AG e-news November 26, 2019
News and events from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday, November 26 – A Human Nutritional Sciences Program Seminar will take place at 3:00 pm in Room 207 Human Ecology Building. A number of poster presentations will be made: Olena Kloss: “Nutrition Status of Pregnant First Nations Women Living in Manitoban Northern Reserves: Implications for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder”; Yidi Wang: “Effects of Energy Dense Diet on Ceramides and Neuroapoptosis in Neonatal Brain in Rats Exposed to Ethanol During Gestation”; Gerardo Medina: “The temporal and dosage effects of LPS administration on markers of inflammation and SAA metabolism in Wistar rats”; Brianne Collette: “Exploration of General & Sport Nutrition Knowledge of Canadian Curling Populations”; and Veronika Shulgina: “Examining Health at Every Size (HAES) Approach as a Weight Loss Alternative”.
Wednesday, November 27 – Manitoba Agriculture Industry Leadership Section is hosting a Learn and Lead Seminar – Human Resources and the Board at the Stride Centre in Portage la Prairie. The daylong event will help participants identify human resource factors that affect agriculture organizations, and will feature sessions by Janice Goldsborough, who is also an instructor with the School of Agriculture. Register by November 18. There is a registration fee of $50 per person, which includes lunch and nutrition breaks. Bring your cheque made payable to the Minister of Finance to the workshop. Reserve your spot today by emailing leadership [at] gov [dot] mb [dot] ca or by calling Manitoba Agriculture at 204-748-4770.
Wednesday, November 27 – There is an Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics Seminar at 3:00 pm in Room 252 Agriculture Building. Barry Coyle, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, will present “Impacts of Wages (and Output Price Supports) on Industry Profits in Market Equilibrium with Entry/Exit: Surprising Results”. Everyone welcome!
Thursday, November 28 – The Department of Soil Science Special Presentations for Candidate for Assistant Professor position in Soil Science will feature Dr. Jennifer Cooper with a Research Seminar at 8:30 am in 346 Ellis Building on “How to harness biogeochemical relationships between carbon, nutrients, and mineral oxides in anthropogenic soil environments for our benefit”. All are welcome to attend! Coffee and donuts provided.
Thursday, November 28 – The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Students’ Organization is hosting their annual Head Shave N’ Shine from 12-2 pm in the Agriculture Atrium in support of the Movember Foundation. There will be a Taco in a Bag lunch for $5 and a Moustache Competition with prizes for top student and top professor! If you or anyone you know would like to participate or donate, please email Camella boyache4 [at] myumanitoba [dot] ca or Willem boersmaw [at] myumanitoba [dot] ca.
Thursday, November 28 – There will be a M.Sc. Thesis Defense (Human Nutritional Sciences) at 1:00 pm in 104 RCFFN, as Md. Jiaur Rahman presents “Characterization of Local Canadian Beer and Brewers’ Spent Grain through the Identification of Phenolics and Evaluation of their Antioxidant Activities”.
Thursday, November 28 – There will be a Department of Plant Science Advanced Plant Science Seminar on “Plant Microbial Interactions on Plant and Human Health” presented by Dr. Champa Wijekoon, Research Scientist, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, St. Boniface Hospital. Seminar will be held at 3:30 pm in the Carolyn Sifton Lecture Theatre, 130 Agriculture Building. Coffee at 3 p.m. Everyone welcome!
Friday, November 29 – The Department of Soil Science Special Presentations for Candidate for Assistant Professor position in Soil Science will feature Dr. Jennifer Cooper with a Lecture Seminar at 8:30 am in 344 Ellis Building on “Introduction to soil science – a soil biogeochemist’s perspective”. All are welcome to attend! Coffee and donuts provided.
Friday, November 29 – The participants and Department of Plant Science are hosting a Movember fundraising BBQ on Friday November 29 from 12:00 to 1 pm in the Plant Science courtyard/atrium. Please also visit their Movember page (https://psmovember.wixsite.com/2019) to see the participants and cast your mustache vote for the best, the worst, and the most creative. Help them achieve their fundraising goal of $500 (all proceeds will go to CancerCare Manitoba).
Saturday, November 30 – It is time once again for Breakfast on the Farm with Santa! Enjoy a pancake and sausage breakfast at the Farm and Food Discovery Centre, take a picture with Santa and explore the farm. Events run from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Admission: $5.00 + GST per person 5+, $3.50 per child 3 – 4 years old. Pre-registration is required at ffdc [at] umanitoba [dot] ca or (204) 883-2524.
