AG e-news February 16, 2021
News and events from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
COVID-19 UPDATES
Please continue to exercise caution and follow guidelines. For updated health and safety protocols, visit https://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus/latest-updates-and-safety#latest-covid-19-updates.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, February 17 – The next episode in the Faculty Conversation Series will feature Kyle Bobiwash, Entomology, Emily Missyabit MacAuley, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Erica Oberndorfer, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, on the topic “Indigenous engagement and leadership in science “. Event starts at 3:30 pm – visit the livestream link at https://youtu.be/dudWXGub6Bc.
Thursday, February 18 – The Manitoba Co-operator presents Hot Topics in Commodities – Soybeans in partnership with Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers, an online presentation that will feature Kristen MacMillan, Plant Science on the topic “Putting Soybeans to Work on Your Farm” at 11:00 am. Register for free at https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/hot-topics/soybeans/
February 23-25 – The Manitoba Protein Summit will offer participants the opportunity to learn more about sustainable protein industry growth, market and consumer insights, and protein innovations. The Summit will feature speakers from the United Nations (Switzerland), Nourish Food Marketing (Canada), Big Idea Ventures (New York), and other organizations including Wageningen University and Research (Netherlands), The Good Food Institute (Washington), EY Parthenon (Chicago), HyLife, Roquette Canada, University of Manitoba including our own Jim House and Emma McGeough, Sysco, Maple Leaf Foods, Viresco, Cargill Protein and more! Register today: https://www.accelevents.com/e/MBProteinSummit.
Wednesday, February 24 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Dr. Amana Kedir, School of Science and the Environment, Memorial University of Newfoundland, on the topic “Phosphorus dynamics in the boreal Podzols converted to agriculture” at 12:30 pm. Please contact Lynda Whitlam (lynda.whitlam@umanitoba.ca) for information on how to connect.
March 1-3 – Join us virtually for the 2021 Sustainability of Canadian Agriculture Conference: Changing environment, changing farms. This online conference co-hosted by the University of Manitoba’s National Centre for Livestock and the Environment and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will feature morning workshops and afternoon panel discussions with producers, researchers, and industry specialists representing both crop and livestock sectors. The three days will provide opportunities to explore novel ideas and concepts, including an exciting session with graduate students who will share their research through short videos. Visit https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/sustainability-canadian-agriculture-2021 for the full program. While this event is free, only registered delegates will receive a link to the event, so register today at https://plannersplus.us16.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a0d0a5330263c4c8fc575e7ee&id=20b694d7d2.
Tuesday, March 2 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Steve Robinson, Department of Entomology, on the topic “A taxonomic revision of Protandrena subgenus Pterosarus (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)”. Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.
Wednesday, March 3 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Jess Nicksy and Joanne Thiessen Martens, Department of Soil Science, on the topic “What goes around comes around: The agronomy of closing the human nutrient cycle” at 12:30 pm. Please contact Lynda Whitlam (lynda.whitlam@umanitoba.ca) for information on how to connect.
Wednesday, March 3 – There will be a special Faculty seminar at 3:00 pm featuring Dr. Chithra Karunakaran from the Canadian Light Source on the topic “Advancements in agriculture research using synchrotron imaging techniques”. Zoom meeting details to be posted shortly at https://eventscalendar.umanitoba.ca/site/fafs/event/special-seminar—advancements-in-agriculture-research-using-synchrotron-imaging-techniques/
Wednesday, March 10 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Takudzwa Nawu, Department of Soil Science, on the topic “Organic amendment effects on productivity of well sites reclaimed with suboptimal topsoil replacement depth” at 12:30 pm. Please contact Lynda Whitlam (lynda.whitlam@umanitoba.ca) for information on how to connect.
Thursday, March 11 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Curt McCartney, Department of Plant Science, with topic TBA.
Tuesday, March 16 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Massimo Martini, Department of Entomology, on the topic “Pollination community composition and network structure in roadside verges and powerline easement corridors of Manitoba”. Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.
Wednesday, March 17 – The March episode in the Faculty Conversation Series will feature Jitendra Paliwal, Colin Gilmore and Kurt Hildebrand – topic is TBA. Event starts at 3:30 pm – livestream link to be posted shortly to the Faculty’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnP8jN77p7EyhCQTAcRExHQ.
