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Ontario welcomes interim greenhouse floriculture specialist

With over 10 years of experience in agricultural research focused on greenhouse production, Andrew C. Wylie has stepped in as acting greenhouse floriculture specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

Wylie grew up with his family’s specialty mushroom operation near Wiarton, Ont. He also co-founded Heritage Organic Research Co. Ltd. (Herio) in 2007, where he developed novel nutrition and IPM strategies that are being used in organic greenhouses across North America.

During his Ph.D. studies at Simon Fraser University, B.C., Wylie developed a system to assess microbial biocontrols for organic greenhouse production systems. He also holds an M.Sc. in Plant Science from the University of British Columbia and a B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Guelph.

No stranger at OMAFRA, Wylie recently served as acting vegetable crops specialist at OMAFRA, covering asparagus, cucurbits, beans and peas, sweet corn and rhubarb. He worked on key initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, and led the process for identifying research needs. One key project was his work on validating PCR-based spore trapping for rapid monitoring of cucurbit downy mildew, with the goal of improving fungicide rotation timing to reduce resistance.

Wylie started his role on Dec. 14, 2020 and will be based out of Vineland, Ont. He is currently stepping in for regular incumbent, Dr. Chevonne Dayboll.

With files from OMAFRA