The federal government is providing $1.4 million for research at the University of
Guelph aimed at protecting bees and improving soil health.
Natural Sciences
and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) awarded Strategic Partnership Grants
to Prof. Rod Merrill, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Prof.
Claudia Wagner-Riddle, School of Environmental Sciences.
The announcement was
made Wednesday in Ottawa by Kirsty Duncan, minister of science.
In
total, 94 grants worth $50 million were awarded.
They support early-stage
research expected to enhance Canada’s economy, society or the environment in
the next decade.
Merrill
will use his three-year, $810,000 grant to develop natural products into agents
to treat deadly diseases in honeybees, including bacteria-borne American
foulbrood and parasitic mite infections.
Since
2006, North American and European beekeepers have lost about one-third of their
colonies every year.
Although
colony losses remain largely unexplained, many experts believe stress on
honeybees makes them more vulnerable to disease.
Wagner-Riddle
will use a $614,353 grant to help improve soil quality. She will look at
cropping practices that mimic natural ecosystems and improve resiliency to
climate change.
Wagner-Riddle’s
research team will compare conventional and perennialized annual cropping
systems (where the soil is never left unseeded) using corn, winter wheat and
soybeans.
Researchers
from three U of G departments are involved, as well as scientists from the
University of Saskatchewan, Western University and the University of Toronto.
“These
are new collaborations and we are very excited about the research we will
conduct over the next three years,” Wagner-Riddle said. “Each researcher brings
a unique perspective and expertise to this very important topic.”