Thursday, March 18 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from DuoDuo Wang, PhD candidate, Department of Plant Science, on the topic “Evaluation of fusarium head blight in rye and fungicide efficacy in fusarium head blight mitigation” To watch, register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/791980836195966733.
STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS
The Glenlea Research Station is pleased to announce the appointment of Hamid Khalouei as the Agricultural Attendant 2 within the Dairy Unit as of February 1, 2021. Hamid completed his Masters within the Department of Animal Science at the University of Manitoba and also brings industry experience to the dairy team. As an Agricultural Attendant 2, Hamid will help look after day-to-day animal care tasks while supporting research activities within the dairy facility.
A number of Soil Science graduate students won prizes at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Manitoba Soil Science Society on February 4-5. Sarah Johnson received the best poster pitch prize. Joanne Thiessen Martens was presented the best general oral presentation prize. Jess Nicksy received the second best general oral presentation prize.
Jim House, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, will speak at the upcoming Manitoba Protein Summit on issues related to sustainable protein (see details in Coming Events), including efforts underway to advance the Manitoba Protein Research Strategy. Dr. Erin Goldberg, Research Associate, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, is leading stakeholder surveys as part of the research strategy, to gather data on the infrastructure and expertise related to sustainable protein research. For more information, please contact mbprotein@umanitoba.ca.
Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, made a presentation to Farm Credit Canada on February 9 on the topic “Canadian food and agricultural trade under a new US administration”.
Jess Nicksy successfully defended her Soil Science MSc thesis on February 8. Her thesis was titled “Circular Nutrients for Supplying Phosphorus and Closing Urban to Rural Nutrient Cycles in Organically Managed Cropping Systems.”
IN THE NEWS
Martin Scanlon, Dean, and Rob Duncan, Plant Science, were quoted in the article “Pandemic problem solving” in the Western Grains Research Foundation magazine Research Review – see page 12 at https://wgrf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/WGRF_Magazine_2021_FINALweb.pdf.
Sean Asselin, PhD graduate from Plant Science, was featured in the article “Next generation researchers” in the Western Grains Research Foundation magazine Research Review – see page 20 at https://wgrf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/WGRF_Magazine_2021_FINALweb.pdf.
Natalie Riediger, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was quoted in the article “The downsides of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax” in the Manitoban (February 2) – https://www.themanitoban.com/2021/02/the-downsides-of-a-sugar-sweetened-beverage-tax/41389/.
PUBLICATIONS
R.-M. Guillermic, E.C. Aksoy, S. Aritan, C. Erkinbaev, J. Paliwal, F. Koksel 2021. X-Ray microtomography imaging of red lentil puffed snacks: Processing conditions, microstructure and texture. Food Research International. 140, 109996, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109996.
Duchene, O., Dumont, B., Cattani, D.J., Fagnant, L., Schlautman, B., DeHaan, L.R., Barriball, S., Jungers, J.M., Picasso, V.D., David, C. and F. Celette. 2021. Phenological development of Thinopyrum intermedium highlights the importance of dual induction for reproductive growth and agronomic performance. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology https://doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108341.
Connolly A, Cermeño M, Alashi AM, Aluko RE, FitzGerald RJ. 2021. Generation of phenolic-rich extracts from brewers’ spent grain and characterisation of their in vitro and in vivo activities. Innov. Food Sci. Emerg. Technol. 68, 102617.
Singh BP, Aluko RE, Hati S, Solanki D. 2021. Bioactive peptides in the management of lifestyle-related diseases: Current trends and future perspectives. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. In press.
Idowu AO, Alashi AM, Nwachukwu ID, Fagbemi TN, Aluko RE. 2021. Functional properties of sesame (Sesamum indicum Linn) seed protein fractions. Food Prod. Process. Nutr. 3, 4.
Mittal A, Singh A, Aluko RE, Benjakul S. 2021. Chitosan from Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) shell and its epigallocatechin gallate conjugates: Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. J. Food Biochem. 45, e13569.
