Agriculture and Forestry
Our researchers are undertaking studies that will result in improvements to the quality and productivity of oilseed crops such as canola. They are also working on strategies to improve frost tolerance in wheat, improved breeding strategies for softwood trees, understanding more about the Mountain Pine Beetle problem and contributed to the worldwide effort to sequence the genome of cows.
Arborea II - Genomics for Molecular Breeding in Softwood Trees
This project is led from the University of Laval, with local participation by Dr. Janice Cooke at the University of Alberta (value of $650K).
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Bovine Genome Sequencing
With the completion of the human genome sequence, the opportunities available for acceleration of genomics research activities in cattle have increased dramatically. This is even more valid now that the sequencing of the bovine genome has been completed. Read more
Designing Oilseeds for Tomorrow's Markets
This project is focused on Brassica (canola and related species) seed quality and will be led by Dr. Randy Weselake at the University of Alberta and co-led by Dr. Wilf Keller at the NRC Plant Biotechnology Institute in Saskatoon. Read more
TRIA Project
This project has received strong support from the Alberta government and is finding new ways to predict the spread of the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic and to fully understand the relationship between the beetle, the tree it infects, and the blue stain fungi which utlimately kills the trees. Read more
Use of Genomic Tools for Crop Improvement in Temperate Climates
This project will focuses on three economically important crops - wheat, barley and rye. Drawing on extensive genetic data and tools within the wheat and barley species and close relatives, the research team will seek to better understand the low-temperature responses of these crops. Read more