Processing Carrot Research Program

• Rajasekaran Lada, program director
• Azure Adams, scientific officer
• Phillip Joy, research associate
• Arumugam Thiagarajan, research associate
• Paul McNeil, research assistant
• James Burke, research assistant
• Alan Harrison Wright, graduate research assistant
• Samantha Feltmate, graduate research assistant
• Usha P. Rayirath, graduate research assistant
• Mason McDonald, graduate research assistant
• Kathy R. Pickle, graduate research assistant
• Andrea L. Munroe, summer research assistant

Faculty of Agriculture

Drs. C. Caldwell, A. Madani, R. Gordon, P. Havard, T. Astakie, D. Percival; Profs. C. Miller , G. Sampson

NSDAF (1998–2001)

D. Sangster, P. Swinkels, R. Whitman, L. Crozier

AgraPoint

F. MacRae, P. Burgess, V. Zvalo

AAFC

P. Hicklenton (AAFC, Kentville); K. Sanderson (AAFC, Charlettetown); Dr. G. Bourgeois (Horticultural Research and Development Centre, Saint-Jean, Quebec); J. Owen (AAFC, Bouctouche)

PEI Department of Agriculture

Dr. T. Sturtz

Seed companies

Bejo, Seminis, Harris Moran, Stokes, Vesey’s

Fertilizer companies

Truro Agro Mart, NS; Phosyn, UK

Growers and grower organizations

Bragg Lumber Company, T. Meredith, T. Bowers, D. Congdon, T. Meredith Sr.; PEI Horticultural Association; Hort Nova

Universities (Canada)

• Dr. T.J. Blake, University of Toronto
• Dr. D. Hooper, Dalhousie University
• Dr. F. Shahidi, Memorial University
• Dr. Robert Drobovitch, Dalhousie University

Universities/organizations (international)

• Dr. P. Simon, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Dr. I. Goldman, University of Wisconsin, Madison and University of Iowa, USDA-ARS
• Dr. Usha Palaniswamy, University of Connecticut, USA
• Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre, Taiwan
• Dr. B.P. Naidu, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

• Angus Ells (Bragg Lumber Company) - chair
• Rajasekaran Lada (program director, PCRP)
• Cameron Fullerton (Oxford Frozen Foods)
• Tom Meredith Jr. (producer - NS)
• Greg Whitney (producer - NS)
• Allen Balderston (producer - PEI)
• Findlay MacRae (operations director, AgraPoint)
• Micheal Johnson (NSDAF - Programs and Risk Management)
• Derek Anderson (head, Department of Plant and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture)
• Azure Stiles (scientific officer, PCRP) - recording secretary

The Carrot Processing Research Program makes available various publications that provide more information on its research  findings. See the complete list of publications.

The Carrot Processing Research Program also has a variety of fact sheets on its research projects. See the complete list of factsheets.

A variety of newsletters, dating from 2000 to 2005, are available to download as PDFs. See the complete list of newsletters.

• commercial carrot seeders
• small-scale push seeder
• harvester
• bicycle sprayer
• TDR soil moisture meter
• chlorophyll meter
• manual grader

• Varietal introduction and evaluation
• Resource optimization and modeling
• Crop competition and yield and quality monitoring
• Stand establishment and seed physiology
• Physiology disorders
• Stress physiology and acclimation
• Bulking physiology
• Eco-physiology
• Pest and disease forecasting – CIPRA calibration
• Ecologically, environmentally, economically sustainable (EEES) Carrot-based cropping systems
• Good agricultural practices (GAP)
• Maturity, yield, and quality modeling

Project Title

Bulking Physiology: Carrot Bulking, Quality and Harvest Synchronization through Uncovering Genotype, Agronomic and Agroclimatological Interactions

Goals and Objectives

The goal of this project was to develop crop production systematics (CPS) and harvest decision models (HDM) for the processing carrot industry.

The objectives are to: 1) understand carrot bulking physiology and dynamics, yield and quality as influenced by genetic, agronomic, and agro-climatological factors; 2) investigate the influence of these factors on the interrelationship between root bulking, canopy growth, canopy photosynthesis and sink activity; 3) to develop integrated CPS and HDMs.

Team

Project director: Dr. Rajasekaran Lada
Project collaborator: Dr. C. Forney, AAFC
Scientific office: Azure Adams

Sponsors

1. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Coucil (NSERC)
2. Oxford Frozen Foods, Nova Scotia

Project title

Agro-informatics: Developing "in silico" solutions for knowledge discovery, knowledge management and providing decision-making tools and systems for carrot industry.

Goal

The goal of this project was to develop agro-informatics through the development of new, innovative digital information and decision systems, technologies and solutions for the carrot industry, researchers, and decision makers, by integrating agronomy, crop physiology, computer science, software engineering and information technology. The project will build on Oxford's fresh product database and use agronomic and meteorological data sets to develop a comprehensive database that can be used as a management and decision making tool for field planning, auditing, budgeting, on-farm food safety, and production, process and market planning providing virtual solutions to on-farm food safety and environmental stewardship

Team

Project leader: Dr. Rajasekaran Lada
Agro-informatics specialist: to be hired
Research biologist: to be hired

Sponsors

1. Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Program
2. Oxford Frozen Food Limited

Project title

Eco-physiology, Dynamics and Bulking Modeling of Cut and Peel Carrots

Goals and objectives

The long-term goal of this project is to develop harvest decision models (HDMs) for carrots.

The short-term objectives are to
i) understand the root bulking dynamics as influenced by seeding rates, seeding dates and harvesting dates;
ii) identify the link between root bulking and weather parameters;
iii) elucidate the eco-physiological changes;
iv) model root bulking.

Team

Project director: Dr. Rajasekaran Lada
Project collaborator: Mr. A. Ells, Bragg Lumber Company

Sponsors

1. Technology Development 2000 Program, Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture
2. Oxford Frozen Foods, Nova Scotia

• The Old Farmer's Almanac - Carrots
• Horticulture Nova Scotia
• Bejo Seeds
• Seminis Seeds
• Grimmway Farms
• University of Wisconsin
• Carrot Country
• University of Guelph
• Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development
• Amercian Society for Horticultural Science
• The World Carrot Museum
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: National Science Programs
• Hortnet
• International Society for Horticultural Science
• Acta Horticulturae
• Science Direct
• Warwick HRI and Crop Research Centre
  
• Successful Farming: Agriculture Online
• University of Maryland Online Journals
• The Ohio State University Extension Vegetable Crops
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Physical address

Processing Carrot Research Program
Department of Plant and Animal Sciences
Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University
Room 151 Cox Institute
50 Pictou Road, Truro, NS
B2N 5E3

Mailing address

Processing Carrot Research Program
Department of Plant and Animal Sciences
Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University
PO Box 550
Truro, NS
B2N 5E3

Email

Dr. R. Lada - raj.lada@dal.ca

Tel.: (902) 893-2309
Fax: (902) 897-9762