Karen L. Nelson - M.Sc. Candidate

I am originally from the beautiful city of Fredericton, New Brunswick with the St. John River running through its center. I graduated from the University of New Brunswick with my B.Sc. in Biology (concentration in wildlife conservation) and a Minor in Psychology in 2005. After completion of my undergraduate degree I had the opportunity to participate in an internship program through the Organic Agricultural Center of Canada (OACC). My term was located at the Potato Research Center in Fredericton, NB. This was a great experience for me as I gained insight into the importance of research in organic agricultural practices. Especially now as farmers and consumers are becoming more aware of the effects farming practices have on the environment.

In January 2006 I started my M.Sc in Agriculture at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Truro, NS. My project examines soil health throughout an organic potato rotation by examining the biological, physical and chemical soil properties of a 5 year potato/grain/forage rotations in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. I hope to determine sustainable rotation lengths which allow for soil health recovery. This is important as the potato crop can reduce soil health due to its intensive cultivation and reduced organic matter return. If soil health is unable to recover prior to the potato in the rotation it can lead to soil degradation over time. A second aspect of my project is to determine if the soil arthropod, Folsomia candida, can act as a bioindicator of changes to soil health. Therefore potentially reducing the number of soil indicators required to determine soil health.

Posted November 2007