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Bees Like Diversity: Polycultures Can Support Many Kinds of Pollinators

Agriculture depends on pollination from insects, specifically wild bees; however, habitat alteration and climate change are impacting biodiversity, and subsequently pollination. Agriculture can either provide resources to support pollinator communities or contribute to their decline. Large-scale…

CAI Report - Pest and pollinator assessment on Vancouver Island

This report reviews and summarizes current resources, monitoring activities and research related to agriculturally relevant pests, pollinators and beneficial insects in the Vancouver Island region. Gaps, opportunities and priorities are identified, and climate change considerations are included.

Northern BC (Bulkley-Nechako and Fraser-Fort George): Finding our farm pollinators

Insects pollinate many crops. In some cases, this process is essential for food production (and hence, food security); however, in other cases, insect pollination may not be essential but can greatly increase yields. Understanding the pollination services being provided in an area requires…

Improving highbush blueberry nitrogen management with nitrification inhibitors

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of nitrification inhibitors, applied with two nitrogen fertilizer rates (60 vs. 120 kg N/ha) and two fertigation systems (suspended vs. buried), on blueberry yield and soil nitrate and ammonium levels.In British Columbia (BC), ammonium sulfate…

Balancing nitrogen and phosphorus on vegetable farms in southwest BC

To better understand the tradeoffs farmers face between nutrient management strategies, we evaluated three different approaches in two years of field trials across 20 mixed vegetable farms located in Pemberton, Vancouver Island, and in the Fraser Valley.Like many crops, vegetables require…

Economic and environmental benefits of reducing nitrogen fertilization in potato fields

This study evaluated the economic and environmental tradeoffs of three nitrogen application rates (0, 90, and 120 kg N per hectare) in potato production.Decades of intensive cultivation, along with challenges caused by inherent soil properties (poor drainage, fine soil textures), in the Fraser…