December 2-4 – The Manitoba Watersheds Conference will take place at Canad Inns. The event offers engagement with 400+ delegates from conservation, agriculture, government, and Manitoba’s 18 Conservation Districts, which spend over $10 million each year protecting Manitoba’s soil, water, habitat, and climate. Registration and draft agenda at https://www.manitobawatersheds.org/conference.
Monday, December 2 – There will be a Soil Science M.Sc. Thesis Defense by Kate Dorrian on the topic “Effects of Genotype, Weather and FHB Fungicide/Pre-harvest Glyphosate on Wheat Quality and Gluten Strength for Breadmaking” at 1:00 pm in 346 Ellis Building.
Tuesday, December 3 – A Department of Entomology Seminar will be presented by Dr. Vincent Hervet, Stored product entomology, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Winnipeg, on “Parasitoids”. Refreshments at 10:00 am, seminar begins at 10:10 am sharp in 220 Animal Science/Entomology Building. All are welcome.
Tuesday, December 3 – A Human Nutritional Sciences Program Seminar will take place at 3:00 pm in Room 207 Human Ecology Building. A number of poster presentations will be made: Matt Granger: “Ascorbic acid efflux in a Xenopus laevis oocyte model”; Ramandeep Kaur : “Role of naturally occurring dietary plant sterols and circulating plant sterols on cardiovascular risk biomarkers”; Trevor Kouritzin: “The Effects of the Dietary Supplement Cardioflex On Reducing Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors In Adults”; and Michelle Dyck: “Food Service Satisfaction and Nutritional Status in Long Term Care: Making the Most of Mealtimes Study (M3)”
December 3-5 – Glacier FarmMedia is hosting the Farm Forum Event in Saskatoon, SK. A number of faculty will be speakers including keynotes by Martin Entz, Plant Science, and David Lobb, Soil Science. Visit https://farmforumevent.com/attend/#Schedule to learn more.
Thursday, December 5 – There will be a Department of Plant Science Advanced Plant Science Seminar on “Gene Editing in Leptosphaeria maculans: Exploring Strategies for Disease Management in the Arms Race Between Canola and Blackleg” presented by Dr. Zhongwei Zou, Research Associate, Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba. Seminar will be held at 3:30 pm in the Carolyn Sifton Lecture Theatre, 130 Agriculture Building. Coffee at 3 p.m. Everyone welcome!
Friday, December 6 – Last day of classes. Exam period runs December 9-20 (last day of exams December 18 for Diploma students).
Monday, December 9 – There will be a Soil Science M.Sc. Thesis Defense by Mauli Gamhewage on the topic “Pesticides in water-column and bottom sediments of four Manitoba rivers” at 1:00 pm in 346 Ellis Building.
Wednesday, December 11 and Thursday, December 12 – The 2019 Manitoba Agronomists Conference themed “On-Farm Research: Building Real World Solutions” will be held in Room 172 Agriculture Building and via webcast. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN. The cost is $225. Register by November 29 to take advantage of the early bird rate of $185. Register early for Winnipeg as space is limited. Graduate students are invited to attend as well as submit posters. Poster requirements and deadlines as well as registration information are on the MAC website at www.manitobaagronomistsconference.ca. Any inquiries can be directed to the MAC Coordinator, Laryssa Stevenson at mbagconf [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.
December 17-18 – The University of Minnesota will host the 15th annual Conservation Tillage Conference at the Holiday Inn, St. Cloud. Opening keystone speaker is David Lobb, Soil Science, and soil instructor Marla Reikman will provide sessions as well There will be more than 30 speakers, including researchers and farmers experienced in applied, hands-on soil health management. To register or for more information, visit https://extension.umn.edu/event/2019-conservation-tillage-conference.
STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS
Filiz Koksel, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was presented with the Young Scientist Research Award by the Cereals and Grains Association (formerly AACC International) for outstanding contributions in basic and applied research to cereal science, particularly for her work in in processing of cereals and pulses. She was recognized during the General Sessions at Cereals & Grains 19 in Denver, CO on November 4. https://twitter.com/cerealsgrains/status/1191405790311190529
The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences helped celebrate the generosity of Manitoba Pork at the National Philanthropy Award Luncheon held by the Manitoba Chapter of the Association of Professional Fundraisers in Winnipeg on November 15. The organization received the 2019 Outstanding Contribution to Philanthropy Award (Organization Under 100) for their exemplary community support, including contributions to the Faculty for outreach and research programs. Read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/faculty-donor-recognized-for-community-support/
Faculty alum Bob McNabb (BSA/69) announced as the newest inductee in the Conservation Hall of Fame for his dedication to soil conservation and health in Canada. He was officially honoured by the Soil Conservation Council of Canada at a ceremony on November 13. Read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/faculty-alum-inducted-into-canadian-conservation-hall-of-fame/.
Dilantha Fernando, Plant Science, was an invited panelist on CLUB DAY organized by Canola Council of Canada at the RBC Convention Centre, Winnipeg November 22. This was a forum consisting of university academics, research scientists, industry reps and growers to discuss possibilities of moving the canola seed industry in labeling canola cultivars with known resistance types against the clubroot pathogen of canola. As the seed industry has now started labeling canola cultivars having R-genes (resistance) against Blackleg in canola, a new Blackleg management tool (through R-gene rotations) that was introduced from research conducted in the Fernando lab with his collaborators.
Pamela Drawbridge, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences Ph.D. student, attended Cereals & Grains 19, a conference organized by the Cereals and Grains Association in Denver, CO, November 3-5. Pamela presented a poster titled “The effect of boiling on the phenolic content in Canadian hulless barley varieties”, which was co-authored by Polyanna Silveira-Hornung and Trust Beta.
Hannah Oduro-Obeng, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences Ph.D. student, attended the International Conference on Wheat Diversity and Human Health” held Istanbul, Turkey October 22-24. Hannah presented a poster on “Impact of boiling duration on the bioactive carotenoid content of durum wheat pasta”, which was co-authored by Bin Xiao Fu and Trust Beta.
Jitendra Paliwal, Associate Dean and Biosystems Engineering, was at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou (China) to attend the 4th International Symposium on Contemporary Food Engineering where he delivered a talk on Optimizing Bioprocessing via Mathematical Modelling. At the event, he was reappointed as an Honorary Visiting Professor for the 2019-2022 term at their School of Food Science and Engineering.
Rotimi Aluko, RCFFN Director and Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was an invited speaker at the 2nd China Section of the American Oil Chemists’ Society conference held November 8-10 in Guangzhou, China. His presentation was titled “Structural and functional properties of oilseed protein-derived bioactive peptides”. On November 11, he also gave an invited seminar talk to staff and students of School of Food Science and Engineering at the South China University of Technology, Guangzhou on the topic of “Food protein-derived bioactive peptides: fundamental and applied aspects”. From November 12-14, he was a guest of the College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, China where he delivered a lecture titled “Bioactive peptides: are the really effective?” and also discussed potential research collaborations.
The final numbers are in for the 2019 Aggie Bedpush and this year’s student charitable fundraising effort achieved over $19,000 in support of STARS Foundation. Congratulations to all who were involved and a big thank you to those who donated to the cause. See the big cheque at https://news.umanitoba.ca/students-raise-funds-in-support-of-stars/.
IN THE NEWS
Mario Tenuta and his team in Soil Science were featured in the article “Improving nitrogen use in corn” in Top Crop Manager (December 2019) – see page 10 at https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=634240#{%22issue_id%22:634240,%22page%22:10}.
David Lobb and his Soil Science team were featured in the article “Rolling without stones” in Top Crop Manager (December 2019) – see page 24 at https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=634240#{%22issue_id%22:634240,%22page%22:24}.
Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, was featured in the article “Calling all cover croppers!” in the Manitoba Co-operator (November 25) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/calling-all-cover-croppers/.
Alum Brooks White (DipAgric/99) and his wife Jen were featured in the article “Regenerative agriculture by accident” in the Manitoba Co-operator (November 22) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/livestock/regeneration-by-accident/
Joyce Slater, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was interviewed by CTV News (November 19) about the evaluation she led on the Bear Clan Patrol’s food security program along with Javier Mignone, CHS and Kaylee Michnik, NRI graduate – https://www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1832315
Derek Brewin, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, was interviewed by the Financial Post (November 18) in the article “First CN Rail strike in decade piles more woes on battered Western farmers” – https://business.financialpost.com/transportation/rail/looming-cn-strike-adds-to-woes-for-already-battered-western-farmers.
