Ahrens

Cannabis sativa is commonly grown under a 12-h photoperiod to induce flowering, however, if it is capable of flowering under longer photoperiods there is the potential for higher yields due to more light per day. This research showed that cannabis can flower under longer photoperiods (up to 14h) and produce higher yields.

Bonduelle

The valorization of the greenhouse biomass into mycelium-based composite materials, also known as “mycomaterials”, is a promising solution. This biotechnology uses the growth of white rot fungi, to transform crop waste into biodegradable materials. This project was aimed at producing mycomaterials with coconut fiber and tomato leaf.

Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, in collaboration with Ontario Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), have produced a number of helpful videos demonstrating important greenhouse IPM practices. These videos include current information and best practices, and are formatted to be easy-to-follow. Topics include:
• Monitoring for Pests
• Regular monitoring of greenhouse crops should be done to assess pest incidence and severity, and are essential for the success of IPM programs.
• Monitoring for Pepper Weevil
• How to monitor for pepper weevils in greenhouse and field peppers using pheromone-baited sticky traps and scouting practices.
• Effective Release Methods for Predators and Parasitoids in Greenhouse Crops

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is an emerging plant pathogen firstly detected in Israel in 2014, and has since spread worldwide through contaminated seeds. Currently, an extensive survey of ToBRFV presence is being performed in greenhouses across Quebec, to measure the severity of the situation, but also to identify parameters specific to each production and that could explain the virus prevalence.

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is a dangerous pathogen for greenhouse tomato production systems. Since its discovery in 2017, this Tobamovirus has spread to all major tomato producing regions. ToBRFV is easily mechanically transmitted and causes severe symptoms such as necrotic spots on the fruit along with mosaic patterns and deformation of the leaves. ToBRFV is able to escape the long standing Tm-22 resistance gene, due to mutations in the movement protein. In order to better understand the pathology of this virus, the role of the small replicase protein (p126) was investigated through comparative sequence analysis and gene expression analysis. p126 functions primarily in viral genome replication in concert with the large replicase protein (p183). In addition to replication, p126 can also influence RNA silencing suppression and virus movement. The tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) p126 protein has been shown to both induce and suppress host immune defenses. Mutations in the p126 of TMV and cucumber green mottle mosaic virus have been able to attenuate symptom development. Multiple sequence alignments and pairwise analysis of Tobamovirus p126 nucleotide and amino acid sequences can help to determine conserved and variable regions, which in turn, could be used to suppress viral symptom development. Based on this analysis, mutations will be induced in ToBRFV p126 and expressed in plants to evaluate their effects on symptom development and host gene expression changes.

The Horticultural and Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre (HESIC) team at Niagara College carried out a research trial using a Terra Optima product, a novel vermichar, blended with peat moss, as a growth media to grow basil (Ocimum basilicum) and strawberry (Fragaria sp.) crops. The trial examined the effects of this novel vermichar on the growth and health of these crops. 

Investigating the performance and economic feasibility of an innovative design of high-performance heat pumps using a low GWP refrigerant for year-round heating of greenhouses in subarctic regions.

Interior conditions and energy use were studied in a year-round, insulated passive solar hydroponic lettuce greenhouse near Ottawa. Additional sensors and dataloggers were installed to characterize the greenhouse. Simulations are conducted using a validated model developed at the University of Guelph. The poster will highlight current findings and results of interest to growers and other researchers. 

 
In this research paper, we use the techniques of K-nearest neighbors (KNN), XGBoost, and CatBoost to enhance predictive modeling for the import and export of Ontario's agri-food sector. While previous studies have primarily focused on using KNN, our research expands upon this by incorporating more advanced algorithms. By combining the strengths of KNN, XGBoost, and CatBoost, we aim to achieve improved prediction accuracy, computational efficiency, and reduced execution time. Furthermore, our study extends to work on the large datasets, catering to practical applications and addressing the requirements of real-world scenarios. The findings from this research have valuable implications for stakeholders, policymakers, trade organizations, and agri-food businesses. The enhanced predictive capabilities and performance of our modeling approach will inform strategic decision-making, trade promotion initiatives, and policy development, fostering the growth and development of Ontario's agri-food sector.

The research focused on the optimization of an electrochemical hypochlorination system for closed loop hydroponics. The technology eliminates water born pathogens and recalcitrant contaminants without causing a residue and prevent the constant injection of disinfectants.

The efficacy of three disinfectant products (Virkon Greenhouse, Virocid, and household bleach) at label rates was evaluated by contact with inoculum of ToBRFV for varying periods of time (0, 1, 10, 30, 60, 120 minutes) followed by a bioassay on tobacco plants. Results validate that extended contact time is required to inactivate ToBRFV below the threshold required for infectivity on tobacco, and this contact time varied between products and trials. 

