Professor Apichart Vanavichit, PhD, Rice Genomic Breeding Expert at Rice Science Center, heralds the next green revolution of organic riceRice is a major food crop for more than half of the world’s population and a crucial export commodity for Thailand. Despite the success story of the first Green Revolution in 2005, new rice varieties developed in Thailand negatively impact the environment and well-being of rice farmers in irrigated areas. On the other hand, based on chemical-free cultivation practices, organically grown rice conserves the environment and genetic diversity, and enhances the nutritional properties of harvested rice. Nevertheless, grain yield generally makes up half of chemical-rich irrigated rice.
Most importantly, the lack of resistance to diseases, insect pests and environmental stressors makes organic rice vulnerable and risky for crop loss. As a result, rice prices are significantly higher, with lower outputs from organic cultivation than non-organic rice. However, significantly increased productivity and enhanced resistance in organic cultivation sustain organically-grown rice and benefit consumers by reducing the market price.
Breaking the plateau of grain yield in organic rice is a grand challenge for rice breeders to comprehend any limitations and provide genetic solutions to enhance the efficiency and productivity of organically-grown rice.
One approach involves the high genetic diversity of Indica x Japonica crosses to maximize heterosis, the genetic phenomenon when progenies outperform their parental lines in grain yield and productivity. The recent gathering of rice scientists and breeders around the world at the 19th International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics in Phuket, Thailand reports an understanding of precision breeding for organic rice.
New ideotypes of organic rice breedingWe have designed a new rice ideotype to fit into organic cultivation. The key features are high productivity, high water and nutrient use efficiency WUE, intermediate plant height, intermediate maturity, strong stem, resistance to all biotic and abiotic stresses, resiliency to climate change and pyramiding. All resistance genes in elite rice varieties are achieved by pyramiding into existing nutrient-rich rice, high-yielding cultivars with good broad-spectrum resistance to both diseases and insect pests, tolerance to abiotic stresses, improved agronomic traits, increased photosynthetic efficiency and enhanced interaction with microbiota.
Climate-ready, nutrient-rich riceThailand Rice Science Center has relentlessly developed the first four rice models for organic farming since 2000 until today. We have undertaken four organic breeding programs selected under organic cultivation systems: Super Riceberry-Rainbow Rice, Super Low GI White Rice, Super Jasmine Rice and Super Waxy Rice. Our main goal is to choose new rice varieties to significantly outperform local varieties of the same quality type under high pressure from diseases and insect pests in multiple target organic areas. The ultimate goal is to maximize yield and quality under optimum organic agricultural practices.
To conclude, 50 rice varieties have broad-spectrum resistance to bacterial leaf blight, leaf blast, brown planthopper, and tolerance to flooding, extreme heat, salinity, acid sulfate soil and drought. In addition, rice varieties with improved water use efficiency, resistance to sheath rot, brown spots, and bacterial leaf streak have recently developed. These innovative rice varieties are key success stories of the green revolution in organic rice.

Rhizosphere-microbiome interaction – key to productivityDespite no addition of chemical fertilizers, rice can be pretty productive under organic cultivation, albeit with lower grain yield in many cases. Nature’s secret depends on the genetic makeup of rice and soil microbiome. The rhizosphere and the soil environment near the rice root surface are crucial interfaces for water and nutrient absorption, releasing root exudates and interacting with soil microbiota. Gaseous exchange between roots and microbial community occurs here, enabling methane to escape from submerged soil to the atmosphere and become a greenhouse gas. The rice rhizosphere accommodates large numbers of microbial communities, including endophytes, rhizosphere bacteria and fungi.
However, the intensive application of N-P-K fertilizers adversely affects the abundance and diversity of the microbial community in the rhizosphere responsible for nitrification, N2 fixation, and tolerance to problematic soil. On the other hand, the main advantage of organic rice cultivation is more diversity of soil microbiota associated with rice rhizosphere. Recently, there have been reports on PGP and plant growth promotor microbes, including endophytic stenotrophomonas and Piriformospora indica. To conclude, we have detailed the success story of organic rice breeding by precision rice breeding involving multiple gene pyramiding to generate sustainable, productive, nutritious rice varieties that are resilient to climate change.
Acknowledgement
This project was supported by the BBSRC Newton Rice Research Initiative BB/N013646/1, National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) (Grant No. P-16- 50286), and NSRF via the Program Management Unit for Human Resources and Institutional Development, Research, and Innovation (Grant No. B16F630088).

