species occurrences were compared between patch size classes we found a significant interaction between patch size and distance from the nearest forest edge only for ungulates. We discuss the cost-effectiveness of monitoring protocols for large terrestrial mammals in tropical forests based on sand track stations, and how edge effects and patch size can modulate species abundance and distribution