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.
Bison farming in Québec: Determining the phosphorous load factor
Project to determine the real value of the phosphorus load associated with bison production in Québec.
Researcher: Stéphane Godbout
Developing an organic farming protocol for young vegetable shoots: a multidisciplinary approach
This project will help lead to the development of an organic farming system to grow baby greens.
Researchers: Caroline Côté Annabelle Firlej Carl Boivin Maryse Leblanc
Evaluating a protocol for growing organic market garden cabbage using split band applications of granulated laying-hen droppings
This project aims to develop a GHD-based fertilizer management system using split band applications for high-N-demand crops grown in rows, e.g., summer cabbage.
Researcher: Christine Landry
Evaluating the effect of seeds coated with commercial, mycorrhizal fungi inoculum on the yields of nantes carrots grown in mineral soil early in the organic transition process
Test whether or not commercial strains coated on Nantes carrot seeds can compete with native strains in the soil to colonize the host plant and, once symbiosis takes place, whether they succeed in doing a better job than the native strains during the transition to organic farming.
Researcher: Christine Landry
Improving the efficiency of rainwater and irrigation use in the potato cropping system
This project proposes an intervention in a typical potato cropping system to enhance the crop uptake of water and nitrogen.
Researcher: Carl Boivin
A study on synchronizing the supply of n from green manure in order to reduce or replace the use of swine slurry as a fertilizer for post-emergent corn, in the context of the transition to organic farming
This project’s main goal is to demonstrate how to satisfy most of the requirements of a strongly N-dependent crop by improving N-supply synchronization, while protecting the farmers’ prior year revenue-generating window.
Researcher: Christine Landry
Evaluation of the anti-germination, phytotoxic, and biostimulant potential of forest residue extracts
The purpose of the project is to evaluate the anti-germination, phytotoxic, and biostimulant potential of five types of forest residue.
Researcher: Richard Hogue
Multidisciplinary assessment of organic production systems for baby lettuce on muck soil
This project aims to assess the impact of cropping practices on baby lettuce yields and quality on muck soil.
Researchers: Caroline Côté Annabelle Firlej
Organic strawberries grown on organic mulch: impact of nitrogen fertilization strategies on crop yields and profitability
This project tests cost-effective organic fertilization strategies for summer strawberries on plastic.
Researcher: Christine Landry
Validation of soil health indicators as a nitrogen uptake prediction tool
The objective of this project is to develop a prediction model for soil nitrogen supplies based on biological soil health indicators.
Researcher: Christine Landry
Québec-wide potassium fertilization trial on fresh cucumber under fertigation
This project was aimed at determining potassium doses (5 doses) to apply before planting on nitrogen-fertigated cucumber crops grown on plastic mulch.
Researcher: Christine Landry
Using organic matter and biostimulants to restore soil health and yields in matted row strawberry fields with a history of decline – yields in the second year of production
This project aims to examine whether improving soil health can help check strawberry decline.
Researcher: Christine Landry
Validating tools used to reduce soil phosphorus saturation by monitoring soil tests and phosphorus loads in an intensive livestock region
The aim of this project is to show that efforts made to better distribute phosphorus on the land are effective and that the indicators used to determine phosphorus saturation thresholds are correlated with soil phosphorus balance and dynamics.
Researcher: Marc-Olivier Gasser
Impact of irrigation system management and cultivar on nitrogen use by potatoes under commercial production conditions
The goal of this project was to measure the impact of irrigation management on nitrogen uptake and available soil nitrogen on several cultivars under commercial production conditions.
Researcher: Christine Landry
Adding organic matter and biostimulants to restore and maintain soil health and yields in a matted row strawberry field with a history of decline
The objective of this project was to determine whether the addition of two types of organic fertilizers or biostimulants would produce more vigorous plants less subject to decline.
Researcher: Christine Landry
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