Charles Dowding's Organic Gardening, new edition (book)

Organic Gardening: The natural no-dig way

In this new full-colour edition, Charles Dowding shares the wealth of his experience, explaining his approach to soil and plants and revealing the range of techniques that have enabled him to grow healthy and vibrant crops for decades. Charles has been practising no-dig organic growing for over 30 years. Based on this approach and his experience of a system of permanent, slightly raised beds, Charles shows you how to grow a delicious variety of fruit and vegetables: what to choose, when to sow, plant and harvest, and how best to avoid pests and diseases.

The Passivhaus Handbook (book)

The Passivhaus Handbook: A practical guide to constructing and retrofitting buildings for ultra-low-energy performance

The Passivhaus Handbook is an essential guide for anyone wanting to realise a supremely comfortable, healthy and durable home with exceptionally low energy costs. Passivhaus design focuses on getting the building fabric right, to achieve ultra-low energy consumption in the most cost-effective manner. The approach is relevant to a wide range of building types and climates.

 

Diversity loss increases chance of ecosystem collapse (#journal)

Diversity loss with persistent human disturbance increases vulnerability to ecosystem collapse

Long-term and persistent human disturbances have altered the stability and diversity of ecological systems, with disturbances directly reducing functional attributes such as invasion resistance, while eliminating the buffering effects of high species diversity. This combination of environmental change and diversity loss increases the risk of abrupt and potentially irreversible ecosystem collapse.  This research shows how biodiversity can be crucial for ecosystem stability despite appearing functionally insignificant beforehand, a relationship probably applicable to many ecosystems given the globally prevalent combination of intensive long-term land management and species loss.

Climate change may doom tropical species (journal)

Climate adaptation: Survival of the flexible

Many tropical species never experience extreme heat or cold. That may doom them in a warming world.

Explain your research in two minutes (#journal)

Communication: Two minutes to impress

Here's a challenge to all of us; can you explain permaculture, or the part of it you are working with, to a stranger in two minutes or less? That's something we could all work on if we want to see our research thrive and our ideas move into the mainstream.

Agroecology research needs proper funding (#journal)

Feeding the world: genetically modified crops versus agricultural biodiversity 

 

The growing demand for food poses major challenges to humankind. We must produce more food with less input, while deploying every effort to minimize risk. However, the claim that genetically modified crops are necessary if we are to secure food production has no scientific support, but is a reflection of corporate interests. An objective review of current knowledge places GM crops far down the list of potential solutions in the coming decades. Much of the research funding currently available for the development of GM crops would be much better spent in other research areas of plant science, e.g., nutrition, policy research, governance, and solutions close to local market conditions.

Organic control of potato cyst nematode (#journal)

89 % reduction of a potato cyst nematode population using biological control and rotation

A major issue of potato cultivation in temperate zones is the potato cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis. In this study, the nematophagous fungus Paecilomyces sp. was used for the first time to efficiently reduce the population of G. rostochiensis in two crop cycles.