A literature review was conducted and interviews with growers and water treatment companies to assemble information on available technologies. An interactive website will provide growers with an on-line decision process for choosing appropriate technology for their own operation.
Investigate biological and applied characteristics of the temperature relations within flowers and within plant stems through interdisciplinary research in micrometeorology, plant anatomy, pigmentation, microscopic morphology, growth rates, floral maturation and sexual reproduction.
Five technologies were evaluated for their effectiveness at removing nutrients, non-nutrient components, and plant pathogens from irrigation runoff or leachate: a full scale constructed wetland system recently installed at a container nursery, and four pilot scale systems constructed at flower greenhouse: two denitrification woodchip bioreactors combined with phosphorus removal units, Phytolinks™ (floating wetlands), IrrigroTM irrigation system, and an engineered hollow fibre filter system (Zeeweed)Evaluation of innovative water treatment technologies for reuse of nutrient solutions in the horticulture industry
An in-field evaluation of the ability of 12 established denitrification woodchip bioreactors and constructed wetlands to remove plant pathogens and/or human enteric pathogen indicator organisms from horticultural and agricultural wastewaters and runoff was conducted. Removal effectiveness was correlated with parameters affecting performance (e.g. media, residence time, temperature, oxygen, pH, depth). The information supports the design of on-site systems that will consistently remove plant and enteric pathogens as well as nutrients from agricultural runoff and wastewaters in order to facilitate its reuse and/or protect surface and ground water resources from contamination
This study was an extension of the WRAMI project for second season to include early spring and late fall monitoring (cool temperatures) at the edge of field sites, modified hydraulic retention times and/or nutrient characteristics of waste streams to the bioreactors at the greenhouse sites, and the performance of a newly constructed wetland system treating recycled leachate water from a greenhouse, where the most significant water treatment requirements occur over the winter period. Removal effectiveness was correlated with parameters affecting performance (e.g. design, media, residence time/flow rate, temperature, oxygen, depth) in order to support the design of on- and off-site systems that will consistently remove plant and enteric pathogens as well as nutrients from agricultural runoff and wastewaters.
Field studies of stormwater pond dynamics in response to storm events at horticultural operations were carried out to determine the critical points at which farmers must manage their collection ponds to protect the environment. For most horticultural greenhouse operations, stormwater ponds essentially collect rainwater from the greenhouse roofs, and may collect subsurface drainage water from adjacent land or the greenhouse production facility. Continuous as well as strategic monitoring was carried out at three floriculture greenhouse sites over the 2014 season, collecting information on volumes, overflows, meteorological data, and composition of pond water and stormwater overflows. This project is the first phase in developing Best Management Practices for producers to size, design, and monitor their stormwater management systems to adapt to changes in size, intensity, frequency, and variability of growing season storm events predicted by current climate change models. The development of a coherent management and sampling strategy is of value to farmers, who are looking at whether their ponds are designed and operating properly, and are seeking to comply with environmental ministry requirements.
This project was intended to provide guidance on innovative water treatment technologies for the horticulture sector in Ontario. The scope of the project included: installation of 2 portable hybrid treatment systems (HTS) to test the operational parameters needed to treat (i.e. clean) floriculture greenhouse and nursery wastewater so that it can be either safely discharged to the environment, or rendered suitable for re-use within the operation, installation of 2 permanent hybrid treatment systems (HTS), one at a container nursery and one at a flower greenhouse, using information obtained from the pilot systems as well as previous studies, and development of a Guidance Document for growers to help them make informed decisions regarding water management and treatment options. The Hybrid Treatment System represents a flexible tool for water treatment, particularly in situations where there is a desire to recirculate or discharge very clean water. Removal rates in each of the selected media are dependent on temperature, flow rate (hydraulic retention time), and nutrient concentration. Temperature is particularly important for the woodchip cells, since these are primarily a biological treatment. For optimum performance these systems need to be designed on the basis of projected daily water volumes, concentrations for treatment, and expected temperatures over the entire production period. While these systems do require a significant footprint outdoors, they can be tailored to match the volumes and fluctuations of a particular operation. And in many cases, the surface of the treatment can be used as a production area, but machine traffic should be avoided. It is highly recommended that growers conduct a self-assessment of the farm prior to choosing a water management solution.
L’altise à tête rouge, Systena frontalis (Coléoptères, Chrysomélidés) est le ravageur le plus problématique dans les productions ornementales en pépinière au Québec. Elle occasionne de fortes pertes économiques (pertes de plantes et coûts de contrôle) et requiert des pulvérisations fréquentes. Les objectifs du projet étaient 1) Améliorer le modèle prévisionnel de l’altise à tête rouge (modèle de degrés-jours développé par l’IQDHO) et rendre ce modèle disponible dans le logiciel CIPRA et le site Internet d’Agrométéo Québec (www.agrometeo.org) et 2) Confirmer et identifier des repères phénologiques de plantes associés à l’arrivée des altises à tête rouge dans les pépinières. Ces deux outils de surveillance pourront être proposés aux producteurs pour leur permettre d’anticiper l’arrivée des altises à tête rouge et de mieux cibler leurs traitements phytosanitaires et peut-être même de réduire les quantités d’insecticides appliquées.
Un chancre est une plaie qui se forme sur les branches ou les troncs, lorsqu’un agent pathogène (champignons ou bactéries) infecte et colonise les tissus cambiaux, ou lorsque des facteurs abiotiques (ex : le froid) endommagent les tissus ligneux. En pépinière ornementales les chancres entrainent assurément des pertes. L’objectif général du projet était d’optimiser le dépistage des chancres sur les espèces ligneuses ornementales produites en pépinière 1) En repérant et identifiant les chancres (en laboratoire) et leur hôte 2) En documentant visuellement les chancres 3) En décrivant les symptômes 4) En présentant les identifications lors d’une activité de démonstration pour ultimement permettre aux producteurs et aux intervenants de mieux les reconnaître et ainsi cibler les meilleures interventions à effectuer.