Current Research Projects
See below an overview of research projects supported by the BC Blueberry Council. Click on the project title for more details.
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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 |
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. |
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|
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 |
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. |
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|
Horticultural Management |
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. |
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|
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) |
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. |
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|
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) |
Arlan Benn |
E.S. Cropconsult Ltd. |
Assessing new potential chemical controls for root weevils against standard products to deliver additional tools for field management. |
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|
Pests (Various) & Genetics |
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) |
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. |
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|
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 |
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
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Key Issue(s) |
Project Title |
Lead |
Organization |
Objective(s) |
|
Communication |
|
Sandy Dunn |
LMHIA |
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