SEPTEMBER 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
Budget funding starts flowing for
genomics work Better diagnostics for plant material the focus
by PETER MITHAM VANCOUVER – Research
focused on better diagnostics to address and support plant health will receive federal funding as Ottawa makes good on last year’s promise of tens of millions worth of funding for genomics research. Genomics, the study of genetic sequences, was promised $30 million over six years in the 2016 federal budget. A further $70 million in funding was promised in this year’s budget, with a focus on climate change and the conservation of soil and water.
During a visit to Vancouver
on August 15, federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay told a crowd of researchers, industry members and media gathered at Genome BC that two collaborative projects would receive $500,000. The projects are national in scope, and include collaborations with the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (VRC) as well as industry. “The first project is
expected to last three years and will dramatically shorten the test period for seeds, cuttings and bulbs imported into Canada. What once took three years will be shortened to a year or under,” MacAulay said. “The second project will run for 18 months, streamlining the testing of strawberry plants. The goal is to find a way to test multiple plant viruses in one single test, reducing the time and cost to get the plant to market.” David Charest, Genome
BC’s manager for the agrifood and natural resources sector, provided further details regarding the projects, which promise to strengthen Canada’s trading relationships. The first project focuses on
imports of plant material for tree fruit growers and includes collaborations with the BC Cherry Association and VRIC. “Right now, when you
import from a non-Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) certified source in the United States or Europe, they have to be quarantined at the Sidney lab on the island. Right now, the quarantine is for a three-year period,” Charest
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explained. By developing a means of
shortening the quarantine period, the research will facilitate the release of imported plant material to growers and support the establishment and renewal of orchards. Ontario growers seeking new varieties to rebuild their industry following an outbreak of plum pox virus, for example, have had to send about 60 varieties unique to Ontario to Sidney for cleanup. Originally propagated in disease-struck areas, the plant material required a clean bill of health before going to nurseries near Windsor for propagation and distribution to growers. The delay has added years to the Ontario peach industry’s renaissance. “They’re going to develop and validate the technology both here and in Ontario, at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre,” Charest said of the work on behalf of the cherry sector. “At the end of the project, they want to import, with the involvement of the BC Cherry Association and the Summerland Varieties
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The BC Cherry Association is collaborating with agencies to help shorten the quarantine period for imported plant material. FILE PHOTO
Corp., some of their interesting materials that they will then test using genomic tests – the next-generation sequencing.”
Strawberry plant exports The second project focuses
on Canadian exports of strawberry plants, a business worth $17 million annually. It also aims to shorten the time required for diagnosing plant diseases. It involves a collaboration between the CFIA, which regulates plant health; Phyto Diagnostics, a CFIA-certified lab that tests plant materials for export, and breeder Michael Dossett of BC Berry Cultivar Development Inc. “This one is linking the
regulator, the certified lab that offers fee-for-service to importers and exporters, and then we have a breeder, who is a customer of Phyto Diagnostics,” Charest explained. “We have someone who wants to export his materials to maybe the [US] or Europe, and he wants to make sure that … his material will be clean.” Charest said the project
responds to a situation that saw infected strawberry plants from a number of Canadian nurseries cost growers in other countries thousands of dollars. Other species became infected, too, complicating cleanup. With phyto-sanitary issues a negotiating point in current
talks regarding the future of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), better diagnostics will boost international trust in the plant material Canada ships abroad. “Protecting the health of
fruit trees and plants is important for our food sector and our economy, as we continue to provide high- quality products for our trading partners around the world,” MacAulay said in announcing the funding. “Protecting plant health has a direct benefit for our economy.” MacAulay said the success
of the two projects will contribute to Ottawa’s goal of boosting Canada’s agricultural exports to $75 billion by 2025.
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