Research Partners
| Category | Sub-Category | Project Title | Lead | Organization | Objective(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diseases | Fungal & Bacterial | Berry Crop Pathology | Dr. Rishi Burlakoti | Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada | Developing a decision support system (DDS) for fruit rot and improving screening protocols for bacterial blight resistance. | Completed |
| Diseases | Viruses | Evaluation of Spray-Induced Gene Silencing of Blueberry Scorch and Shock Viruses | Dr. Jim Mattsson | Simon Fraser University | Designing a biopesticide to prevent spread of economically important blueberry viruses. | Completed |
| Genetics | Breeding | Berry Germplasm Evaluation for the Fraser Valley | Dr. Michael Dossett | BC Blueberry Council | Characterizing germplasm to obtain new genetic sources of resistance and improved fruit quality. | Ongoing |
| Horticulture | Irrigation | PRIS: Precision Irrigation Strategies for Sustainable Blueberry Production | Drs. Thorsten Knipfer, Simone Castellarin, & Sean Smukler | University of British Columbia | Improving irrigation efficiency while increasing fruit yield and quality. | Ongoing |
| Pests | Leafhoppers | LeafHope: A Comprehensive Toolkit to Reduce Insecticide Use and Greenhouse Gases in Canada | Dr. Lauren Erland | University of the Fraser Valley | Developing a toolkit for reducing insecticide use and greenhouse gas emissions. | Ongoing |
| Pollination | Native Pollinators | PERCS: Perennial Plant Restoration for Carbon Sequestration in Canadian Agricultural Landscapes | Dr. Juli Carrillo | University of British Columbia | Improving natural habitat for pollinators, beneficial insects, and ecosystem services. | Ongoing |
Completed
Ongoing
| Category | Sub-Category | Project Title | Lead | Organization | Objective(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | Completed |
| 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. | Completed |
| 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. | Completed |
| Diseases | Viruses | Improved Viral Diagnostics and New Pathogen Discovery | Dr. Jim Mattsson | Simon Fraser University | Genomics-based identification and development of diagnostic methods for detection of novel pathogens in BC blueberry farm and nursery industries. | Completed |
| Diseases | Viruses | Blueberry Scorch Virus Surveillance | Dr. Bing Lu | Simon Fraser University | Using drone flights, satellite imagery, and ground-truthing of virus infection to develop a model for detection of virus-infected plants using satellite imagery. | Completed |
| Genetics | Breeding | Berry Germplasm 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. | Completed |
| Genetics | Breeding | 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. | Completed |
| Genetics | Fruit Quality | Assessing Harvest and Postharvest Fruit Quality in Blueberry | Dr. Simone Castellarin; Dr. Anub Singh | 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. | Completed |
| Genetics | Variety Trials | Canadian Berry Trial Network I (CBTN I) | Dr. Eric Gerbrandt | Canadian Horticulture Council | 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. | Completed |
| Horticulture | Fruit Yield, Quality, Fertility & Irrigation | 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. | Completed |
| Horticulture | Plant Growth Regulators | 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. | Completed |
| Pests | Aphids | Minor Use Screening Trial for Aphids – 2022 | Jen McFarlane | ES Cropconsult Ltd. | Assessing duration of efficacy for novel pre-bloom aphicides compared to current standards. | Completed |
| Pests | Aphids | Understanding the Population Genetic Structure of the Blueberry-Infesting Aphid, Ericaphis fimbriata species complex, in the Pacific Northwest | Drs. Bryan Brunet & Michelle Franklin | Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada | Resolving the taxonomic issues relating to the aphid species responsible for vectoring Blueberry Scorch virus. | Completed |
| 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. | Completed |
| Pests | SWD | Evaluating Mass Trapping as a Tool for Non-chemical Spotted Wing Drosophila Management | Allyson Middlestaedt | ES Cropconsult Ltd. | Evaluating mass trapping as an option for reducing SWD pressure in conventional and organic settings. | Completed |
| Pests | Various | Implementing Integrated Pest Management Practices on Small-Scale Farms | Marjo 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. | Completed |
