Insect pests can cause substantial losses in crop yield and livestock. Conventional insecticides have lost efficacy due to insect resistance and have negative impacts on humans, animal health and the environment. There is a great need for effective insecticides that can provide solutions to these problems and that are compatible with sustainable approaches in agriculture […]

Through analysis of vegetation data collected between 1991 and 2021 in Long Point National Wildlife Area, it is the goal of the research to identify trends and changes in sand dune vegetation communities following a reduction of white-tailed deer browsing pressure. By evaluating the rate and level of change in vegetation diversity, structure, and composition, […]

Phytoremediation is a promising in-situ technology that uses plants and its associated microorganisms (particularly bacteria and fungi) to clean up contaminated soils. The efficacy of these processes however, requires an in-depth knowledge on the diversity of microbial communities closely interacting with plant roots. Several studies have demonstrated that plants growing in contaminated soils select for […]

By 2050, agri-food systems must produce enough to feed 9 to billion people, while reversing trends of environmental degradation caused in part by agriculture production. This is no small task, and underscores why countless sustainable agriculture standards, certifications, initiatives and platforms have emerged to encourage and measure the impacts of sustainable agriculture practices. While these […]

The overall objective of the proposed project is to construct a simulation model that will estimate production impact of disruption in swine marketing in Ontario, and propose mitigation strategies that could minimize impact of such disruption on swine populations and swine producers. Such disruption could occur due to various reasons such as outbreak of human […]

Torso-borne protective clothing and load carrying equipment (ie. bulletproof vests) is fundamental to the safety of Canadian Armed Forces personnel. To make informed decisions on purchasing and developing new equipment, a suite of mannequin-based tools was developed by Defense Research and Development Canada. They are developing a female model to reflect the Canadian Armed Forces’ […]

Yogourt demand has increased significantly over the past decade, accompanied by a fast-paced diversification in types of product, requiring specialized processes. The challenge faced by Lactalis Canada is to continually adapt the fermentation process to obtain consistent and optimum quality, shelf-life and sensory profile using the cooperation of living microorganisms as starters in milk which […]

The need for food (26.6% increase since the year 2000 according to Statistics Canada 2016) and the cost of energy are increasing rapidly as the world population continues to grow exponentially. Moreover, world-wide demand for fresh water is rapidly increasing while supply is very limited. Agriculture uses 70% of the global fresh water supply as […]

To address the increasingly important problem of global insect pollinator declines, this project will investigate the relationship between three different natural habitat types (hedgerow, forest patch and restored prairie grass) and their impacts on wild pollinator biodiversity in Canada. This will be studied through the use of Malaise traps place on agricultural land adjacent to […]

The availability and reliability of public transit has been a long standing equity issue for residents living in rural communities. This issue significantly impacts those who have lower incomes, the elderly, children, and people with disabilities. Access to of consistent and secure funding has been the main factor challenging the sustainability of rural transit. This […]

Deep learning in medical imaging analysis has revolutionized the field in areas such as computer-aided detection and segmentation of clinical abnormalities. Several studies have been published on lung cancer screening using deep learning methodologies. Specific to lung cancer screening, algorithms have been trained to automatically detect and diagnose lesions in the lungs in low dose […]

Many rural regions do not have a sufficient labour force providing the skills that rural businesses need. Many job vacancies go unfilled or are filled by less than ideal candidates. This research looks at strategies to attract and retain the workers that Ontario rural communities need to generate economic development and vitality. By engaging local […]