The next green revolution of organic rice
Article for organic source:
https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/article/green-revolution-organic-rice-yield-environment/149446/

Richer in nutrients and dietary fiber, organic food would also reduce exposure to pesticides. Interview with Denis Lairon, nutritionist and research director emeritus at Inserm (National Institute for Health and Medical Research).

According to the Barometer of the perception and consumption of organic products published in March 2022, 9 out of 10 French people consume organic (91%). What is the impact of this diet on health? Answers with Denis Lairon, nutritionist and research director emeritus at Inserm (National Institute for Health and Medical Research).
Eating organic would be better for your health. Is it true ?

Organic foods are better in terms of nutritional values. It is noted that in vegetable products, there is less water, especially for vegetables. According to studies, we also notice that there is more magnesium, iron and zinc. Consumers of organic products also have a better diet. For example, they choose more cereals made from brown or wholemeal flours, and pulses, which are rich in nutrients, minerals and dietary fibre. This has a major impact on their nutritional status. We observe that those who regularly eat organic have significantly higher nutritional intakes than those who never eat organic. Organic enthusiasts are also less inclined to buy animal products (meat and dairy products). Conversely, they consume twice as many fruits and vegetables, unrefined cereals... We also measure between 40 and 80% reduction in exposure to pesticides.
Scientific work published with the NutriNet-Santé cohort since 2013 and by the BioNutriNet study also indicates that eating organic reduces the risk of obesity and overweight...

In 2013, we worked on a sample of 54,000 adults at any given time. We have observed that among regular consumers of organic (about 60-70% of their food), the risk of becoming obese is reduced by 50%. In our second study, we followed 62,000 people over three years, and found that there was a 30% reduction in the risk of obesity and overweight. These results are confirmed by two other studies carried out worldwide, in Germany and the United States.
What about other diseases?

For cardiovascular risk, we studied the metabolic syndrome. It is characterized by abdominal overweight, hypertension and increased blood sugar. We found that there was a 31% reduction in the risk of having metabolic syndrome for people who regularly ate organic compared to those who never ate organic. For type 2 diabetes, 33,000 men and women were followed for 6 years. The overall result is a 35% reduction in the risk of having type 2 diabetes if you eat organic food regularly. The difference is much more marked in women than in men. Another study on 70,000 adults finally indicates a 25% drop in the overall risk of cancer among organic consumers.

Source: See article for organic here

Startchy has launched an organic coating for apples that it claims to be the first washable coating to be developed for the US produce industry.

Yumbrella is USDA, Canada and EU certified organic and made with common food ingredients.

After several years of research and development, Yumbrella has completed commercial testing over recent months with Domex Superfresh Growers and various national retailers in advance of their market roll out.

It is also being tested on a range of other products, including avocados and citrus.

Andy Tudor of AT Ag Consulting and consultant/director of business development for Yumbrella said: “The produce industry has no shortage of fruit and vegetable coatings, but it has long been lacking an affordable and customisable organic solution.

“Most importantly this product meets the needs of everyone in the supply chain, including the grower, while still offering consumers a product that can easily be washed off with water, unlike wax or other coating chemicals that interfere with taste.”

Yumbrella is described by its developers as “an invention born out of necessity” which solves a high-tech problem with a low-tech solution. It was created as an affordable, easy-to-apply option for producers in the developing world.

It is made from common food ingredients, is inexpensive to license and requires no expensive equipment or application protocols.

Seth Shumate, CEO of Yumbrella commented: “This product has always offered unique market potential because it set out to put the grower first, with benefits outweighing its cost and the fact that it is a drop-in replacement for existing coating infrastructure.

“Coated fruit lasts longer at the packhouse, at retail, and at home which makes for a better eating experience.”

Yumbrella also offers adaptable recipes including a natural finish for organic application, and a high-gloss recipe for conventional apples which are traditionally coated with wax.

Robert Kershaw, CEO of Domex Superfresh Growers, said: “We’ve used and tested a variety of coatings over the years, but none that have started by saying how it helps growers reduce cost and warehouse loss.

“The Yumbrella team’s commitment to the entire supply chain – in addition to its global mission – actually makes this a more sustainable product for everyone involved and we are already seeing the bigger opportunity.”

