Ontario Horticultural Crops Research and Services Committee
2005 Executive Summary

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• Ontario Horticultural Crops Research and Services Committee 2005 Executive Summary - printable PDF format

Horticultural Crops

The OHCRSC report is a compilation of the summary reports presented by the subcommittees at the OHCRSC annual meeting December 6, 2005 in Guelph. The subcommittee reports provide a brief overview of the state of the industry, emerging issues, current research priorities and recommendations to further these research priorities.

Research Priorities

Innovation in Pest Management - Pest management issues continue to be the “Achilles Heel” of the horticulture sector that can have implications on competitiveness, market access, environmental stewardship, food safety, plant health and human health.  Sustainable IPM systems are an integral risk management strategy for the competitiveness of the horticultural sector. Research is needed on:

• Development and commercialization of Alternative and Reduce-Risk products
• research on IPM strategies for resistance management and emerging pest complexes
• strategies to deal with plant health issues including invasive species and biodiversity
• field validation of predictive models for Ontario conditions
• development of rapid diagnostics
• monitoring techniques and thresholds

Environmental Management – Integration of nutrient, water and pest management strategies, energy/bioenergy and carbon sequestration modeling are areas that require research.

• Integration and inter-relationship between nutrient, water and pest management strategies and impact on quality / shelf life of produce and/or bioactive compounds.
• Potential restrictions on nutrient use and pesticide application resulting from proposed Clean Water Act.
• Availability of water for irrigation is a growing concern due to the current negotiation of the Great Lakes Charter.
• Reducing irrigation requirements by more efficient irrigation scheduling or improving water treatment technologies to increase adoption of recirculation.
• Greenhouse energy efficiency and alternate renewable fuels are growing areas of significance. Fuel prices also effect fertilizer, plastic pots and transportation costs.
• Development and validation of models to help quantify carbon sequestration, if societal interest continues in looking at ecological goods and services.

Innovation in Production Systems - on-farm production practices / technologies that can have a significant impact to a viable horticulture sector in the longer term include minimizing inputs, extending the season, developing new crops, adapting to climate change, enhancing crop quality, nutritional or health benefits can contribute significantly to a viable horticulture sector in the longer term. Priority areas include: cultural practices, genomics /variety/cultivar development, identification and evaluation of new germplasm to minimize production inputs, increase product quality and expand value-added opportunities.

Marketing

Increasing market share through season extension, value-added products, niche markets, marketing strategies to improve profitability, utilization of by-products is definitely note in emerging issues for many horticultural crops. Expansion of domestic markets to compete with imports and buffer fluctuations in export markets through:

• Promotion of benefits of buying local produce and research to validate health benefits are increasingly important research need as the society looks to fruits and vegetables as our medicine cabinet.
• Market Intelligence research to assess global trends to capture market opportunities and develop market strategies to remain globally competitive are also important needs.
• Industry economic data to support economic development opportunities and to understand the potential economic impact of issues that affect the industry.

Post Harvest Storage and Quality

Development and Validation of Storage technologies and packaging to maximize shelf life, product quality and health benefits

Food Quality and Food Safety

• Horticulture for Health is an emerging trend and expanded research efforts in this area could contribute to increased consumption of fruit and vegetables. Nutraceutical and Functional Foods research to benchmark nutrition of fruits and vegetables, in particular domestic/locally grown produce and furthering the linkages between fruit and vegetable impacts on human health were discussed. Production practices can also influence on some bioactive compounds in crops and research in this area would help to identify how to maximize these compounds in produce.
• Production/processing technology to minimize contamination (chemical/microbial) and the increasing necessity is also needed.

Five recommendations were made by the Horticultural crops committee dealing with research funding, innovation in pest management, diagnostic testing, research capacity and expertise, and future topics for agri-food innovation forums. Research capacity and expertise at both the federal and provincial levels is a significant concern of the horticultural sector.

For a complete copy of the report go to : http://www.uoguelph.ca/research/omafra/forms/oascc.shtml

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