CFI awards $9.5M to the McGill-led Eastern Canadian Plant Phenotyping Platform
Accelerating innovations to adapt agro-environments to climate change: Eastern Canadian Plant Phenotyping Platform (ECP3)
Given the sheer size of the Canadian landmass, and the resulting wide spectrum of climatic conditions represented, agricultural innovation in Canada by necessity must have a strong regional focus, with new cultivars, methods, and tools tailored to specific climatic and geographic conditions.
Funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Eastern Canadian Plant Phenotyping Platform (ECP3) a collaborative initiative between McGill University and the University of Sherbrooke positions Canada as a global leader in the adaptation of agricultural production against rapid climate change.
Under the leadership of Dr. Anja Geitmann, Canada Research Chair in Biomechanics of Plant Development and Dean of McGill’s Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the ECP3 research program will develop new crop cultivars and precision agricultural tools and management practices adapted to climate change in Eastern Canada.
The heart of the ECP3 is the advanced plant phenotyping capabilities of the expanded McGill Plant Phenomics Platform (MP3) and the complementary Sherbrooke Green Laboratory. This core capacity is directly coupled with multi-disciplinary capabilities in plant imaging, genomics and plant transformation, and crucial supporting infrastructure including sophisticated controlled growth and plant pest containment environments.
Thanks in part to a rich web of commercial, government and producer-focused collaborators, the ECP3 will be among a handful of elite plant sciences platforms worldwide that is uniquely capable of translating innovation from the laboratory to the field and into applied solutions for use by Canadian producers.
The unique plant science capabilities of ECP3 will also be applied to other research spheres of crucial importance to the Canadian economy and society including phytoremediation for the reclamation of human-impacted landscapes in partnership with the Canadian mining industry, and advanced human health applications such as the development of a plant-based vaccine production platform.
Summary
The ECP3 represents cutting-edge capacity in crucial areas of plant science, providing a globally unique plant phenotyping platform that addresses key research bottlenecks while providing a powerful foundation for the multi-disciplinary collaborations needed to address the challenges faced by Canadian agriculture in the face of rapid climate change. Led by an exceptional team of principal investigators and embedded in a rich web of partnerships and collaborations, the ECP3 positions Canada for global leadership in the application of advanced plant sciences to the challenge of maintaining a thriving agricultural sector through the coming decades.
Research Team:
McGill University
Principal Investigator: Anja Geitmann
Thomas Bureau, Biology Department
Jean-Benoit Charron, Plant Science Department
Donald Smith, Plant Science Department
Martina Stromvik, Plant Science Department
Université de Sherbrooke
Carole Beaulieu, Département de Biologie (Microbiologie - biotechnologie)
Jean-Philippe Bellenger, Département de Chimie
Peter Moffet, Département de Biologie (Biologie moléculaire et cellulaire)
Sébastien Roy, Département de Biologie (Microbiologie - biotechnologie)
John William (Bill) Shipley, Département de Biologie (Écologie terrestre)
For further info: Martina Stromvik, martina.stromvik [at] mcgill.ca