News
COHA research program enters new phase

Oct. 17, 2012, Ottawa — The Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Research
and Innovation Cluster is winding up operations after three years of
focused research involving collaborators across Canada.

Oct. 17, 2012, Ottawa — The Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Research and Innovation Cluster is winding up operations after three years of focused research involving collaborators across Canada.

Launched in 2009, with funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Alliance (a coalition of Flowers Canada Growers, the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association and la Fédération Interdisciplinaire de l’Horticulture Ornementale du Québec), the program was designed to rapidly respond to industry research and innovation priorities and deliver on results.

With projects nearing completion, results are coming due for 16 projects that fall within six general themes of ornamental innovation:

• Product quality during shipping and point of sale.

• Nutrient runoff.

• Water use reduction technologies.

• Greenhouse plant micro-climate.

• Pest control agents.

• Weed control agents.

“This program has successfully delivered on project results that are of immediate benefit to our members,” said COHA chairperson Andy Kuyvenhoven.

COHA has an outreach plan that includes a Research and Innovation Forum on Dec. 5, followed by a series of videos and technical reports.

The forum will be held at the Delta Toronto Airport West Hotel in Toronto. It will provide an opportunity for industry stakeholders to meet with lead researchers to learn of results first-hand. Discussing projects and outcomes with industry members is an important step in determining research priorities for the next round of national research programming anticipated for 2013.

Further information on the forum can be found at www.coha-acho.ca.

The Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Research and Innovation Cluster is administered by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre for the Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Alliance and receives funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Agri-Science Clusters Initiative.

For information on the cluster program or a complete list of projects, go to www.vinelandresearch.com/ornamental.

ABOUT COHA


The Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Alliance (COHA) is the unified voice that represents and promotes the sustainable priorities of Canadian ornamental horticulture. COHA is a strategic alliance of three broad-based organizations:

• Canadian Nursery Landscape Association.

• La Fédération Interdisciplinaire de l’Horticulture Ornementale du Québec.

• Flowers Canada Growers.

COHA wants to provide leadership to the sector by encouraging research investments leading to innovation and profitable gains in the global market, develop the next generation of skilled scientists, enabling the entrepreneurial talent of the sector to flourish to achieve growth, and encourage adoption of new technologies that increase productivity and quality. 

ABOUT VINELAND RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CENTRE


Vineland Research and Innovation Centre is a world-class research centre dedicated to horticultural science and innovation. Its mission is to deliver innovative products and production solutions that address the needs of the horticulture industry and advance Canada’s research and commercialization agenda. It is an independent, not-for-profit organization, funded in part by Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.