COMMERCIAL Vegetable Production on the Prairies Commercial Vegetable Production on the Prairies
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COMMERCIAL Vegetable Production on the Prairies Commercial Vegetable Production on the Prairies Purchase the printed edition of Commercial Vegetable Production on the Prairies for only $20. Buy it on-line at rtw.ca/vegetable Published by: Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Information Management Division 7000 – 113 Street Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6H 5T6 Editor: Chris Kaulbars Graphic Designer: Lee Harper Page Production: J.A. Serafinchon Copyright © 2014. Her Majesty the Queen in right of Alberta (Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without written permission from the Information Management Division, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. No Endorsement Given: This publication should not be taken as an endorsement by Her Majesty the Queen in right of Alberta of the products or services mentioned herein. Disclaimer: Responsibility for interpretation or application of the content contained in this publication rests with the user. Information in this publication is provided solely for the user’s information and while thought to be accurate, is provided strictly “as is” and without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. Her Majesty, the publishers and contributors to this publication, and their agents, employees or contractors will not be liable to you for any damages, direct or indirect, or lost profits arising out of your use of this publication. ISBN 978-0-7732-6112-9 Printed in Canada Copies of this publication may be purchased from: Publications Office Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Telephone: 1-800-292-5697 (toll free in Canada) OR call 780-427-0391 See the website: www.agriculture.alberta.ca/publications for information about other publications, CD-ROMs and DVDs. Purchase the printed edition of Commercial Vegetable Production on the Prairies for only $20. Buy it on-line at rtw.ca/vegetable ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Project Team Lead/Editor Robert Spencer – Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (AARD) Project Team (Project Planning) Connie Achtymichuk – Saskatchewan Brian Hunt – Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Ministry of Agriculture (SK Ag) Rural Development (MAFRD) Belinda Choban – AARD Dr. Ron Howard – (formerly with AARD) Brent Elliott – (formerly with Manitoba Dr. Philip Northover – (formerly with Manitoba Agriculture, Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives – MAFRI) Food and Rural Initiatives – MAFRI and SK Ag) Dr. Ken Fry – Olds College Dr. Doug Waterer – University of Saskatchewan (U of S) Betty Birch – (formerly with AARD) Writing/Review Connie Achtymichuk – SK Ag Brian Hunt – MAFRD Brent Elliott Dustin Morton – AARD Dr. Ken Fry – Olds College Dr. Philip Northover Tom Gonsalves – MAFRD Robert Spencer – AARD Dr. Michael Harding – AARD Dr. Doug Waterer – U of S Manuscript Editing Carolyn King Other Contributions Jackie Bantle – U of S John Gillmore – AARD Kathy Bosse – AARD Justin Schaeffer – U of S Dr. Jim Broatch – AARD Gillian Spencer Funding for portions of the development of this publication was provided through Growing Forward 2, a federal, provincial, territorial initiative. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions and assistance of the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. iii Purchase the printed edition of Commercial Vegetable Production on the Prairies for only $20. Buy it on-line at rtw.ca/vegetable Purchase the printed edition of Commercial Vegetable Production on the Prairies for only $20. Buy it on-line at rtw.ca/vegetable CONTENTS Acknowledgements Establishing a desired plant stand ...........................................37 Success in seeding............................................... 37 Introduction Seed factors ......................................................... 44 Purpose of this manual .........................3 Achieving accurate plant density .......................... 44 Manual origins and foundations ............3 Vegetative propagation material ........................... 46 Transplanting ........................................................ 48 Fall seeding .......................................................... 50 Getting Started Water ...................................................52 Business planning .................................7 Quantity ................................................................ 52 Market research...................................................... 7 Quality .................................................................. 52 Production costs ..................................................... 7 Water licensing ..................................................... 52 Business plan ......................................................... 7 Irrigation...............................................53 Production planning ...............................7 Costs .................................................................... 53 Site selection .......................................................... 8 Irrigation systems ................................................. 54 Irrigation system design........................................ 58 Field Production Fertigation............................................................. 58 Irrigation management.........................59 Introduction ..........................................17 Water use requirements ....................................... 59 General crop production ......................17 Soil moisture determination .................................. 66 Crop planning ....................................................... 17 Growing season extension ..................67 Fertility .................................................19 Transplants ........................................................... 68 Raised beds.......................................................... 68 Soil testing ............................................................ 20 Soil mulches ......................................................... 68 Plant tissue analysis ............................................. 26 Microclimate modification ..................................... 72 Managing soil fertility ............................................ 27 Equipment ............................................................ 75 Seedbed preparation and seed germination .................................34 Seedbed preparation ............................................ 34 v Purchase the printed edition of Commercial Vegetable Production on the Prairies for only $20. Buy it on-line at rtw.ca/vegetable Harvest and post-harvest Disease management......................................... 117 management........................................75 Spray equipment ................................................ 120 Pesticide storage and shelf life ........................... 122 Harvest management ........................................... 76 Pesticide handling and safety ............................. 122 Post-harvest handling ........................................... 78 Pesticide regulations .......................................... 122 Storage and storage management........................................80 Business Management Factors influencing storage lifespan ..................... 81 Storage conditions for vegetables ........................ 81 Introduction ........................................125 Storage planning and design ................................ 84 Labour ...............................................125 Transplant Production Risk management..............................125 Introduction ..........................................93 Food safety ........................................125 Basic principles of food safety ............................ 126 Containers and trays ...........................93 Organic production ............................127 Growing media ....................................93 Growing media characteristics ............................. 94 Marketing ...........................................127 Sterilization ........................................................... 94 Marketing channels ............................................ 128 Improving market share ...................................... 128 Transplant production ..........................94 Associations ....................................................... 129 Seeding ................................................................ 94 Regulations......................................................... 129 Fertilizer ................................................................ 95 Moisture ................................................................ 95 Temperature ......................................................... 95 Vegetable Production Light ...................................................................... 96 Recommendations Disease management........................................... 96 Insect pest management ...................................... 97 Introduction ........................................133 Field transplanting ...............................97 Root vegetables.................................133 Beets .................................................................. 133 Pest Management Carrots ................................................................ 138 Parsnips.............................................................. 148 Managing