Okanagan Specialty Fruits teams up with Kiwi company to improve fruit

Partnership for fruit breeding

Photo: Contributed

OSF founder Neal Carter, left, confirms the deal with Prevar CEO Tony Martin.

Summerland’s Okanagan Specialty Fruits has teamed up with a New Zealand company for a research and development project.

OSF and Prevar hope to advance innovative breeding technologies for apples and pears. The multi-year partnership will work on genome editing to enable a fast and more precise focus on specific traits, cultivar development to improve pest and disease resistance, reducing food waste and enhancing nutritional benefits.

Prevar is also bringing to the collaboration Plant & Food Research, its long-term strategic partner, and New Zealand’s apple and pear breeding institute. OSF is known for being a biotechnology pioneer, while Prevar has access to world leading genetic material and a track record of commercial success.

“We’re excited to work alongside Prevar and Plant & Food Research in this groundbreaking initiative,” OSF founder and CEO Neal Carter said in a press release. “This collaboration represents a shared commitment to using science and technology to create the next generation of apples and pears that will transform our industry and create new opportunities for growers and consumers.”

The deal was revealed just before Christmas and begins this month, all in an effort “to drive meaningful advancement of the industry,” according to the press release.