Areas of Research

At the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre's (PARC) sites in Agassiz and Summerland, British Columbia, major research is conducted on understanding the linkages between food, nutrition and health, securing and protecting food production, and balancing the activities of agriculture with the goal of a sustainable environment.

PARC's Areas of Research

Research for Healthier Crops

Agassiz:

• Studying soil biochemistry and fertility, soil microbiology, soil degradation and environmental quality.
• Conducting research on insect pest control measures for vegetables, berries and greenhouse vegetables.
• Producing strawberry and raspberry varieties that adapt well to Canada's Pacific northwest, with emphasis on natural disease and insect resistance.
• Conducting research on innovative production and post-harvest methods to improve the quality of berries and greenhouse vegetables.

Summerland:

• Studying ways to reduce groundwater contamination from agricultural chemicals; methods to overcome soil and water conditions that are unfavourable to plant growth.
• Research on plant viruses through the Canadian Plant Virus Collection which consists of both freeze-dried cultures and live viruses in living perennial plants.
• Determining the impact on plant health of beneficial and disease-causing fungi and bacteria.
• Developing apple and sweet cherry varieties with a longer harvest       season, excellent fruit quality, disease and insect resistance, and with the capacity to adapt to the Canadian climate.
• Discovering ways to enhance the quality of tree fruits and specialty crops, and more efficient ways to produce and store them.
• Controlling plant virus diseases through the use of natural products.

Agassiz and Summerland:

• Investigating chemical controls, for short term use, in small-scale production crops Minor use products.

Livestock Welfare and Production

Agassiz:

• Assessing behaviour and evaluating the welfare of dairy cattle , including feeding behavior, detection of lameness, and behaviours when sick.
• Conducting research in poultry nutrition and assessing nutrition effects in relation to bone strength and welfare.
• Identifying, monitoring and preserving poultry stocks for short-term use and long-term availability.
• Pasture and rangeland management.  (Kamloops)

Innovative Solutions for Health and Wellness

Agassiz:

• Conducting research on greenhouse vegetables to enhance antioxidant content for human health; studying ways to increase the tolerance of these vegetables to low storage temperatures and to prolong their shelf life.

Summerland:

• Identifying and using components from Canadian crops and by-products from food industries to develop foods that promote health beyond their basic nutrients (functional food and neutraceuticals). Investigating these food ingredients to determine antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Developing new separation techniques such as extraction/fractionation to obtain various components from crops that can be converted and processed into higher-value end products.

Pest and Disease Control

Summerland:

• Diagnosing plant viruses to better understand how they replicate so that new diagnostic methods and strategies for disease control can be developed  S
• Studying the effectiveness of baculoviruses (viruses that kill insects) for possible use as biological pesticides.
• Understanding the effects of disease-bearing insects, germs and microbes in fresh fruit and vegetables.

New and Improved Quality for Food Products

Summerland:

• Evaluating fruit and vegetable products for taste, texture, appearance and smell (sensory evaluation).
• Distinguishing new and existing cultivars of grapes; profiling the character of Canadian wines; assessing the quality of fruits and vegetables where preservation techniques (such as modified atmosphere packaging) are used to prolong the freshness of the product.

Agassiz and Summerland:

• Determining factors affecting shelf life and quality of fruit and vegetable products destined for fresh consumption.