September 15, 2014
From left: John F.T. Scott, Chair, Vineland’s Board of Directors; Dr. Michael Brownbridge, Research Director, Horticultural Production Systems at Vineland; Dean Allison, member of Parliament for Niagara West—Glanbrook; Dr. Daryl Somers, Research Director, Applied Genomics at Vineland; Pierre Lemieux, Parliamentary Secretary to Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz.
Vineland receives $2.5-million in research funds
A visit to Vineland Research and Innovation Centre by Pierre Lemieux, Parliamentary Secretary to Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, and Dean Allison, member of Parliament for Niagara West—Glanbrook, produced a great many smiles when they announced $2.5 million was approved for the Centre.
Vineland will receive over $1.4 million to modernize its rose breeding program using state-of-the-art DNA fingerprinting technology to develop cold hardy, black spot resistant rose cultivars. These new cultivars will prevent losses due to cold and diseases.
The remaining $1.1 million will help producers tap into the growing market for world crops, through research that seeks to increase seasonal field production of Oriental long eggplants and okra, evaluate the use of greenhouse technologies, and develop sweet potato varieties adapted to Canadian conditions. It is expected this project will boost domestic production of exotic vegetables, leading to new opportunities for the horticultural sector.
“Our government is pleased to recognize the important research being done here at Vineland to drive innovation and growth in the horticulture sector. We will continue to forge strong partnerships with industry to help create new opportunities for Canadian businesses and increase profits for farmers,” said Lemieux.
Allison stated, “The horticultural industry is a significant economic driver for Ontario, and it’s great to see Vineland continuing to give our growers a leg up on the competition with world-class research and innovative production practices.”
Vineland will receive over $1.4 million to modernize its rose breeding program using state-of-the-art DNA fingerprinting technology to develop cold hardy, black spot resistant rose cultivars. These new cultivars will prevent losses due to cold and diseases.
The remaining $1.1 million will help producers tap into the growing market for world crops, through research that seeks to increase seasonal field production of Oriental long eggplants and okra, evaluate the use of greenhouse technologies, and develop sweet potato varieties adapted to Canadian conditions. It is expected this project will boost domestic production of exotic vegetables, leading to new opportunities for the horticultural sector.
“Our government is pleased to recognize the important research being done here at Vineland to drive innovation and growth in the horticulture sector. We will continue to forge strong partnerships with industry to help create new opportunities for Canadian businesses and increase profits for farmers,” said Lemieux.
Allison stated, “The horticultural industry is a significant economic driver for Ontario, and it’s great to see Vineland continuing to give our growers a leg up on the competition with world-class research and innovative production practices.”