Elite Echinacea: Breeding for better products

Echinacea is widely used as a medicinal herb with a global market of ~$1 billion. Hundreds of Echinacea products are available but, with each made from different plant materials using different processes, chemistry- and therefore quality -varies between products. Working with Amway Corporation, a global leader in the Echinacea market, researchers at the University of Ottawa will help develop “chemically customized” varieties with increased consistency and value, leading to new/improved herbal products. The team will first characterize the vast diversity of Amway’s Echinacea stock. The plants with the best combination of chemical and agronomic traits will then be selected for further development. Through field, greenhouse, and tissue culture experiments, we will monitor trait consistency and select the best plants to “clone”, generating hundreds of plants then millions of seeds for commercial field production. Interns will benefit from the interdisciplinary skills and expertise gained in the laboratory and at Amway.

Faculty Supervisor:

Cory Harris

Student:

Partner:

Amway Canada Corporation;Amway Corporation

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture; Manufacturing

University:

University of Ottawa

Program: