J.D. Irving, Limited Honoured for Outstanding University-Industry Partnership and Ground-Breaking Discovery

J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) and Dr. David Miller of Carleton University receive Synergy Award for Innovation.

Greg Adams, Manager of Research and Development for J.D. Irving, Limited and Dr. David Miller will accept a Synergy Award for Innovation for their collaborative research on protecting trees from spruce budworm.

From research to discovery, this work has resulted in several international patents and commercialization at a new state-of-the-art lab in Sussex New Brunswick

Miller has studied the spruce budworm for over 25 years and has been working with J.D. Irving, Limited to reduce the impact risk of future epidemics. Miller and collaborators found that endophytes, fungi that occur naturally in the needles of conifers, are the key important to protecting improve tolerance of trees against to spruce budworm. Some endophytes produce natural toxins that slow the growth of the spruce budworm insect. J.D. Irving, Limited’s state-of-the-art laboratory in Sussex, N.B. will produce inoculum for up to 30 million seedlings per year from nurseries in eastern Canada.

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