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 (6) Water protection (2) Air quality (2) Ecosystem protection (1) Optimal water management (2) Fertilizer management (4) Pest, weed, and disease control (10) Animal welfare (1) Organic farming (4) Environmental regulations (1)Experts
Developing a procedure and tools that utilize genetic markers to identify fecal contamination sources in waterways
This project will develop a procedure that relies on genetic markers to identify the animal species responsible for fecal contamination.
Researcher: Caroline Côté
Implementing a three-year sustainable forage crop rotation for potato and field crop farmers
This project seeks to create farmer partnerships in which participants work on implementing a three-year forage crop rotation protocol in potato and field crop fields.
Researcher: Richard Hogue
Improving nitrogen management in Québec grain corn
This project will determine the optimal post-emergent nitrogen dose to apply.
Researcher: Christine Landry
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
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.
Researcher: Luc Belzile
Developing fertilization strategies for organic garlic farming that combine green and farmyard manure, while taking their N and P supply dynamics and soil quality impacts into account
By enhancing our understanding: 1) of the nitrogen supply dynamics associated with the use of mixed green and farmyard manure applications, and 2) of the timeline of nitrogen uptake by garlic; we hope to fine-tune fertilization strategies so they meet the needs of garlic crops, while minimizing phosphorus accumulation and nitrogen leaching.
Researcher: Christine Landry
A new molecular approach to simultaneously detect disease-causing viruses in raspberries and strawberries
Developing a fast and sensitive molecular detection methodology able to accurately identify raspberry and strawberry viruses.
Researchers: Richard Hogue Luc Belzile
Utilizing high-throughput sequencing to identify plant pathogens
Evaluating and developing a high-throughput sequencing-based diagnostic procedure to identify pathogenic organisms.
Researchers: Richard Hogue Luc Belzile
Assessing optimal washing parameters and developing a real-time indicator to ensure biosecurity and reduce wastewater at the source in hog production facilities
Development of optimized cleaning methods that are readily measurable with an effective real-time indicator.
Researchers: Stéphane Godbout Richard Hogue
Developing strategies and methods for weeding carrots grown in rotation with field crops
Development of weeding strategies and methods that will reduce weed pressure on carrot crops, especially row-crop carrots, which appear to be the most problematic.
Researcher: Maryse Leblanc
Strategies to mitigate soil degradation in no-till field crops with the goal of reducing herbicide use and boosting soil quality and yields
Three-year project on an array of mitigation protocols to reduce the application of glyphosate in a field crop system (corn–soybean–grains).
Researchers: Richard Hogue Marc-Olivier Gasser
Developing a mechanical weeding strategy for narrow-row organic field and vegetable crops
Experimenting narrow-row crop weed control strategy on three crops: green beans, peas, and soybeans.
Researcher: Maryse Leblanc
Attract-and-kill techniques for monitoring and controlling stinkbugs in Québec orchards
Acquiring the knowledge needed to develop an attract-and-kill treatment to control current and future stinkbug populations in Québec apple orchards.
Researchers: Gérald Chouinard Daniel Cormier
Optimization and use of Virosoft CP4 in a Codling moth control program
Developing a Codling moth control management tool based on an improved formulation of Virosoft CP4.
Researchers: Daniel Cormier Gérald Chouinard
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