Today@Dal

From the August 29 edition of the Truro Daily News:

Important research into the improvements of Christmas tree production is taking place locally.

Matthew Priest, president of the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia, told the Truro Daily News more work happens within the industry year-round than the public realizes.

For example, the Christmas Tree Research Centre, at the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus in Bible Hill, is conducting tests “to try to find different types of balsam seeds and clones for super trees in the area of needle retention and pest resistance,” said Priest.

Raj Lada, a founding director of the research centre, and a professor in environmental sciences at Dal AC, told this paper the work being done focuses on priorities from tree producers throughout Atlantic Canada. Some of the research highlights include needle retention, pest control and breeding.

“One of the things we’ve discovered is identifying several clones with high needle retention and ways to create mass (multiplication) of trees,” said Lada.

“And we’re looking into what causes good colour … needle drop … their molecules … and environmental factors such as dehydration, rainfall patterns, pre-harvest conditions” and improving tree quality when they have been in their natural environment or in transport for a long time.

Read the rest of this story at the Truro Daily News website.