Karen Bailey

Karen Bailey
Employer	Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Karen Bailey, Ph.D., is a research scientist specializing in plant pathology and biopesticide development at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Her research focuses on developing alternatives to synthetic pesticides and improving plant health through integrated pest management strategies. She is internationally recognized for her expertise on soil-borne pathogens and biological control, and she has more than 250 publications, 23 patents, and 7 inventions disclosures in progress.

Bailey received her B.Sc. (Agriculture) and M.Sc. from the University of Guelph. She joined Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as a biologist, and later as a research scientist after obtaining her Ph.D. in Plant Pathology and Plant Breeding from the University of Saskatchewan.

Bailey’s expertise includes the discovery, development, and commercialization of biological weed control technologies as biopesticide products. She is an expert on biological characterization, mass production systems for fungus, enhancement of fungal metabolite production, formulation and delivery of bioproducts, and knowledge of regulatory requirements in North America (Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Canada; Environmental Protection Agency, United States). She researches methods to reduce weed and plant disease pests through integrated pest management strategies to promote ecologically balanced cropping systems. Currently, her projects include the development and evaluation of microbial agents for biological control of weeds, and the development and initial assessment of bio-pesticides and biological agents against weeds.

In collaboration with Russell Hynes, Wes Taylor, Frances Leggett, and Claudia Sheedy at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Bailey recently developed a patented bioherbicide to control broadleaved weeds in turfgrass. The indigenous fungus Phoma macrostoma was formulated to control weeds such as dandelion, clover, wild mustard, and ragweed, without harming crops and grasses. It can be applied as a granule to soil before the weeds emerge, which prevents establishment for 1-3 months, or applied post-emergence, which causes affected weeds to turn white and die due to a lack of chlorophyll.

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