Mike Donnelly-Vanderloo has renewed optimism about white bean research now that replacements for weed specialist Peter Sikkema and plant breeder Peter Pauls are in place.
Whie beans have grown into a major export crop, mainly to Japan, led by Hensall Coop which has become one of the most profitable cooperatives in Ontario
Isabelle Aicklen, with a doctorate in plant agriculture from the University of Guelph, is now in place as the assistant professor of field crop weed management at the Ridgetown campus, conducting research similar to that of Sikkema.
Mohsen Yoosefzadeh-Najafabadi has been white bean plant breeder for about a year, carrying forward work begun by Pauls.
He said he has an interest in computational biology and is moving quickly to use artificial intelligence.
Donnelly Vanderloo, who has long had an interest in white bean research, said during a recent field day near Clinton that “we were sitting in a restaurant in Ridgetown, and we were looking at all the changes that had happened within a relatively short time. and you could just see the room was sort of deflated. The continuity of our research was in question.”
He thanked the University of Guelph for filling the research positions.
The White Bean Growers Association also contracted Blackcreek Research to work on white mould and some pesticides and dessicants.
Trials are conducted at the Huron Research Station near Centralia where the review of research was provided recently during a field day.
