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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2020-2024 • Livestock productionField crops

Forage crop irrigation: helping farmers to make informed decisions

Irrigation project to spare farmers the loss of competitiveness and other risks brought about by drought periods.

Researchers: Carl Boivin Luc Belzile

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Carl Boivin
2019-2021 • Field cropsMarket gardening

A technology showcase of irrigation management decision-support tools for use in a variety of contexts

Showcase that will present and compare, in an impartial manner, a number of decision-support tools and technologies.

Researcher: Carl Boivin

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Carl Boivin
2019-2023 • Fruit production

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

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Annabelle Firlej

Île d’Orléans farmers rally to tackle water shortage

This project aims to explore and experiment new approaches and ways to preserve, develop, and enhance the MRC’s bio-food sector, and reduce or eliminate the water deficit on the island.

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Carl Boivin
Stéphane Godbout
2019-2020 • Fruit production

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

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Carl Boivin
2019-2022 • Market gardening

Improving potato crop water-use efficiency by developing a deeper understanding of cultivars

The selection of a cultivar should be an essential element in any sound irrigation management strategy. This project aims to optimize water use in potato farming.

Researcher: Carl Boivin

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Carl Boivin
2019-2022 • Market gardening

Improving potato crop water-use efficiency through cropping system modifications

Modifying the cropping system design is an effective way to improve potato crop water-use efficiency and, thereby, lessen the risk of crops experiencing water stress.

Researchers: Carl Boivin Luc Belzile

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Carl Boivin
2018-2020 • Market gardening

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

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Caroline Côté
Annabelle Firlej
Carl Boivin
Maryse Leblanc
2018-2019 • Field crops

HebdEau: a pilot project to develop sound irrigation management decision-support tools

This project looks to develop decision-support tools informed by observations of “bellwether” plots and use these tools to disseminate relevant information to irrigators.

Researcher: Carl Boivin

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Carl Boivin
2018-2019 • Field crops

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

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Carl Boivin
2018-2023

Management and ecological restoration of peatlands for a sustainable Canadian horticultural peat industry

Development of a strategy for rapidly producing biomass using restoration and irrigation.

Researcher: Stéphane Godbout

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Stéphane Godbout

Quantitative and qualitative water management in crops

Designing and teaching a course for agricultural consultants.

Researcher: Carl Boivin

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Carl Boivin
2017-2018 • Market gardening

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

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Christine Landry
2017-2018 • Fruit production

Exploring the potential of thermal imaging data acquired by drone for the detection of water stress in lowbush blueberries

Exploration of the potential of detecting water stress in lowbush blueberries using a thermal infrared imaging sensor installed on a drone.

Researcher: Carl Boivin

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Carl Boivin
2017-2019 • Fruit production

Cultural strategies for haskap berries: improving orchard productivity

The aim of this project is to improve the productivity of haskap orchards by promoting more efficient water and nutrient uptake.

Researcher: Carl Boivin

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Carl Boivin

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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