Research Projects
Each year, IRDA's R&D Team conducts more than one hundred research projects in sustainable agriculture. What's more, IRDA is working with Quebec's key agricultural stakeholders to find concrete solutions.
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Major Initiatives
Major initiatives (2)Services
Soil health (2) Ecosystem protection (2) Optimal water management (2) Fertilizer management (4) Pest, weed, and disease control (29) Organic farming (7)Experts
Pilot project on the effectiveness of methods of protecting against fruit frost in cultivated wild blueberries
The purpose of this pilot project is to evaluate various methods of protecting fruit from freezing in wild blueberry crops for the fresh market.
Researcher: Carl Boivin
Determining the impact of temperature and organic fertilizer type on the soil mineral nitrogen supply and the productivity of organic cranberry crops
Flexible management of nitrogen fertilization (fertilizer type and dose) as a function of temperature for better yields in organic cranberry production.
Researcher: Christine Landry
The complementarity of commercially available predators in controlling spotted wing drosophila in organic day-neutral strawberry crops
Evaluation of the effectiveness of various predator combinations in controlling spotted wing drosophilia.
Researcher: Annabelle Firlej
Tailoring apple scab control strategies to the properties of the fungicides utilized
Developing a new scab control strategy based on selecting the lowest-risk products that best fit the circumstances at hand, and tailoring the doses accordingly.
Researcher: Vincent Philion
Implementation, management, and assessment of flower strips in orchards to promote the biodiversity of beneficial arthropods as an alternative to pesticide application
Developing and assessing the planting of flower strips in orchard inter-rows as an alternative to the application of insecticides.
Researchers: Daniel Cormier Gérald Chouinard
A study of workforce productivity and its determinants in Québec’s strawberry sector
Project studying ways to maximize workforce productivity in strawberry production.
Using apple maggot mass trapping with attracticidal spheres to cut back on insecticide applications in orchards
This project seeks to reduce the use of chemical insecticides in orchards by controlling apple maggot populations using mass trapping.
Researcher: Daniel Cormier
Out-of-soil cultivation of organic long cane raspberries
Development of a growing out-of-soil organic raspberries in high tunnels protocol in a profitable and competitive manner with a view to selling products locally or to large retail chains.
Researcher: Annabelle Firlej
Modifying an irrigated day-neutral-strawberry growing protocol to improve soil functionality by activating beneficial microorganisms through the addition of labile carbon at planting time
This project will modify current protocols with the addition of labile carbon to preserve or rapidly restore the activity of beneficial microorganisms.
Researcher: Christine Landry
Investigating key physicochemical and environmental factors that could account for variable lowbush blueberry yields
As part of this project, the soil water status at a chosen blueberry farm will be monitored at 40 spots over the course of the production year. We will seek to identify the relationship between water extraction, physicochemical and environmental factors, and yield levels that could help explain yield variability.
Researcher: Carl Boivin
Assessing the economic impact of fungicide resistance in horticultural corps
Project initiated to review the knowledge on the fungicide resistance of various pathogens to provide a preliminary assessment of the economic impacts of fungicide resistance.
Using carbohydrate-balance bioclimatic modelling to develop carbaryl-free apple fruit thinning strategies
The model’s predictions will be used to calibrate the dose of a thinning agent (ANA) to be applied in two plots, one treated with carbaryl and the other without, over a two-year period.
Researcher: Vincent Philion
Assessing the effectiveness of HARVANTA (cyclaniliprole) in controlling major cranberry pests
This project’s aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of HARVANTA® 50SL to control the cranberry weevil, the blackheaded fireworm and the cranberry fruitworm.
Researcher: Annabelle Firlej
Determining the nitrogen contribution of mulch mineralization in highbush blueberry cultivation so that nitrogen fertilizer applications meet crop requirements more effectively
The project measures the nitrogen contribution of sawdust mulch.
Researcher: Christine Landry
Assessing the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on the efficacy of spring flooding as a means of controlling the blackheaded fireworm
This project assesse the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on the efficacy of spring flooding to developp a strategy of control for the blackheaded fireworm
Researcher: Daniel Cormier
The solutions developed by IRDA aim to...
Ensure the sustainability
and quality of soil, water, and air
Protect the health and well-being
of local communities by improving the quality of crop and livestock production, with an emphasis on animal welfare
Safeguard the economic viability
of crop and livestock production