Summer Tour: Videos 4-5 released on Tuesday, Aug 11th
Video 4: Responding to replant disease with field research
The secrets of the soil await you and your guide Michelle Cortens, Tree Fruit Specialist with Perennia as you arrive at Nazinga Farm. Walking into a young planting you find Keith Fuller, Soil Scientist at AAFC, in the field. He explains apple replant disease and the reasoning behind the PicPlus field trial. Keith shares interesting results from all the field sites including the response in average tree growth. Just when you thought you couldn’t see the elusive nematode we dive into the microscope to understand Dr. Tom Forge’s (AAFC Nematologist) research and results. The research team was also lucky to have Dr. Shawkat Ali (AAFC Pathologist) to investigate the associated pathogens.
Video 5: Revealing replant disease in greenhouse research
Next your guide Michelle Cortens, Tree Fruit Specialist with Perennia takes you back to the Kentville Research and Development Centre. Swing around the back of the building to meet Keith Fuller, AAFC Soil Scientist, at the greenhouses. Keith explains the pot test for replant disease to detect the presence of apple replant disease in soils from old orchards. Collect a sample with Keith and then go into the greenhouse to prepare the experiment. After transplanting apple seedlings to compare growth in pasteurized and nonpasteurized soil, will the response be noticeably different? Absolutely.
