The Rural Voice, 2006-10, Page 51so
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The leading edge
Alberta grows Russian health plant
In the constant search for valuable
new crops, Alberta researchers are
hoping farmers m their province will
get a boost from a plant used to
increase the endurance of Russian
Cosmonauts and Olympic athletes.
Rhodiola rosea, a tough, rubbery -
looking plant that thrives in Alberta's
cold winters and long summer days is
becoming a popular health food
product. The Alberta government is
aiming to have 370 acres of the plant
growing by 2010, in combination with
a strong processing operation, said
Kwesi Ampong-Nyarko, a research
scientist with Alberta Agriculture's
research division.
It's the job of Ampong-Nyarko to
figure out how the plant grows, ideal
spacing width, herbicide use and
harvesting techniques.
Last year, project organizers gave
away 500,000 seedlings to help
establish the industry, followed by
another 400,000 this year. It's hoped
the seedlings will reduce the startup
costs for farmers and develop a strong
base of growers. Currently there are
48 growers, most in the area north of
Edmonton and the Peace River where
there are long summer daylight hours.
"Our objective is to have a field -to -
medicine -cabinet approach," said
Ampong-Nyarko.
Rhodiola is known as an
adaptogen: a product that helps the
body cope with stress. Its root and
crown contain the active ingredient
rosavins, which is used in the health
food industry and is expected to reach
a value of $80-$120 million.
Until recently the plant has been
collected only from wild areas of
Russia. With depleting native sources
and increasing demand, agriculture
officials hope Alberta will be able to
fill the demand.
The plant has already outshone
echinacea as a better crop for the
Prairies. After four years of study in
plots at the Crop Development Centre
North, outside Edmonton, only 10 per
cent of echinacea plants have
survived. Meanwhile rhodiola has
shown the ability to survive. The
perennial plant is one of the first
plants out of the ground in the spring.
The plants are started in the
greenhouse in January from seeds
imported from Finland, then planted
in the fields in June. The plant takes
three to five years to reach maturity,
which is when the roots are harvested.
Gordon Steinraths of Barrhead,
Alberta, have been growing rhodiola
for four years. "It's an extremely
hardy plant," he said. "Its survival rate
is incredible."
Last year some three-year-old roots
were harvested and analyzed over the
winter showed high levels of rosavins.
The longer the plant grows, the higher
the levels of rosavins. The balancing
act for farmers is to delay harvest until
the levels are high, but not leave the
plant too long to make the crop
uneconomical.
Steinraths and his brother have
about seven acres of the crop seeded
and expect the demand for natural
health products to outstrip supply.0
Source — The Western Producer
Biological control found for apple scab
Since the dawn of apple growing, apple scab, caused by Venturia inaequalis,
has been a major concern. The disease attacks foliage. blossoms and fruits by
defoliating trees. The dark lesions and black spots on the fruit make it unsuitable
for market. Fungicides are the traditional method of control but alternatives are
needed as this fungus develops resistance to fungicides.
An Agriculture and Agri -Food Canada research team in Saint -Jean -sur -
Richelieu, Quebec, are investigating an indigenous fungus, Microsphaeropsis
ochraceae, for biological control of apple scab. The research team showed that
application of this biological control agent soon after fruit harvest, significantly
reduces scab risk the next spring and hence reduces the number of fungicides
required in orchards with low levels of scab or maintains low amounts of fruit
scab in heavily scabbed orchards.0
— Source: Agriculture and Agri -Food Canada
More twins in U.S. since
rBST approved
A new U.S. study suggests
rBST, the synthetic hormone used
on U.S. dairy cattle to promote
milk production, can have an
effect on humans. The study
shows American women who
regularly eat dairy products are
five times more likely to give birth
to twins, compared to women who
adhere to a vegan diet and shun all
animal products.
Gary Steinman, the lead
researcher at the Albert Einstein
College of Medicine in New York,
explained the growth hormones
stimulate the cow's production of
a protein called insulin -like growth
hormone, or IGF. That means
people who consume dairy
products such as milk in the U.S.
(rBST is illegal in Canada), they
are also ingesting the IGF. Much
of the IGF "survives passage
through the (human) digestive
tract," noted Dr. Steinman. In fact,
dairy consumers end up with blood
levels of IGF 13 per cent higher
than vegans.
Dr. Steinman speculates that
the elevated levels of IGF trigger
the release of additional eggs when
a woman ovulates — increasing
her chances of giving birth to
twins. Multiple births are much
more risky for mothers and infants
compared with a singleton birth,
he says.
Other factors, including family
history and genetics, obviously
play a role in twin pregnancies.
And Dr. Steinman's study,
published in the Journal of
Reproductive Medicine, must be
confirmed by more research.
Still, "Canadian consumers can
be reassured the milk they drink is
produced in Canada" from cows
not treated with rBST, said a
Health Canada spokesperson.
Health Canada refused
approval of rBST in the early
1990s though at the time there was
no clear evidence it could harm
people.0
Source — The Globe and Mail
OCTOBER 2006 47