Perennial grains, especially domesticated intermediate wheatgrass (IWG), are approaching commercialization as food crops. Due to the perennial nature of this crop i.e. multiple seed harvest (years) off of a single planting, grazing of post-harvest regrowth in the late fall would provide added value to beef producers, helping to sustain Canada’s beef industry.

Flax seed is of interest as a health food product with high omega-3 fatty acid, protein and fiber content. The seeds naturally contain compound that are anti-nutritive and have a bitter flavor. We have developed a process to safely and cheaply remove these compounds from whole flax seed. We intend to investigate the nutritive qualities, flavor, and shelf life of this flax seed and to scale up the process for commercial use. We will develop recipes for the seed and process co-products.

It is critical for farmers to have the information necessary so that they can make decisions on the best practices to undertake when growing a new crop. Pulse production is growing in demand and is an established market in Canada. In addition, plant based protein products are growing in popularity. We are working on developing a set of tools and information that will enable farmers to grow more pulses in Quebec. We will determine basic agronomic parameters that will maximize crop yield and minimize risk of crop failure.

Canada is the fourth largest barley producer and the second largest malt exporter in the world, representing billions of dollars in domestic and international sales. Typically, barley is utilized as animal fodder, as a nutritional supplement for healthy foods and is also used in the production of alcoholic beverages and distilled spirits. The ethanol produced for alcoholic beverages can also be utilized in the production of petroleum products. Interestingly, ethanol production often results in significant amounts of thin stillage by-product.

Research the existing stock of Environmental Product Declarations and underlying Product Category Rules in selected material categories including wood, steel, and glass. Evaluate the accuracy and comparability of the population, identify top sources of embodied carbon impact variation in the supply chain, and provide estimates of the sensitivity of the embodied carbon impact of those supply chain factors. Document these differences in formats that can be published and, incorporated into BuildingTransparency.org’s free EC3 software service, for which C Change Labs is the primary developer.

Wax emulsions are widely used in conjunction with wood adhesives to improve overall dimensional stability of the resulting wood products. In this study, we will investigate kraft lignin and waste tallow as sustainable, biobased partial replacements for fossil fuel derived wax. These renewable, hydrophobic materials can be formulated into a wax emulsion using conventional emulsification chemistry.

Introduced Phragmites australis (common reed) is one of the most invasive plants in North America. Existing management is costly, can negatively affect other species, and is often only effective for small infestations. Classical biological control (i.e., introducing herbivores from the weed’s native range) is a promising tool for P. australis management that can contribute to a broader program of integrated pest management (IPM). Our goal is to partner with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) to implement biological control of introduced P. australis in southern Ontario.

Ontario’s Greenbelt is composed of nearly 2 million acres of protected land including natural areas that provide ecosystem services to millions of people. While these areas face reduced pressure from land use conversion, they still face a pressures typical of natural systems in peri-urban landscapes including loss of biodiversity, invasive species, impacts from infrastructure projects and a changing climate. In order to determine the extent to which these pressures are shifting natural systems, indicators of system health are needed.

Cannabis sativa is a plant grown used as industrial hemp, for CBD oil, and both medicinal and recreational cannabis (marijuana). Since production has historically been prohibited in Canada and the USA, little is known about insect pests of cannabis, including a species of aphid, the cannabis aphid (Phorodon cannabis). In order to develop effective management techniques, one first needs to generate an understanding of the insect’s basic biology. The proposed research will document the life-history and ecology of cannabis aphids in commercial fields and greenhouses.

Pacific salmon spend most of their life in the open ocean, where we know little about the factors influencing their health and abundance. Last year, we participated in the first expedition to explore the winter habitat of salmon the Gulf of Alaska. We collect samples to inform ongoing research projects focusing on salmon health and their feeding habits, collected environmental DNA samples that allow us to detect the presence of different species in the environment, and were able to pinpoint coho salmon to their river of origin using a mobile genetic stock identification method.