USask launches new University of Saskatchewan Insect Research Facility

“The USIRF places USask in a unique position among research institutions in Canada,” said Dr. Baljit Singh, USask vice-president of research. “This facility, and the research it will lend itself to, is another example of how USask is leading in the areas of food security and agriculture. We are tackling important questions that will ultimately have an impact and better our communities.” 

Located in the Agriculture Building on the USask Saskatoon campus, the 500-square-foot insect quarantine facility is designed to meet Canadian Food Inspection Agency Plant Protection Containment Level-2A requirements, allowing researchers to study non-native insects and pathogens that pose a potential threat to western Canadian crops. 

“Insects are an important part of agricultural ecosystems but some present huge economic and environmental risk,” said Dr. Sean Prager (PhD), USask entomologist and USIRF research lead.  “The USIRF provides us a space to pre-emptively study how these pests would work in our environment and with Saskatchewan crops before they become an issue. This facility also allows us to involve students in this research, which means we can train students at the highest level of entomological research.”