News

Please join us for a free public lecture entitled:
“Sex-Deprived Fruit: How a Lack of Breeding Threatens our Food's Future and How Genomics Can Help Fix the Problem”

Speaker:  Dr. Sean Myles
Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University
Canada Research Chair in Agricultural Genetic Diversity

Monday, May 6th, 2013
7:30pm
Great Hall, Dalhousie University Club, 6259 Alumni Crescent, Halifax
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE FROM USUAL NSIS LECTURE LOCATION.

Many of our fruit crops, including apples and grapes, are sex-deprived: they have experienced very little sex over the past few thousand years due to the practice of clonal propagation.  Sex is the only way to generate novel combinations of traits.  We need breeders to continue to generate novel genetic combinations that are tasty, high-yielding and require less chemical input to grow.  If we want sustainably grown food in the future, it is essential that we support long-term breeding efforts that make use of all of the information available, including DNA sequences.

This talk will focus on how we use genetic information to make breeding more efficient and cost-effective so that we can produce tasty fruit that requires less chemical input.  The research performed here in Nova Scotia by Dr. Myles and his collaborators aims to generate new apple and grape varieties that promote environmental and economic sustainability.

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Science/NSIS/Myles_May%206%202013.pdf

All are welcome to attend!

To learn more about the Institute’s events, please take a look at the NSIS brochure:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Science/NSIS/NSIS_brochure_2012-13.pdf

The Nova Scotian Institute of Science: Promoting Science in Nova Scotia since 1862.
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Science/NSIS/

For further information, please contact NSIS President Michelle Paon at: nsis@chebucto.ns.ca