报告题目： Soil health and research opportunities in the Lower Fraser Valley

报 告 人： Dr. Aimé Jean Messiga

工作单位：Agassiz Research and Development Centre, British Columbia (Canada)

时    间：5月11日下午3:30-4:30

地    点：资环学院5区219

摘要：In 2014, Canada produced 387,788 t of berries with a farm gate value of 537 M$, more than half the total fruit value. British Columbia (BC) produces 40% and 83% of Canada’s total blueberry and raspberry harvests, respectively, including 95% of its highbush blueberries. Berry production in BC is expected to increase steadily in the coming years, driven by new exports and a growing consumer trend towards considering and valuing berries for their health-promoting benefits. To achieve this projected increase while maintaining high fruit quality and minimizing environmental impact, BC berry growers need to continually reassess and refine their cultural management practices. Soil health is the net result of on-going conservation and degradation processes. It encompasses physical, biological and chemical properties and thus maintaining and building soil health is a key to sustainable agricultural production. Improving soil health will benefit BC berry growers with higher berry yield, increased resiliency against severe weather events expected with climate change, reduced irrigation requirements by improving water holding capacity and infiltration.

报告人简历: Dr. Messiga is Research Scientist (Soil and Nutrient Management) at Agriculture and AgriFood Canada (Agassiz Research and Development Centre) since May 2016. He is presently working to develop his research program on soil health with an emphasis on small fruit production systems (blueberry, raspberry) and silage corn in the Lower Mainland, British Columbia. He was awarded an NSERC fellowship for a Post-doc at Quebec Research and Development Centre (2010-2013) were he works focused on phosphorus cycling in field crops and grassland systems. He also did a second Post-doc at Trent University with a focus on soil health in perennial production systems (2013-2015). He is the author and co-author of more than 20 peer-reviewed articles. He has a good record of international collaborations with scientists in Africa, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, France, and Switzerland which have yielded several peer-reviewed articles.