Michele Rogalsky, School of Agriculture and several students and parents were quoted in the article “When college grads come home to the farm” in Country Guide (November 14) – https://www.country-guide.ca/guide-business/when-college-grads-come-home-to-the-farm/
David Lobb, Soil Science, was quoted in the article “What’s blowing in the wind? Maybe not your soil” in the Manitoba Co-operator (November 12) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/whats-blowing-in-the-wind/
Recent alum Giselle McNally [BSc(Agric)/18] was featured in the UM Today story “Philanthropy jump-starts career for ag grad” (November 12) – https://news.umanitoba.ca/philanthropy-jump-starts-career-for-ag-grad/.
Alum Brett Sheffield (DipAgric/13) was highlighted in the article “Farm skills shape a path for fast-growing business venture” in the Country Guide (November 6) – https://www.country-guide.ca/guide-business/farm-skills-shape-a-path-for-fast-growing-business-venture/
Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, was quoted in the article “Seeding soybeans into rye” in Country Guide (November 5) – https://www.country-guide.ca/crops/seeding-soybeans-into-rye/
Kim Ominski, Animal Science, and alum Kristine Tapley [BSc(AgEcol)/12, MSc/16], were interviewed in the UM Today story “Are beef burgers bad for the environment?” (November 5) – https://news.umanitoba.ca/how-to-weigh-a-kilogram-of-beef/
Dilantha Fernando, Plant Science, was quoted in the article “New tool on the way for canola growers safeguards against blackleg” in the Manitoba Co-operator (November 4) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/new-tool-on-the-way-for-canola-growers-safeguards-against-blackleg/
Doug Cattani, Plant Science, was featured in the article “Kernza plant breeder recognized” in the Manitoba Co-operator (November 4) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/crops/kernza-breeder-recognized/
Martin Entz, Michelle Carkner and the rest of the Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) program team were noted in the article “Homegrown ’boutique wheat'” in Country Guide (November 4) – https://www.country-guide.ca/crops/homegrown-boutique-wheat/
Colin Penner, School of Agriculture and others were featured in the article “Manitoba young farmers get together for camaraderie and learning” in the KAP Farmers Voice magazine (Fall 2019) – http://www.lesterfiles.com/pubs/KAP/fall2019/page_34.html.
Gavin Betker, School of Agriculture, was quoted in the article Tackle some long-term tasks this winter” in the Manitoba Co-operator (October 30) – “https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/tackle-some-long-term-tasks-this-winter/
Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, was interviewed by CJWW radio on October 29 about international trade, and the current WTO dispute between Canada and China.
Carla Taylor, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was featured in the cover article in the CSA (Crops, Soils, Agronomy) News (October 10) titled “Canola Breeding for Human Health” – article at https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/csa/articles/64/10/4 and cover photo at https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/images/publications/csa/64/10/cover.jpeg.
PUBLICATIONS
Zou Z., Liu, F., Chen, C., and Fernando, W.G.D. 2019. Effect of Elevated CO2 Concentration on the Disease Severity of Compatible and Incompatible Interactions of Brassica napus–Leptosphaeria maculans Pathosystem. Plants 2019, 8(11), 484; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8110484.
Tenuta, M., B.D. Amiro, X. Gao, C. Wagner-Riddle, and M. Gervais. 2019. Agricultural management practices and environmental drivers of nitrous oxide emissions over a decade for an annual and an annual-perennial crop rotation. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 276-277. 107636.
Xiang, J., Zhang, M., Apea-Bah, F.B., and Beta, T. (2019) Hydroxycinnamic acid amide (HCAA) derivatives, flavonoid C-glycosides, phenolic acids and antioxidant properties of foxtail millet. Food Chemistry 295: 214-223.
Sun X, Acquah C, Aluko RE, Udenigwe CC. 2020. Considering food matrix and gastrointestinal effects in enhancing bioactive peptide absorption and bioavailability. J. Funct. Foods. In press.
Fu Y, Zhang Y, Soladoye OP, Aluko RE. 2020. Maillard reaction products derived from food protein-derived peptides: insights into flavor and bioactivity. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. In press.
Zhang Q, Wang Z, Zhang C, Aluko RE, Yuan J, Ju X, R. He. 2020. Structural and functional characterization of rice starch-based superabsorbent polymer materials. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. In press.
