The apple breeding program at Ontario’s Vineland Research and Innovation Centre announced a new partnership with an international nursery group to evaluate and ultimately commercialize new apple selections.

“This new collaboration will advance apple variety development in Canada,” said Ian Potter, Vineland president and CEO, in a news release. 

The collaboration with Associated International Group of Nurseries, AIGN, has the potential to benefit both the Canadian apple sector and to commercialize the Ontario-bred apples around the world, he said. AIGN specializes in intellectual property management for fruit tree varieties and has member nurseries serving major growing regions around the world. 

“AIGN is excited to be Vineland’s exclusive collaborator on the evaluation, selection and commercialization of new apple cultivars for Canadian consumers and beyond,” said CEO Gavin Porter, in a statement. “AIGN also looks forward to building a working relationship with Vineland’s multidisciplinary team for new plant variety development aligned with AIGN’s global tree production and commercialization expertise to maximize the impact of the Vineland breeding program.”

—by Kate Prengaman