Source: Fruitnet

The ranking in more detail:PAN UK’s ranking is based on an assessment of how each supermarket is doing on eight key topics related to pesticides. Take a look at our Pesticide Scorecard below to see how your supermarket ranked on these specific areas. Note that we didn’t reward supermarkets for following the law – points were only given for measures that go beyond legal compliance.
The Pesticide Scorecard also reveals that the UK supermarkets sector is making much more progress on some topics than others. For example, the majority of supermarkets have become much more transparent with the public about their approach to pesticides over the past two years. In addition, two of the eight supermarkets that stock gardening ranges have now stopped selling high-risk pesticide products (such as weedkillers).
However, in other areas the sector has much work to do. For example, bee-toxic neonicotinoids continue to be used within the global supply chains of all of the top ten UK supermarkets, as do pesticides which pose a risk to the health of farmers and agricultural workers. As a result, the sector scored more poorly in these areas, with no supermarket’s efforts being ranked as ‘Outstanding’.

Why are we running this campaign?Pesticides can drive irreversible harms to both human health and the environment.  The evidence linking pesticides to diseases such as cancer and Parkinson’s increases year-on-year. Meanwhile, recent studies have named pesticides as one of the key drivers of biodiversity losses which have placed one million species at risk of extinction.
The evidence clearly shows that we urgently need to reduce our pesticide use and UK supermarkets have a key role to play. With their sprawling supply chains and powerful influence over how food is produced, they are uniquely positioned to drive a wholesale shift away from pesticides and towards non-chemical alternatives, not just in the UK but globally.
PAN UK is keen to continue working directly with UK supermarkets to help them implement the kind of changes we so urgently need to move towards a healthier and more sustainable future. 
Source: https://www.pan-uk.org/supermarkets/

FOS Squared comments on the article: Once again Lidl, Aldi and Asda the so called cheap supermarkets appear to care for the profit and not the health of their customers. Lidl has been known for the toxic solvent xylene found in the sauce. More on Xylene in sauce in Lidl here  
 

Have you noticed the comeback of tie-dye? We shouldn’t be surprised. As far back as the Bible, we learned that Joseph had a coat of many colors.

Humans have a history of extracting organic dyes from leaves, bark, berries or flowers, insects and sea snails, and more. These colors were added to fiber, which was then woven into cloth. At issue was how to protect the color from fading.

In 1856, an 18-year-old chemist discovered a synthetic aniline purple dye while seeking to develop synthetic anti-malarial quinine. It resulted in a fashion to fade. In the early 20th century, sun-resistant dyes were created. The downside is that synthetic polymers contribute to global water pollution. The harmful chemicals are ingested by fish and wildlife and ultimately affect humans.

Today, we know that natural organic dyes are safer and kinder to the environment and all living creatures. You can find a source of organic dyes in your own garden. For example, marigolds, calendula, black-eyed-susans, sunflowers and onion skins can yield yellow and orange dyes. Elderberries, blackberries and purple basil give us pinks and lavenders. Black beans can be soaked in water overnight for their juice/dye. Japanese indigo and hollyhock yield shades of blue. You might use red cabbage for purples. There are many choices.

It is important to note that natural fabrics like cotton, wool, linen and muslin will hold your dye. Synthetic fabrics will most likely fade. Before you begin, you might gather gloves, old clothes, safety goggles, a dust mask, an apron and closed-toe shoes. Don’t be scared off. This is recommended in anticipation of splashing.

Here are the basics: You can prepare your fabric with a mordant to help the dye to adhere. Alum is an example, and you will find it in the spice aisle of the grocery store. Place one or two teaspoons into a large stainless-steel pot of water and add your fabric. Bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour. Rinse in warm water.

Meanwhile, to prepare the dye bath, add the color plant source to a large stainless-steel pot of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour or longer, depending on the depth of color you prefer. Strain the pot and submerge the fabric into the dye bath to simmer, allowing room for movement, for at least an hour.

Allow the fabric to cool and then rinse and dry. Avoid direct exposure to the sun. You should know that colors may vary based upon many factors, but do persevere and you will find your favorites.

Imagine knitting with wools of blended nontoxic color or gifting linen napkins or cotton clothing you have created with your own organic dyes from your own garden. How rewarding is that!

Source: Mercury News

Soil Association highlights growing ecological concerns of UK consumers, urging retailers to promote the connection between organics and sustainability

According to the latest data from NielsenIQ, released at last week’s Soil Association Certification Trade Conference, the organic market in the UK grew by 6.5 per cent in the year to 25 September.

