Effect of Crop rotation on root-knot nematode control

The paper presents a summary of two studies highlighting the importance of cropping system to prevent or suppress soil-borne pathogens problems (and especially root-knot nematodes)in organic farming, and thus to maintain soil fertility. Specialised systems are not compatible with a sustainable vegetable crop production because they are too susceptible to soil-borne pathogen

Making Pigs Fly

[Excerpt] You\u27ll see a union in this hospital when pigs fly. So went the opening statement by the new Vice President of Human Resources at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Illinois. Poor staffing ratios, out-dated equipment, lack of respect and nonexistent communications between staff and management compelled the nurses of St. Joe\u27s to bring in the Illinois Nurses Association in February, 1991. Fifteen years earlier, the nurses had tried to organize a union but had lost the election. Ironically, the issues were the same — nothing had changed. The odds still appeared to be against the nurses. St. Joe\u27s management hired the notorious law firm Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather and Geraldson and two anti-union consultants, Modern Management, Inc. and Management Science Associates. They forced the nurses out on strike for 61 days in the dead of winter, and tried to use a Colorado-based scab nursing agency, U.S. Nursing, to bring in replacements. This time, however, the outcome was different. On March 16, 1993, after the longest strike in Illinois nursing history, the St. Joe\u27s Nurses Association/INA signed their first contract with the medical center. Had it not been for the overwhelming community support, built over the months of organizing and negotiating, there is little chance that we would have won our struggle for a union. We gained support not only because our cause was just, but because we had strong primary and secondary leadership in the union and a communication network which reached every St. Joe\u27s nurse. We took these same strengths and skills and applied them in the public arena. Anti-union management, union-busting lawyers and consultants could not stop us

Protection contre nématodes à galles : intérêt de la gestion des rotations culturales

Les nématodes à galles (Meloidogyne spp.) sont des ravageurs particulièrement préoccupants en maraîchage biologique sous abri en zone méditerranéenne. Les techniques « alternatives » ne donnent pas de résultats suffisants en conditions de forte infestation. Le but de cette étude, menée dans le Sud-Est de la France, est d’évaluer l’intérêt de l’insertion de plantes mauvais hôtes des nématodes dans la rotation dans des conditions de forte infestation. Un essai « rotation », dans lequel nous comparons une rotation « moins sensible » à une rotation témoin sensible faisant alterner une culture de salade à l’automne et une courgette au printemps, a été mis en place en 2008 pour 4 ans. Les premiers résultats techniques sont encourageants, avec moins d’attaques sur la rotation moins sensible, mais les résultats économiques sont nettement inférieurs dans cette modalité. L’étude se poursuit pour voir si la différenciation des cultures pendant 3 ans se traduit par des différences de niveau d’infestation sur une même culture sensible en 2011. En parallèle, nous avons identifié 12 espèces moins sensibles parmi les légumes cultivés dans la région par enquêtes auprès de producteurs, et évalué leur statut d’hôte par des essais au champ en comparaison à un témoin salade. Les résultats montrent que les 12 espèces sont toutes moins sensibles que la salade, et que 5 sont particulièrement moins touchées : l’oignon, le fenouil, le poireau, la mâche et la roquette. Ces espèces devraient être cultivées en priorité pour diminuer les niveaux d’infestation

Fertilisation de la courge de plein champ en AB

Un essai fertilisation comparant différentes doses d'azote total apportées (0-50-100-150 unités/ha) et 2 formes d'engrais organique(tourteau de ricin et Orga 6)a été conduit en plein champ pendant l'été 2009. Les résultats montrent que l'optimum agronomique et économique de cet essai est de 100 unités/ha apportées avec le tourteau de ricin, qui s'avère plus efficient que l'autre engrais testé

LA FINANCE ISLAMIQUE ET LA REFONDATION FINANCIER

La France découvre la finance islamique, l’Angleterre la pratique intégralement depuis quelques années et les Etats-Unis sont loin de l’ignorer. L’objet de cette étude est de rappeler sa longue histoire, d’en préciser les fondements, de voir ce qui distingue le système bancaire islamique du système conventionnel, mais aussi ce qui l’en rapproche. Ce qui permettra, ensuite, de voir comment elle évolue dans le système financier international, en insistant plus particulièrement sur la place de la finance islamique dans le système financier anglo-saxon et dans le système financier français

Video from Greenresilient

Innovative production in the greenhouse: flower strips, mixed crops, plant mulc

Multi-site study of a new approach to farm work within the framework of organic vegetable production: permanent crop beds

The mineralization rate of a commercial organic fertiliser was evaluated over the course of three years in an organic rice field in the Camargue (France). The effect of different mounts of fertiliser applied at different periods was tested. The organic fertiliser rapidly mineralised under flooded conditions. On the basis of this result, we demonstrated that an adaptation of organic fertilisation practices, similar to those employed for mineral fertilisers, would result in the optimisation of organic fertilisers, leading to improved profitability

Childhood and adulthood passive and active smoking, and the ABO group as risk factors for pancreatic cancer in women

Objectives Active smoking and the A blood group are associated with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PC) risk. However, potential interactions between those risk factors and the role of passive smoking have been little investigated. We aimed to explore specific and joint associations of passive and active smoking, and effect modification by the ABO blood group in French women. Methods The study included 96,594 women from the E3N prospective cohort, mean age: 49 years (SD 6.7). Information on active and passive smoking was reported at inclusion and throughout follow-up. Cases were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases 10. Associations with passive and active smoking and effect modification by the ABO blood group were investigated with multivariable Cox regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results During a 24-year median follow-up, 346 incident PC cases were identified. Current smoking compared with never and former smoking (HR 1.51 [95% CI 1.08–2.10]), and passive smoking in childhood compared with no childhood exposure (HR 1.47 [95% CI 1.08–2.00]) were associated with increased PC risk, but not passive exposure in adulthood (HR 1.16 [95% CI 0.91–1.47]). Exposure to both passive smoking in childhood and current smoking was associated with a stronger risk (HR 2.80 [95% CI 1.42–5.52]) than exposure to both current smoking and passive smoking only in adulthood (HR 1.68 [95% CI 1.10–2.57]) compared with neither passive nor active smoking. Associations between active smoking and PC risk were strongest in the O or B groups, while associations with passive smoking were strongest in the A or AB blood groups, but the interaction terms were not statistically significant. Conclusions Both current smoking and passive smoking in childhood were associated with PC risk, with a maximal risk of current smokers exposed to passive smoking during childhood. Possible interactions between blood groups and active or passive smoking must be investigated in a larger series

Conservation tillage in organic farming

Organic farmers are interested in adopting conservation tillage to preserve soil quality and fertility and to prevent soil erosion. Within the framework of a French national study, we compared conventional (ploughing) and conservation tillage systems in organic farming for arable and vegetable cropping systems. Field experiments and on-farm surveys were conducted in several regions of France in order to assess the effects of different tillage systems on soil fertility (physical, chemical, biological) and on weed and crop development. Conservation tillage techniques induced a more compact soil, an increase of carbon and microorganisms in the first soil layer, and an increase of earthworm biomass for very superficial tillage. Weed control was only a major problem for the very superficial tillage, which in turn generated lower crop yields than conventional tillage. The main issues raised by this programme deal with the long-term effects of these techniques on soil fertility, and the improvement of conservation tillage techniques in organic farming