Category Archives: Cluster 4

Jeanine West

Peat composes a significant portion of ornamental (nursery and floriculture greenhouse) container media as it has unmatched characteristics for water retention and plant production. However, peat harvesting activities impact climate change through the release greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and stored carbon, despite the rigorous restoration and management programs implemented by the Canadian peat industry. The ornamental horticulture sector is committed to environmental sustainability and is investing in a project to identify potential peat extenders to decrease the portion of peat in horticultural media used for commercial production.

The project objectives are to:

Investigate potential peat extenders (e.g., wood fibre, dried cattle manure, biochar) for availability, sustainability, cost, and consistency as well as the physical, chemical, and biological media properties of the various media; and evaluate various extenders on crop yield and crop characteristics (including root morphology and tissue analysis) through trials on at least six plant genera.

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Ann Huber

Trees sequester millions of tons CO2 per year in Canada.  However, tree production in nurseries can result in severe soil disturbance and organic carbon losses, erosion and nutrient losses to surface water, and degraded production fields.  In order to mitigate these effects and enhance its sustainability and resiliency, the sector needs Best Management Practices (BMPs) that combine building soil carbon stocks, reducing erosion and nutrient losses, and improve post-field water quality.

The project objectives are to examine the impacts of a multi-barrier approach using cover crops, organic matter amendments and hybrid treatment swales on key soil health measurements, erosion and nutrient losses, and post-field water quality.

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Guillaume Gregoire

Traditionally, the use and selection of ornamental plants in urban and suburban areas has mostly relied on their aesthetics value.  While the ornamental value of these plants remains important, their potential to address different environmental problems has been gaining recognition.  Living green infrastructures (LGI), such as green roofs and bioretention cells, are gaining prevalence in urban environments and many Canadian jurisdiction have implemented programs to stimulate the use of these infrastructures. However, knowledge on species selection, performance of plant species, combined with the variable climatic conditions for this type of urban agriculture is scarce, especially under northern climates.

The project objective is to develop a plant selection tool based on functional traits associated with two major LGI functions in the urban context:

• carbon sequestration, and
• stormwater management, for shrubs and forbs currently grown in Canadian nurseries.

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Praveen Saxena

The Canadian ornamental horticulture sector faces numerous challenges including climate change, plant health, plant protection, supply chain issues, and high energy consumption by greenhouses. Further, plants grown in greenhouses are most vulnerable to temperature and water fluctuations when initially transplanted outdoors potentially resulting in extended greenhouse use and increased energy consumption due to delayed transplanting and/or crop loss during transplanting.  This research project will develop a Climate Resilient Ornamental Production System (CROPS) to supply robust, carbon-sequestering plants across the country while maximizing energy efficiencies in greenhouse operations to enhance the industry’s sustainability and profitability.  CROPS will deliver stress-resilient plants for the ornamental horticulture sector.

The specific project objectives are:

• Development of new germplasm adapted to drought/salinity and low nutrient environments.
• Development of technologies for propagation of stress-resilient plants through indoleamines treatments.

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