Researchers Look for Source of Disease Afflicting BC Blueberry Plants
VANCOUVER, BC , Aug. 22, 2022 /CNW/ - Loaded full of vitamins and minerals, rich in antioxidants, and bursting with flavour, blueberries are an icon of summertime in British Columbia. Families flock to farm gates and U-picks to bring home baskets of blueberry bounty destined for pies, jams, salads and taste buds.Like all food producers, BC's blueberry farmers routinely deal with various pests and pathogens that damage plants and affect crop yields. Recently, the blueberry scorch virus has become the scourge of the industry, causing a loss of yield and profitability. Farmers can test sick plants to determine whether the blueberry scorch virus, or other known viruses, are to blame. Once they have this information, farmers know what to do to protect their plants.
But now, a mysterious new problem is threatening BC's blueberry industry - visibly sick plants are testing negative for unknown causes. More and more blueberry bushes are being affected each season. Researchers on a two-year project funded by Genome British Columbia (Genome BC) are playing the role of plant detectives to solve this mystery.
"In 2020, for instance, 18% of samples from damaged plants tested negative for both the blueberry scorch virus and blueberry shock virus. We need to know what is affecting these blueberry bushes to find out how to reduce the spread of disease," says Jim Mattsson, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University and lead researcher on the project.
The research team, which includes the BC Blueberry Council, uses genomic tools like genome sequencing to identify the viruses causing disease in blueberry plants. The BC Blueberry Council has also developed a campaign to raise awareness among growers.
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