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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Results for Soil health 2018
2018-2021 • Field crops

Evolution of spatial indicators of soil health in Québec and Ontario in response to a changing climate

This project aims to improve our understanding of the evolution and spatial variability of soil health indicators as barometers of climate change.

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Marc-Olivier Gasser
Claude Bernard
2016-2018 • Field crops

Promoting undersown clover cover crops in small grain production: A network of farm demonstration plots across Québec

Demonstration project to showcase the ability of undersown clover cover crops to reduce nitrogen fertilizer requirements in crops.

Researcher: Marc-Olivier Gasser

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Marc-Olivier Gasser
2017-2021

Using isotopic techniques to investigate soil erosion processes

Quantification of the scale of soil displacement and net sediment production in the past 50 years for various soil textures and compare these results with those generated by modeling the watershed with SWAT.

Researcher: Claude Bernard

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Claude Bernard
2017-2021 • Field crops

Maintaining high yields in field crops while reconsidering the option of using glyphosate

The aim of the project is to assess the impact of applying various rates of glyphosate in field crop systems on the soil and crop rhizosphere microbiome.

Researcher: Richard Hogue

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Richard Hogue
2017-2019 • Market gardening

Validating microbial indicators of potato field productivity based on metagenomic analysis

The current project is designed to check the predictability of the biological productivity score.

Researcher: Richard Hogue

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Richard Hogue
2017-2020 • Field crops

Economic analysis of agronomic practices that prevent soil degradation

Economic analysis of a three-year project aimed at testing methods of reducing and correcting surface soil compaction.

Researcher: Luc Belzile

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2017-2019 • Livestock productionField crops

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

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Marc-Olivier Gasser
2013-2018 • Fruit production

NPK trials for strawberries on mineral soils in Québec

The data generated by this project was used to develop a new NPK fertilization chart that reflects technical, agronomic, and environmental issues.

Researcher: Christine Landry

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Christine Landry
2013-2018 • Market gardening

NPK fertilizer trials for beets on mineral soils in Québec

This project was aimed at determining the nutrient needs of beets based on soil texture and phosphorus and potassium levels under Québec growing conditions.

Researcher: Christine Landry

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Christine Landry

Revising the MAPAQ fertilization reference charts

IRDA—in its capacity as the authorized representative tasked with revising the MAPAQ fertilization reference charts—will plan, coordinate, and monitor all activities involved in updating these charts.

Researcher: Christine Landry

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Christine Landry
2016-2018 • Field crops

Identifying biological indicators of soil health using metagenomic analysis of soil under different grain cropping systems

This project was aimed at identifying and incorporating biological indicators into decision support tools used to assist producers and agroenvironmental regulatory bodies seeking to preserve soil productivity and use sustainable production systems.

Researcher: Richard Hogue

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Richard Hogue

A study on the health of agricultural soils in Quebec

The project consists of evaluating soil degradation based on representative samples taken in Québec’s main soil regions and parent materials.

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Marc-Olivier Gasser
Claude Bernard
Catherine Bossé
2016-2018 • Field crops

Effectiveness of an annual vs. end-of-season legume green manure crop in increasing soil resilience and providing sufficient nitrogen

The project compared the nitrogen uptake effects of green manure crops grown for a full season, in association with a main crop, or after it is harvested.

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Aubert Michaud, retraité
Marc-Olivier Gasser
Maryse Leblanc
2016-2018 • Field crops

Profitability evaluation of cover crops at the farm level

The project was designed to assess the profitability of various types of cover crops and planting methods at the farm level.

Researcher: Luc Belzile

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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

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