| Pests | Various | 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. | Completed |
| 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. | Completed |
| Pests | Weevils | Minor Use Screening Trial for Weevils – 2020 and 2021 | Arlan Benn | ES Cropconsult Ltd. | Assessing efficacy of new chemistries against standard products for their ability to control root weevils. | Completed |
| Pests | Weevils | Minor Use Screening Trial for Weevils – 2020 and 2021 | Arlan Benn | ES Cropconsult Ltd. | Assessing efficacy of new chemistries against standard products for their ability to control root weevils. | Completed |
| Pests | Weevils | Minor Use Screening Trial for Weevils – 2020 and 2021 | Arlan Benn | ES Cropconsult Ltd. | Assessing efficacy of new chemistries against standard products for their ability to control root weevils. | Completed |
| Pollination | Honeybees | 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. | Completed |
| Pollination | Native Pollinators | 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. | Completed |
| Pollination | Honeybees | 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 (EFB) disease and assessing ways to improve bee nutrition and health. | Completed |
| Pollination | Honeybees | Effect of Brood-to-Nurse Bee Ratio and Pathogenicity of M. plutonius on EFB Disease Association with Blueberry Pollination | Drs. Sarah Wood | University of Saskatchewan | Refining a colony infection model to determine impact of bee ratios on susceptibility to European foulbrood (EFB) disease and compare strain virulence from blueberry pollinating hives. | Completed |
| Pollination | Honeybees | The Blueberries and the Bees: Assessing Honey Bee Health Stressors Using Proteomics | Dr. Leonard Foster | University of British Columbia | Developing diagnostic tools to assess the cause(s) of weak hives as an objective means of diagnosing and mitigating challenges to bee health. | Completed |
| 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. | Ongoing |
| Diseases | Nematodes | Improved Understanding of the Impacts of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes on BC Blueberry Production | Dr. Thomas Forge | Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada | Determining how combinations of cover crops and organic amendments affect key soil-borne pests and diseases as well as early growth and productivity of the blueberry crop in relation to effects on C sequestration and GHG emissions; Elucidate site-to-site variation in PPN populations and net replant disease potential that develops in older blueberry fields scheduled for replanting. | Ongoing |
| Diseases | Viruses | Blueberry virus sample pipeline to aid identification and understanding of disease caused by Blueberry Scorch and Shock Viruses (BlScV and BlShV). | Dr. Jim Mattsson | Simon Fraser University | Explain inconsistencies in blueberry virus testing results and gain better understanding of causes and diagnostics of viral diseases. | Ongoing |
| Genetics | Breeding | Berry Germplasm 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. | Ongoing |
| Genetics | Breeding | 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. | Ongoing |
| Genetics | Variety Trials | Canadian Berry Trial Network II (CBTN II) | Dr. Eric Gerbrandt | Canadian Horticulture Council | 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. | Ongoing |
| Genetics | Breeding | Berry Germplasm Development and Cultivar Finishing for the Fraser Valley | Dr. Michael Dossett | BC Blueberry Council | Creating new genetic combinations via controlled breeding “crosses”, select new blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry genotypes (i.e., “selections”), and test these selections over a series of trials for several years. | Ongoing |
| Genetics | Breeding | Germplasm Maintenance for Collaborative Canadian Berry Breeding Programs | Dr. Beatrice Amyotte, Gosia Zdanowicz | Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada | Maintaining the BC Berry Germplasm Collection for Canadian berry breeding. | Ongoing |
| Genetics | Bud Set | Understanding Regulatory Mechanisms Modulating Degree of Bud Set in Highbush Blueberries | Dr. Charitha Jayasinghege | Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada | Evaluating allelic variation of major genes associated with flowering in a collection of blueberry genotypes with contrasting timings and degrees of bud set; Conduct transcriptome, exome sequencing, and hormonal profiling analysis to identify physiological pathways and allelic variations contributing to the degree and timing of flower bud set. | Ongoing |
