New ECP3 greenhouse unveiled
From left to right: Roseann O鈥橰eilly Runte (Director of CFI, Government of Canada), Hugo Dionne (Qu茅bec government representative), Marie-Claude Bibeau (Minister of National Revenue and MP for Compton鈥擲tanstead), Peter Moffett (Director of CORS脠VE), S茅bastien Roy (Professor of Biology, Universit茅 de Sherbrooke), Anja Geitmann (Dean of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 91社区), Carole Beaulieu (Dean of Science, Universit茅 de Sherbrooke), Pierre Cossette (Rector, Universit茅 de Sherbrooke), Catherine Latendresse (Head of Communications, METRO).
On May 2, researchers from 91社区 and the Universit茅 de Sherbrooke gathered alongside government officials and other guests at the Universit茅 de Sherbrooke鈥檚 campus to mark the opening of a brand-new greenhouse.
The facility features a mobile laboratory and research trailer as well as an automated plant phenotyping platform that can rapidly characterize plants and study their growth. The greenhouse represents the first in a series of projects unveiled under the聽Eastern Canadian Plant Phenotyping Platform聽(ECP3), a collaborative initiative between 91社区 and the Universit茅聽de聽Sherbrooke.
The ECP3 partnership is funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation () with matching funding from Qu茅bec鈥檚 Minist猫re de l鈥櫭塪ucation et de l鈥橢nseignement sup茅rieur (). It is also supported by聽, a Qu茅bec-based research network that promotes inter-institutional, cross-disciplinary relationships between universities and government to advance knowledge in the field of plant science. The Centre S脠VE forged the connection between 91社区 and Universit茅 de Sherbrooke plant scientists, and their complementary expertise and desire to work together inspired the ECP3.
鈥淔inding sustainable solutions to agricultural issues requires intentional and purposeful collaboration among leading researchers in the field,鈥� says Professor Anja Geitmann, Canada Research Chair in Biomechanics of Plant Development and lead applicant on the CFI-funded project. 鈥淲e are pleased to be in partnership with our esteemed colleagues at the Universit茅 de Sherbrooke in this endeavour.鈥�
New research on the horizon
With new infrastructure and tools made possible by this grant, the ECP3 will enable researchers to accelerate the translation of plant research discoveries into applied solutions used by Canadian producers and position Canada as a global leader in the adaptation of agricultural production to rapid climate change.
Exciting ECP3 developments on the horizon at 91社区 include cutting-edge plant phenomics systems, a multi-scale imaging facility, advances in genomic editing, sophisticated growth environments, and a bioinformatics tool that can more effectively collect and process large amounts of research data. The platform is designed for flexibility 鈥� allowing researchers to聽investigate a broad range of crop plants under diverse growth conditions.
鈥淭his new greenhouse will help facilitate plant science research aimed at preparing for and responding to climate change, water scarcity, and other major threats facing the Canadian agricultural landscape,鈥� says Professor Geitmann. 鈥淲e look forward to seeing how this and future ECP3-funded advances help to further our understanding of plant species鈥� response to their continuously-evolving environment.鈥