Chotphruethipong L, Sukketsiri W, Aluko RE, Sae-leaw T, Benjakul S. 2021. Effect of hydrolyzed collagen from defatted Asian sea bass (Lates calcarifer) skin on fibroblast proliferation, migration and antioxidant activities. J. Food Sci. Technol. 58, 541-551.
Jim House, Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, recently co-authored two papers to explore the nutrient quality, including the quality of dietary protein intake, of the diets of Canadian adults, as a function of the ratio of animal to plant protein in the diet. The research represented an analysis of the nutrient intake data collected from national surveys conducted as part of the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey. These papers are accepted in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, the host journal for the Canadian Nutrition Society – see below:
Dr. Hrvoje Fabek, Dr. Diana Sanchez-Hernandez, Dr. Mavra Ahmed, Dr. Christopher P.F. Marinangeli, Dr. James D House, and Dr. G. Harvey Anderson. An examination of contributions of animal- and plant-based dietary patterns on the nutrient quality of diets of adult Canadians. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. Just-IN https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2020-1039
Dr. Eric Doucet, Dr. Kevin Hall, Ms. Andrea Miller, Prof. Valerie H Taylor, Ms. Maria Ricupero, Dr. Jess Haines, Dr. Paula Brauer, Dr. Kimberly A. Gudzune, Dr. James D House, and Ms. Rupinder Dhaliwal. Emerging Insights in Weight Management and Prevention: Implications for Practice and Research. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. Just-IN https://doi-org.uml.idm.oclc.org/10.1139/apnm-2020-0585
The citation for Dilantha Fernando, Plant Science, who was the recipient of the 2020 Canadian Phytopathological Society Oustanding Research Award, was published in the Candian Journal of Plant Pathology – https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07060661.2021.1883943?src=
GENERAL NEWS
The Department of Plant Sciences has posted the position of Station Supervisor – Research Technician, Ian N. Morrison Research Farm, Carman & Region Facility. Deadline to apply is February 19 – see the posting here https://viprecprod.ad.umanitoba.ca/default.aspx?REQ_ID=14479.
The University of Manitoba 2020 T4 and T4A are now available on Employee Self Service (ESS) portal. Use the secure ESS login by following these simple steps: Log in to VIP https://vip.umanitoba.ca and click My Pay -> T4 -> Print or download. Inquiries about the T4/T4A can be forwarded to Payroll@umanitoba.ca or visit https://umanitoba.ca/admin/financial_services/payroll/index.html for the staff contact list
Several of our alumni were named recipients of the 150 Manitoba Women Trailblazer Awards presented by the Nellie McClung Foundation – congratulations to Elaine Froese, Linda Malcolmson, The Honourable Janice Filmon, Debora Durnin-Richards, and Tannis Richardson, and to all the nominees. See complete list at https://www.nelliemcclungfoundation.com/mb-150-trailblazers.
The Manitoba Farm Safety Program is hosting free virtual mental health literacy training throughout the months of January, February and March 2021. The training is focused on mental health and illness, how to promote your own wellbeing, how to recognize mental health struggles in others, and how to provide assistance. Details and registration at https://www.manitobafarmsafety.ca/upcoming-events.
Call for Nominations! The Certificate of Merit is presented by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and the School of Agriculture in recognition of leadership with agricultural organizations and outstanding service to the community at large. Each year two Certificates of Merit are presented, normally, one to a graduate of the Agriculture Diploma program, and one to a graduate of the Agriculture Degree program. Nominations are considered by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Executive Committee – deadline has been extended to February 22, 2021. More information about the nomination process including a list of previous recipients can be found at http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/school/merit.html.
Students in Food and Human Nutrition Sciences are looking for your participation in a study regarding Canada’s Food Guide via a short (about 10 minute) online questionnaire to examine the general awareness, perception and use of the 2019 Canada’s Food Guide among adults living in Canada, and how this relates to demographics and self-perceived health status. The results of this study will provide information to benefit Health Canada and health care practitioners such as registered dietitians in promoting the use of the 2019 Canada’s Food Guide to improve the dietary habits of Canadians. Read more and find the link at https://news.umanitoba.ca/do-you-know-your-canadas-food-guide/.