Plant Ag personnel were treated to a very interesting series of talks by OMAFRA professionals associated with us and adjunct faculty in our department from various institutions and organizations today. The purpose of the day was for us to get to know each other better and, hopefully, broaden the opportunities for increased collaboration. Some of the conversations that went on during the breaks and the lunch suggested that there are real opportunities for this to happen.

The people who presented and their topics included:

Sean Westerveld, OMAFRA Ginseng and Medicinal Herbs Specialist - Simcoe, Solving the Mystery of Ginseng Replant Disease

Michael Celetti, OMAFRA Horticulture Crops Program Lead - Guelph, Colletotrichum diseases of apple and celery: What is the connection?

Ljiljana (Lily) Tamburic-Illincic, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, Breeding Winter Wheat for High Yield and Disease Resistance (Cultivars Developed and Future Projects)

Daryl Somers, Vineland Research Innovation Centre (VRIC), Trait Development for the Vegetable Sector

Jim Todd, OMAFRA Transition Crop Specialist - Simcoe, Agronomic evaluation of plants that produce vernolic acid, an important industrial epoxidized ester

Ian McDonald, OMAFRA Applied Research Coordinator - Guelph, What's Up With That? and Why Does It Matter?

John Kelly, Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association – Guelph, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Rishi Ram Burlakoti, Weather Innovations Consulting – Chatham. Weather Innovations’ Collaborative Projects and Online Crop Management Tools for Ontario Growers

Rumen Conev, Vineland Research Innovation Centre, Canadian Hardy Rose Breeding Program

Travis Banks, Vineland Research Innovation Centre, Mapping Black Spot Resistance in Autotetraploid Roses

Adam Dale, “Retired” Plant Ag Prof – Simcoe, Berries and Nuts

Valerio Primomo, Vineland Research Innovation Centre, Breeding Sweet Potato Varieties for Canadian Environments

Many thanks to the presenters and to those from Plant Ag, who attended. We all came away with a greater appreciation of the complexities of agriculture in Ontario and the efforts that are being made to address opportunities and challenges it presents.