| Genetics | Disease Resistance | Developing Screening Tools to Identify Genetic Resistance to Pseudomonas Bacterial Blight of Blueberry | Dr. Rishi Burlakoti | Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada | Developing reliable screening methods for evaluating Pseudomonas blight in blueberry in outdoor settings, which will capacitate the BC Berry Breeding Program to identify breeding selections with bacterial blight resistance with the end goal of developing resistant cultivars for the local industry; Gain knowledge on the level of bacterial blight resistance in highbush blueberry cultivars and advanced breeding selections. | Ongoing |
| Genetics | Fruit Quality | Identification of Molecular Markers to Select Blueberry Cultivars with Improved Flavour and Shelf-Life | Dr. Simone Castellarin | University of British Columbia | Identifying of molecular markers to assist in the selection of new northern highbush blueberry cultivars with improved flavour and shelf-life. | Ongoing |
| Horticulture | Climate Change Mitigation | Agricultural Climate Solutions: Beneficial Management Practices for Perennial Row Crops in the Lower Mainland | Drs. Sean Smukler, Thorsten Knipfer & Simone Castellarin | University of British Columbia | Developing best practices for carbon sequestration and GHG mitigation for BC’s agricultural mosaic. | Ongoing |
| Horticulture | Replanting | Regenerative Blueberry Replant: Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sequestering Carbon with Alternative Cover Cropping and Organic Amendments | Dr. Sean Smukler | University of British Columbia | Developing, demonstrating, and driving the adoption of cover cropping and organic amendment best management practices (BMPs) to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the blueberry production system. | Ongoing |
| Horticulture | Irrigation | PRIS: PRecision Irrigation Strategies for sustainable blueberry production: Improving water use efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emission. | Drs. Thorsten Knipfer, Simone Castellarin, & Sean Smukler | University of British Columbia | Improving the efficiency of blueberry irrigation practices while increasing fruit yield and quality. | Ongoing |
| Horticulture | Irrigation | Toward Precision Irrigation of Blueberries in Climatic Regions of Washington and British Columbia | Drs. Thorsten Knipfer, Simone Castellarin, & Sean Smukler | University of British Columbia | Developing a regional schedule for precision irrigation management to optimize crop physiology and water use efficiency | Ongoing |
| Pests | Aphids | Understanding the Population Genetic Structure of the Blueberry-Infesting Aphid, Ericaphis fimbriata species complex, in the Pacific Northwest | Drs. Bryan Brunet & Michelle Franklin | Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada | Resolving the taxonomic issues relating to the aphid species responsible for vectoring Blueberry Scorch virus. | Ongoing |
| Pests | Aphids | Ecological Interactions in Aphid-Parasitoid Communities: Implications for Aphid-Mediated Virus Transmission in Highbush Blueberry in British Columbia | Drs. Michelle Franklin & Bryan Brunet | Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada | Investigating the temporal incidence of aphid-mediated virus transmission in highbush blueberry and associated aphid fauna to inform the optimal timing of aphid controls; Characterize local aphid-parasitoid community composition in BC blueberries as the foundation for area-specific virus control strategies; and Investigate influence of cultivar (advanced selections) and plant-virus infection on the susceptibility of highbush blueberry to Ericaphis fimbriata. | Ongoing |
| Pests | Leafhoppers | LeafHope: A Comprehensive Toolkit to Reduce Insecticide Use and Greenhouse Gases in Canada. | Dr. Lauren Erland | University of the Fraser Valley | Developing a comprehensive toolkit for reducing insecticide use and GHG emissions. | Ongoing |
| Pollination | Native Pollinators | PERCS: Perennial Plant Restoration for Carbon Sequestration in Canadian Agricultural Landscapes. | Dr. Juli Carrillo | University of British Columbia | Improving natural habitat for pollinators, beneficial insects, and ecosystem services. | Ongoing |
On smaller screens, each project row is displayed as an easy-to-read stacked card.