This contrasts with non-organic food sales, which have slowed significantly since the peak experienced during lockdown.

“The trend for more sustainable and healthier organic foods, which rocketed during the pandemic has persisted and now the supermarkets are also enjoying a surge in demand for organic,” the Soil Association stated.
“Online organic sales have continued their strong growth up 33 per cent, while supermarkets, which accounted for 13 per ent of total sales of organics two years ago before the pandemic, have seen their share of total organic sales rise to 22 per cent.”

Clare McDermott, Soil Association Certification’s business development director, commented: “Organic sales have shown phenomenal resilience after the unprecedented growth they saw in 2020 at 12.6 per cent. Despite a significant slowing of retail sales overall, the organic market has maintained its strong performance with growth at 6.5 per cent in the year to September. Post lockdown there has been the expected shift back to hospitality with non-organic food sales stalling as consumers look to eat out and stay out.”

The main reasons given by consumers for buying organic – that they are pesticide-free, better for the environment and perceived to be of better quality – have all reportedly increased in importance for shoppers.

"Consumers are now willing to spend more on organic food in supermarkets and they are demanding ever greater choices and variety across most categories," the Soil Association stated.

Covid-19 and the climate emergency have also increased consumers' focus on sustainability. Findings from Organic Shopper Research 2021 showed that 71 per cent of respondents have become more concerned about the environment.

The Soil Association called on retailers to help consumers make the connection between sustainability and organic products in order to drive sales.

It also identified three big opportunities to grow organic sales: the widening assortment from online retailers, different pack sizes increasing purchase frequency and greater choice across organic categories boosting overall spend.

“After the challenging couple of years we have all had to endure, the organic market has proved that it is robust and that today’s consumers are demanding more varied ranges of sustainable products across all categories which offer them significant benefits above non-organic alternatives,” said McDermott.

“The latest surge in organic sales proves that the British public want food produced with more, not less, care for the environment and animal welfare,” she added. “Insights show that shoppers are searching out higher welfare products that are produced with the environment in mind and want to support British farmers. We should be looking to deliver more of the benefits that agroecological farming, like organic, can provide for wildlife, soils, people and climate.”

Key findings from Organic Shopper Research 2021:
• 79 per cent say they are increasingly worried about the natural world and our impact on it
• 81 per cent are worried about excess packaging and waste materials
• 86 per cent would like their food to be produced in a more natural way without excess processing and chemicals
• 84 per cent say trust in food manufacturers and retailers is really important to them
• 77 per cent say they want to make more sustainable choices in the products they buy
• 71 per cent want to make more ethical choices in the products they buy

FOS Squared introduction and commenting
Organic food producers and farmers are in serious trouble. Their depedence on the organic seeds continues on the same way as their depedence on pesticides and in US on the carcinogenic GMO crops as Bayer (which bought Monsanto) enters the market. World food supply enters a global tragedy period.   

Organic Food Is Finally Big Food, Large Enough Monsanto Got Into It

Organic food is a $120 billion industry, and while that's a tiny fraction of regular food it is large enough that companies like Chipotle and General Mills have tried to gain traction.

But a large seed company? That is new. Bayer, secretly now Monsanto (as anti-science activists love to claim in their conspiracy tales), is rolling out organic-certified seeds.

This is not as difficult as it sounds. To be certified organic, you only have to not use newer pesticides or genetic modification, anyone who claims they use no pesticides or genetic engineering thinks you are gullible. So GMOs can't be organic, for example, but over 2,000 products have been created using the predecessor of GMOs, Mutagenesis, and all of them can be considered organic even though they were mutated using chemical baths and radiation. You can create huge amounts of nitrogen run-off using older copper sulfate pesticides and be organic, you just can't use safe neonicotinoids.

Organic industry trade group have done a terrific job. First, they got their lobbyists and trade reps on a panel inside USDA that defines what "organic" means and keeps them exempted from USDA standards. So the dozens and dozens and dozens of exemptions for synthetic products or additives while still calling yourself organic has led to a lot of products being labeled organic. Non-GMO product has over 60,000 such products even when there is no GMO version.

