Why is this research important for Alberta ag?
Fusarium is one of the most pressing issues facing both the agriculture sector and farmers in western Canada. In 2016, the Canadian Grain Commission found fusarium present in 32.8%, 85.2%, and 90.1% of samples tested from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, respectively. The presence of fusarium can lead to a crop harvest that is partially unsellable, resulting in significant losses for farmers.
While there have been advances in the scientific community in preventing fusarium, to date there are no known commercially viable strategies to deal with the Fusarium Damaged Kernels (FDK) already in existence.
This research aims to solve this problem by way of feeding and upscaling FDK as a feedstock to its Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL), generating otherwise lost revenue for farmers. This project will undertake the world's first large-scale scientific trials of feeding FDK to BSFL.
What benefits can producers expect from this research?
Through the use of commercial-scale quantities of FDKs as a feedstock to BSFL, significant revenues for farmers afflicted by fusarium is expected.
Funded in part by the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.