Dr. Linda Hall Innovates Herbicides, One Crop at a Time
This article was originally written and submitted as part of a Canada 150 Project, the Innovation Storybook, to crowdsource stories of Canadian innovation with partners across Canada. The content has since been migrated to Ingenium’s Channel, a digital hub featuring curated content related to science, technology and innovation.
To be successful, the cropping industry requires constant innovation from growers, machinery companies, chemical producers and crop breeders. In this working organism, the role of troubleshooter falls on the shoulders of University of Alberta professor and 2016 ASTech Award for Innovation in Agriculture Finalist, Dr. Linda Hall.
“My work is anticipating and trying to solve the problems of herbicide resistant crops and weeds,” says Hall.
This role is especially important because genetically modified (GM) crops are worth over $19 billion to the Canadian economy and Canada is the fifth largest producer of GM crops in the world. “Herbicides and herbicide resistant crops are a double edge sword,” says Hall. “Both control weeds while selecting for weeds resistant to herbicides.” To maintain this balance, weed eradication technology is constantly adapted to keep the weeds at bay and promote healthy crops.
Read the full story here.
Transcript
Congratulations 2016 ASTech Award Finalist Dr.Linda Hall. Check out this short video profile to learn more about her and the work she does in agriculture.
ASTech Foundation
The Alberta Science and Technology Leadership (ASTech) Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded through an industry initiative in 1989 to showcase the substantial achievements in science & technology in Alberta and to promote the importance of these activities to social and economic benefit.
