Current Research Projects | BC Blueberry Council

See below an overview of research projects supported by the BC Blueberry Council. Click on the project title for more details.

Key Issue(s)	Project Title	Lead	Organization	Objective(s)
Diseases (Fungal & Bacterial)	Berry Crop Pathology	Dr. Rishi Burlakoti	Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada	Developing a decision support system (DDS) for fruit rot will provide growers with better information based on weather station data and predictive models of disease life cycles; isolating and characterizing bacterial blight will be used to develop better screening protocols for the breeding program so that resistant cultivars can be bred for BC and to facilitate evaluation of alternatives to copper-based products to diversify field-management options.
Diseases (Nematodes)	Development of Molecular Diagnostics for Plant-Parasitic Nematodes in BC	Dr. Tom Forge	Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada	Developing a lab method for detecting nematodes in soil and root samples, filling a gap at BC Agri in diagnostic capacity for the industry.
Diseases (Viruses)	Evaluation of Spray-Induced Gene Silencing of Blueberry Scorch and Shock Viruses	Dr. Jim Mattsson	Simon Fraser University	Designing a biopesticide that can be used to prevent the spread of economically important blueberry viruses.
Diseases (Viruses)	Development of PCR Based Methods to Reliably Distinguish Shock or Scorch Virus	Dr. Jim Mattsson	Simon Fraser University	Determining strain variation for blueberry shock and scorch viruses to improve reliability of diagnostic tools available to the industry.
Genetics & Fruit Quality	Assessing Harvest and Postharvest Fruit Quality in Blueberry	Dr. Simone Castellarin	University of British Columbia	Assessing fruit quality of current cultivars and breeding selections at harvest and at various times postharvest during cooler storage to determine biochemical constituents of fruit quality and direct the development of new cultivars; and evaluating postharvest treatments and advanced packaging materials to improve shelf-life of standard cultivars.
Genetics & Fruit Quality	Canadian Berry Trial Network	Dr. Eric Gerbrandt	Sky Blue Horticulture Ltd.	Evaluating new cultivars and advanced selections under commercial conditions through on-farm grower trials, linking to similar work in Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia as the first Canadian Berry Trial Network.
Genetics & Cultivars	Berry Germplasm Development and Evaluation for the Fraser Valley	Dr. Michael Dossett	BC Blueberry Council	Characterizing germplasm to obtain new genetic sources of resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, improved fruit quality and novel traits of interest; developing molecular and phenotypic selection tools; and moving the gene pool forward through annual crosses and recurrent selection on each generation of seedlings.
Genetics & Cultivars	Berry Cultivar Development for the Fraser Valley	Dr. Michael Dossett	BC Blueberry Council	Implementing unreplicated observation trials; conducting replicated evaluation trials; and propagating virus-free plant material of breeding selections for advancement toward cultivar release.
Horticultural Management	Berry Crop Enhancement	Dr. Eric Gerbrandt	Sky Blue Horticulture Ltd.	Enhancing crop establishment, yield, and fruit quality through evaluating alternative crop inputs and mitigating cultivar-specific challenges related to adaptation to local climatic conditions for novel blueberry cultivars.
Horticultural Management	Controlling Blueberry Fruit Development using Plant Growth Regulators	Dr. Charitha Jayasinghege	Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada	Using plant growth regulators to de-blossom new plantings as well as delay the ripening for various blueberry cultivars to shift the harvest window.
Pests (SWD)	Ecological Pest Management for Spotted Wing Drosophila	Dr. Juli Carrillo	University of British Columbia	Developing alternative methods of SWD control to reduce regional pressure and reliance on chemical tools, including evaluation of intercropping options to repel SWD, developing better attractants for lures and traps, and establishing effective biological control species in the region.
Pests (SWD)	Evaluating Mass Trapping as a Tool for Non-chemical Spotted Wing Drosophila Management	Jen McFarlane	ES Cropconsult Ltd.	Evaluating mass trapping as an option for reducing SWD pressure in conventional and organic settings.
Pests (Various)	Implementing Integrated Pest Management Practices on Small-Scale Farms	Marjolaine Dessureault	ES Cropconsult Ltd.	Developing IPM training materials for small-scale fruit and vegetable growers to handle shifts in pest pressure due to climate change and to improve region control.
Pests (Weevils)	Minor Use Screening Trials for Weevils	Arlan Benn	E.S. Cropconsult Ltd.	Assessing new potential chemical controls for root weevils against standard products to deliver additional tools for field management.
Pests (Various) & Genetics	Berry Crop Entomology	Dr. Michelle Franklin	Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada	Providing the breeding program with information on the relative susceptibility or resistance of advanced selections to key arthropod pests to inform decisions about release and management of new cultivars.
Pests (Voles)	Non-Chemical Vole Control in Berry Fields	Sofi Hindmarch	Fraser Valley Conservancy	Assessing effectiveness of a non-chemical option for killing voles (i.e., a commercial trap that has a self-resetting, bolt-action kill mechanism) as compared to rodenticides.
Pollination & Bees	Determining Optimal Wildflower Patch Arrangements to Minimize Pollination Deficits	Dr. Rebecca Tyson	University of British Columbia	Developing mathematical models of bee behaviour within blueberry fields to determine optimal placement of wildflower patches to foster native bumblebee populations.
Pollination & Bees	Effects of Host, Pathogen, and Environmental Factors on Increased Incidence of European Foulbrood in Honey Bee	Dr. Sarah Wood	University of Saskatchewan	Determining effects of common pesticides on bee susceptibility to European foulbrood disease and assessing ways to improve bee nutrition and health.

Other Research Initiatives

Key Issue(s)	Project Title	Lead	Organization	Objective(s)
Communication	Knowledge and Technology Transfer	Sandy Dunn	LMHIA	Extend applied research results to growers to advance the business sustainability of BC’s Agri-food sector; Increase awareness of new products, practices, processes and technologies that will increase the competitiveness and sustainability of BC’s Agri-food sector; Accelerate the adoption of promising new products, practices, processes, and technologies that will increase the competitiveness and sustainability of BC’s Agri-food sector; and Provide information and tools to support improved decision making