Dr. Jonathan Griffiths, a molecular plant virologist, uses an unusual source of labour to assist his research: the enigmatic honeybee. A respected contributor to berry, tree fruit, grape, and tomato research, he is using bees as sentinels for the early detection of plant-based viruses.
As an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) researcher, Dr. Griffiths has discovered that as honeybees pollinate fruit trees and berry crops, they can gather plant viruses along with the pollen that’s carried back to the hive. Members of his team working at Vineland and London then analyze the pollen by extracting the ribonucleic acid (RNA) to identify any viruses that may be present. Their research also includes analyzing how flowering timelines and bee pollination behaviour affect virus transmission within and between various crops.
Seconding bees as an early warning network to identify plant viruses is an ingenious, effective way to advance crop protection. Blueberry Knoll Berry Farm near Lowbanks, Ontario serves as Griffith’s field laboratory where farmer Brian Young welcomes the research and is excited by its many potential applications. His berry farm has proved to be helpful in analyzing the links between pollinators and transmission of plant viruses. Beyond that site, Dr. Griffiths’ work includes monitoring peach, cherry, apples, strawberry, and raspberry viruses. This research also has the potential to help greenhouse growers manage the devastating effects of tomato brown rugose fruit virus.
The apparent success of this innovative work aside, big questions hang over the effectiveness of research priority setting and funding for the broader horticultural industry. It’s a perennially thorny issue for growers that’s even more problematic as dwindling government and private sector budgets become the norm. Prioritizing research to target the biggest pay back for 120-plus horticultural crops requires the wisdom of a modern-day Solomon. Questions such as who is funding, who controls spending, who gets money, and when do growers get a say all deserve to be answered up front.
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