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.
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.
Researchers: Marc-Olivier Gasser Claude Bernard
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Researchers: Marc-Olivier Gasser Claude Bernard Catherine Bossé
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.
Researchers: Aubert Michaud, retraité Marc-Olivier Gasser Maryse Leblanc
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
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