Mitchell

The aim of this research is to understand attitudes held by communities towards controlled environment agriculture (CEA) as a pathway to building resilient local food systems across Canada, particularly in northern and Indigenous communities. Despite research showing the validity of CEA in reducing food insecurity and its potential effectiveness to build capacity and resiliency in the wake of climate change, there is minimal research showing the sustainability and sociocultural impacts of CEA and many CEA units in Canada are lacking community support and are facing challenges in continuity of programs. This poster will present literature review findings, and preliminary results of interviews with community partners, CEA technicians and employees of Growcer hydroponics Inc., as research is ongoing. 

Microbes isolated from wastewater influent were used to inoculate healthy tomato plants and resulting microbial infections were determined by Illumina sequencing. Additionally, we developed a ToBRFV targeted sequencing assay and lineage abundance prediction tool. Using these tools, we determined that the ToBRFV is wide-spread and abundant in Ontario wastewater influent. 

Current procedures for hydroponic farming require measures for pathogen removal, which can
deplete beneficial bacterial populations - leading to reduced microbial diversity, weakened plantmicrobiome connection, and lower system resilience. This vulnerability makes early detection of
plant pathogens crucial, which when coupled with the inoculation of beneficial microbes to
enhance plant resilience and health compose a holistic approach for economic and environmental
sustainability in hydroponic systems. Our current research addresses the hydroponic microbiome
at both levels - early detection and inoculation.

Romero

In this study, we highlight the potential of life cycle assessment approach to evaluate the environmental impacts of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). Our preliminary results show that the drivers of environmental impacts of CEAs include the lighting conditions, level of temperature control, automation, and sources of energy. However, further data and analysis are required to confirm our findings for a wide range of CEAs specific to the Canadian food system.

Rousseau-Pinard

The project consists of the identification, installation and operation of an agrivoltaic system on a winter greenhouse for the production of raspberries year-round in Quebec's climate. The active agrivoltaic system will allow the greenhouse both to make an energy contribution, but also to be better equipped to manage its microclimate. Finally, the system will be optimized to make it easily reproducible on other greenhouses and profitable for large-scale commercialization.

In response to the demand for new native biocontrol agents, Vineland investigated the potential of the damsel bug, Nabis americoferus, as a predator for greenhouse pests. This predator performed very well in laboratory trials against spider mites, aphids, thrips and whiteflies. In greenhouse trials, damsel bugs did very well in greenhouse strawberries, leading to significant reduction of thrips and spider mites. This poster will present the effect of different introduction methods, including banker plants, and their combined use with other biocontrol agents.

The poster presents the modeling of the indoor climate of a tomato greenhouse in Quebec, dynamic tools were combined to perform an exhaustive study including evapotranspiration, condensation rates and natural ventilation. 

This poster outlines challenges associated with measuring and simulating air movement in greenhouses. There has been little study of air movement in greenhouses with energy or light abatement ceiling curtains fully or partially closed. A University of Guelph project has begun to measure and simulate air movement in commercial horticultural greenhouses. The poster will provide background and current status.

Thrips have long been the most challenging pest facing greenhouse growers in Canada. Growers have reported that thrips outbreaks have become more frequent or severe in recent years. Previous surveys of greenhouse ornamentals conducted from 2016-2019 revealed that western flower thrips weren't the only species plaguing growers, and some of the other species may be responsible for this increase in unmanaged thrips outbreaks. This survey has now been expanded to include other controlled environment agriculture crops including greenhouse vegetables, greenhouse strawberries, and cannabis. Here we provide an update on which species are currently most prevalent in major greenhouse crops across Southern Ontario.

The main focus of this research is to investigate the effects of climate change on both energy consumption and crop yield, in order to enable the greenhouse industry to anticipate and practically adapt to limit the effects. A comprehensive analysis will be conducted in different regions of the world, including Canada's leading province for greenhouse horticulture.

The primary objective of my Master’s thesis is to determine the optimal environmental parameters for growing dwarf-wheat in vertical farms. The main parameters of focus include planting density, light quality and intensity and CO2 levels. A number of experiments are in progress measuring the net carbon exchange rates (NCER) under different environmental parameters to determine optimal parameter set points for each growth stage of dwarf-wheat production.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is powerful tool for noninvasively studying the internal structure of biological tissues. The feasibility of using MRI to study post-harvest tomatoes was investigated. Bulk and spatially resolved measurements of water content and MR signal lifetime, which are correlated to tissue properties, were obtained.

Pesticide resistance is very common in two-spotted spider mite (TSSM) populations in South-Western Ontario. We performed a multiyear survey of abamectin (MoA 6 – Avid, Agri-mek) and etoxazole (MoA 10B – Tetrasan, Valent) resistance of TSSM populations. We covered a variety of crops (tomato, pepper, cucumber, strawberry, and soybean), and production systems (greenhouse and field). We present two molecular diagnostic tools for rapid prediction of the pesticide resistance status of spider mites.