Olagunju AI, Omoba OS, Enujiugha VN, Wiens RA, Gough KM, Aluko RE. 2020. Influence of acetylation on physicochemical and morphological characteristics of pigeon pea starch. Food Hydrocolloids 100, 105424.
Zou Z, Wang M, Aluko RE, He R. 2020. Antihypertensive and antioxidant activities of enzymatic wheat bran protein hydrolysates. J. Food Biochem. In press.
Sonklin C, Alashi AM, Laohakunjit L, Kerdchoechuen O, Aluko RE. 2019. Identification of antihypertensive peptides from mung bean protein hydrolysate and their effects in spontaneously hypertensive rats. J. Funct. Foods. In press 7. Zhang C, Alashi AM, Singh N, Chelikani P, Aluko RE. 2019. Glycated beef protein hydrolysates as sources of bitter taste modifiers. Nutrients, 11, 2166.
Nwachukwu ID, Aluko RE. 2019. Anticancer and antiproliferative properties of food-derived protein hydrolysates and peptides. J. Food Bioact. 7, 18-26.
Chotphruethipong L, Aluko RE, Benjakul S. 2019. Enhanced Asian sea bass skin defatting using porcine lipase with the aid of pulsed electric field pretreatment and vacuum impregnation. Process Biochem. 86, 58-64.
Onuh JO, Aluko RE. 2019. Metabolomics as a tool to study the mechanism of action of bioactive protein hydrolysates and peptides: A review of current literature. Trends Food Sci Technol. 91, 625-633.
Jiang, Q.*, Wu, J., Yao, K., Yin, Y., Gong, M.M., YANG, C, Lin, F. (2019). A paper-based microfluidic DON-Chip for rapid and low-cost deoxynivalenol quantification in foods, feeds and feed ingredients. ACS Sensor, 4(11): 3072-3079.
GENERAL NEWS
Graduate Students – The 2019 Manitoba Agronomists Conference is in need of volunteers. This year’s conference is themed On-Farm Research: Building Real World Solutions and runs Wednesday, December 11 and Thursday, December 12. In return for volunteering, you will receive a free lunch and be able to attend a speaker session of your choice (standing room only please). To learn more about the volunteer roles and to fill out a volunteer form, visit http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/agronomists_conf/volunteers.html.
The Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals and Huna Skin Inc. were chosen to be a “The Manitoba Shoebox Project” drop-off location. The Shoebox Project for Women, supported by Dream, collects and distributes gift-filled Shoeboxes to women impacted by homelessness in communities across Canada and the US. Each thoughtfully created and decorated Shoebox is filled with items valued at $50 that can enhance self-esteem and reduce feelings of isolation for women in need. Learn more about who to make your own shoebox at http://www.shoeboxproject.com/how-to-make-a-shoebox.html.
Employee Emergency Response Information – If you have a disability—whether temporary or ongoing—that could affect your ability to safely exit the workplace, please complete the Employee Emergency Information Worksheet (https://umanitoba.ca/admin/human_resources/ama-emergency-response.html) so that a personalized emergency response plan can be developed to meet your needs in an emergency. All information will be kept confidential and shared only with specific individuals and with your consent. Please note that this applies to all disabilities; whether permanent or temporary, visible or invisible. Faculty and staff with a disability should submit this worksheet by January 3, 2020 to ensure adequate time to provide everyone with a personalized plan prior to May 1, 2020, when the standard comes into effect. If your abilities or work location change, you must fill out a new Employee Emergency Information Worksheet so that Human Resources and the Environmental Health and Safety Office can ensure your information and emergency plan is appropriate and current. Visit the Human Resources website for more information about the standard and the new emergency response process and to access the Employee Emergency Information Worksheet. Additional accessibility resources can found on the U of M’s Accessibility Hub.
Do you know a student who inspires, motivates or challenges you to think globally and act locally? If so, nominate them for the Nahlah Ayed Prize for Student Leadership and Global Citizenship. All students, staff and faculty are welcome to nominate eligible students. The International Centre offers this annual prize to encourage University of Manitoba students to participate in activities that celebrate diversity, curiosity, respect and mutual understanding, and that will expand their horizons and develop global skill sets. The deadline to nominate a student for the Nahlah Ayed Prize is Dec. 13. More information at http://umanitoba.ca/research/international_centre/nahlah_ayed_prize.html.