Feds boost disease-resistant apple, tomato research with $920K investment
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Vineland Research centre to develop new breeding lines for two major crops
Located in Ontario’s Niagara region, the research centre’s latest project will focus on developing disease-resistant crops. PHOTO: FedDev Ontario
VINELAND STATION, Ont.—The Canadian government is seeding researchers in southern Ontario just shy of $1 million to develop new types of disease-resistant apples and greenhouse-grown tomatoes.
The Niagara, Ont.-area Vineland Research and Innovation Centre will receive $920,000 from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to boost research on the pair of crops that bring in around $700 million in revenue for growers across the country—$361 million of that total in exports in 2015.
“With this investment, our apple and tomato growers are benefiting from research on disease-resistant varieties,” Jim Brandle, the research centre’s CEO, said. “Our goal is always to increase industry competitiveness while meeting consumer preferences for locally-grown crops.”
The research will focus on developing new breeding lines.