With such a large market in places like the US and Europe, it was only a matter of time before a large company wanted a piece of that pie, and Bayer is getting in. Starting next year you can buy organically produced seeds for tomato, sweet pepper and cucumber. But don't worry, those won't say Monsanto, they will be under the Seminis and De Ruiter brands.
Source: Science 2.0

Extrait d'article en Français

Les producteurs d'aliments biologiques et les agriculteurs sont en grande difficulté. Leur dépendance vis-à-vis des semences biologiques se poursuit de la même manière que leur dépendance vis-à-vis des pesticides et aux États-Unis vis-à-vis des cultures OGM cancérigènes lorsque Bayer (qui a acheté Monsanto) entre sur le marché. L'approvisionnement alimentaire mondial entre dans une période de tragédie mondiale.

When making comparisons at the grocery store between a gallon of conventional milk and a container of organic milk, you might notice that the “best by” dates are vastly different.
Why does organic milk last longer? Is there something added to it that prevents it from going bad, something in regular milk that makes it sour more quickly or does it have something to do with shipping?

Comparing organic and regular milk (and looking at shelf-stable milk) can shed light on these different types of milk and help you decide which is best for your family.

What is Organic milk?

The difference between organic milk and conventional milk is primarily in the way dairy farmers raise, feed and treat the cows that produce the milk. In the U.S., milk can only be labeled with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Organic seal if the farm where it is produced complies with this set of regulations:

• The cows cannot be given hormones that stimulate milk production.
• The cow feed provided must be grown without synthetic pesticides or commercial fertilizers (Animal feed must be organically grown)
  
• Cows must be given access to pasture.
• The cows have not been given certain medications to treat illness.

Why Does Organic Milk Last Longer?
There is one other difference between regular and organic milk, and this distinction answers the question, “Why does organic milk last longer?” This difference is in the way that milk is pasteurised.

According to the Dairy Alliance, dairies pasteurise conventional milk using a standard method, heating the milk to approximately 71.1C for at least 15 seconds. However, they use ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing for organic milk, heating the milk to 137.8 C for 2 to 5 seconds. This method kills more bacteria, resulting in a longer shelf life.

Part of the reason organic dairies use this method is that antibiotics are not used in the production of organic milk.
(Addition by Full of Soil and Sun: Antiobiotics reduce the number of good bacteria and therefore lower number of bacteria will be reduced and in turn lower temperatures will be used. But antiobiotics are left in the conventional milk and they are considered as contaminants of the milk which is bad for our health) 
But the other purpose is to provide more time to distribute the milk to retailers since there are fewer organic dairy farms across the U.S. By using UHT processing, producers can ensure that the products will reach store shelves without spoiling.

The downside of UHT processing is that it can affect the taste and consistency of the milk. For example, the milk might have a “cooked” flavor that is less rich and full-bodied than conventional milk is. And because the process burns some of the natural sugars in the milk, it can taste sweeter, which some milk drinkers find off-putting.

According to Consumer Reports, ultra-pasteurised milk has a shelf life of 40 to 60 days unopened, while conventionally pasteurised milk has a 15- to 17-day shelf life. That being said, consumers should drink or discard all milk within seven days of opening, regardless of the “best buy” date, according to the USDA. You can also freeze milk for about three months and thaw it in the refrigerator, but you should also consume it within a week.

Source: simplemost

It is time to see why a brewery goes organic:

''The most significant impact we can make on a manufactured product is in our choice of raw materials.
We are a dedicated organic brewery certified by the soil association and all our beers are made with organic malt and hops.
Here, we only source the very best ingredients from farming which has a positive effect on our environment, and never use ingredients which degenerate our environment, ecosystems or precious soils for capital gain.
The organic standards support our ambition to produce the highest quality beers with care for people and the planet. Sustainability is at the core of the organic approach. The standards we have to adhere to include not only the ingredients, but also how organic beer is made, packaged and traded.
Organic farming restricts the use of artificial chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Instead, organic farmers rely on developing healthy, fertile soil and growing a mixture of crops.

No system of farming has higher wildlife benefits.
Organic farming creates the highest level of biodiversity on the farm, the highest standards of animal welfare and the highest level of carbon sequestration in the soil.
Organic farms tend to be diverse, have higher levels of employment per acre and are more likely to be involved in direct marketing of their produce.

As an organic brewery we pay a premium for these ingredients however the market does not stretch to fully recover our margins. It is not a strategy for increased profit.

Because we are uncompromising, we source the very best ingredients, we prioritise local, we will not buy ingredients which exploit our environment this is why organic is important to us.
Source: Stroud Brewery