AAFC announces a federal investment of $9.8 million to the Canadian AgriScience Cluster for Horticulture 4

Oct 17, 2023

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced a federal investment of $9.8 million to the Canadian AgriScience Cluster for Horticulture 4 in Abbotsford, BC yesterday. Cluster 4, led by the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC), will include an additional $7.7 million in contributions from industry, for a total investment of $17.5 million.

This approval is a result of the outstanding efforts of all the research teams and a great deal of industry collaboration and support. The Canadian AgriScience Cluster for Horticulture 4 focuses on innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability to ensure Canadian fruit and vegetable growers have the tools and resources they need to continue to grow high-quality, healthy fruits and vegetables for Canadians and the world.

Activities facilitate cooperation between AAFC, university/college, and private researchers to best utilize the scientific expertise available across Canada.

Source : FVCG.ca

Video: LALEXPERT: Sclerotinia cycle and prophylactic methods

White rot, also known as sclerotinia, is a common agricultural fungal disease caused by various virulent species of Sclerotinia. It initially affects the root system (mycelium) before spreading to the aerial parts through the dissemination of spores.

Sclerotinia is undoubtedly a disease of major economic importance, and very damaging in the event of a heavy attack.

All these attacks come from the primary inoculum stored in the soil: sclerotia. These forms of resistance can survive in the soil for over 10 years, maintaining constant contamination of susceptible host crops, causing symptoms on the crop and replenishing the soil inoculum with new sclerotia.