The BERRi lab proves an ideal space to learn how berries can adapt and thrive in a changing climate.
Berry growers at the Chilliwack campus of University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) feel a surge of excitement these days. With a new, nearly 1,000-square-foot lab and a recently appointed Canada Research Chair, berries are taking their rightful place at the top of agricultural lists.
As director of berry horticulture at UFV, Lauren Erland leads the Berry Environmental Resilience Research and Innovation (BERRi) lab. Erland was appointed Canada Research Chair in berry horticulture in March. Funds from federal and provincial bodies accompanied her appointment to create the new BERRi lab.
“The funding and having a chair positioned in the Fraser Valley in berry horticulture demonstrates the commitment of UFV and the federal and provincial government to berries,” she says. “We are in the last months of the renovation and are looking forward to a grand opening in the early fall.”
Growers will be invited to check out the tools that are going to deliver positive impacts on the berry industry.
One is a liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometer. Beyond the usual analysis of firmness, sugars and colour, this tool takes things further into examining any chemical in the berry to help understand differences from variety to variety and responses to various growing conditions.
Erland says it’s time to ask questions about how things are changing and get scientific answers to support growers in their choices of varieties and management practices.