Apples are among Canada's most valuable fruit crops, and the improvement of apple varieties is crucial for the success of the industry. Breeding apples is expensive and time consuming, requiring decades of investment. A better understanding of the relationship between genetics and fruit traits will allow for more efficient breeding. Current apple breeding techniques make use of genetic markers, but these markers are of limited use.

Agricultural runoff transports nutrients such as phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) that act as environmental pollutants in fresh and coastal marine ecosystems. Both chemical fertilizers and animal manure release substantial P and N to runoff and leaching despite current conservation efforts. While recent research has shown that struvite could be a viable P supplement for inorganic fertilizers, it is unclear if and how this may impact environmental losses.

Producers and farm workers are exposed to whole-body vibration (WBV) on a regular basis when operating farm machinery. The short-term effect of WBV include cognitive impairment and musculoskeletal disorders, such as low back pain. To aid in promoting worker cognitive and musculoskeletal health, rest and/or activity breaks may provide relief from these hazards and can be implemented immediately without cash investment. For these breaks to be appealing, they must be effective in reducing adverse health effects from WBV exposure, and must be feasible for field implementation.

The Community Energy Profiles and the CASES Toolkit project is part of a larger partnership involving 15 communities and 16+ private and public sector partner organizations in 4 countries. Co-led by Drs. Greg Poelzer and Bram Noble, the project includes 7 interns with interest in the areas of energy policy, impact assessment, economics, energy systems modeling, social innovation, and capacity building with Indigenous communities, industries, and governments. The benefits of the internships to our Canadian partner organizations are multiple and extend beyond the internships.

This project will work to better understand record keeping adoption on Canadian farms and ranches.

Western bean cutworm (WBC) is the most important corn pest in Ontario and lack of control can reduce grain yield and quality due to insect feeding and mycotoxin contamination. Unlike other primary corn pests, WBC are not controlled by most transgenic corn expressing Bt proteins. Monsanto has developed new insecticidal proteins to which WBC are susceptible according to preliminary research. To support long-term use of these promising management tools, this project aims to generate information necessary to develop an insect resistance management (IRM) plan.

Inflammatory diseases such as pulmonary inflammation, lung cancer, asthma, and fibrosis exert a great economic impact across the globe. They have a tremendous impact on health and quality of life. Proinflammatory cytokines are released by the immune system which can be activated by Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), an endotoxin which mimics infection by Gram-negative bacteria. The literature indicates that females are at an increased risk of developing inflammatory diseases compared to males. NATURES IMMUNO is an innovative formula developed by NHV Natural Pet Products to support the immune system.

Our proposed research is to measure soil erosion and runoff in the field and use it to calibrate water runoff models. The approach is twofold: a) Use of field data for to determine runoff rates and nutrient loading and b) use high resolution non-destructive methods to monitor water runoff after a precipitation event through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). In this way, data will help to adjust current runoff simulation models, and predict real-life scenarios. These models will accurately portray the effect of conventional agricultural practices in soil architecture and runoff water quality.

This project explores how one congregate living environment in Edmonton Alberta supports their residents through the use of the material environment including designed spaces and objects created by architectural and interior designers. The web of person-environment relationships and interactions that is complicated, dynamic, messy, and riddled with shifting agency is unpacked revealing how humans depend on things, things depend on things, and things depend on humans.