Developing a sensor to detect nutrients in plants, replacing wet chemical analysis, has many advantages including rapid understanding of the nutrient status and the ability to scan wide areas of the field. The sensing principle is based on detecting spectral patterns of the leaves and relating them to nutrient availability in the petiole. However, such […]

In order to enable spot application of farm inputs such as pesticide and fertilizers using general purpose boom sprayers, the sensors that detect variation of the field (mainly machine vision systems) should be integrated to the boom sprayer using its standardized ISOBUS communication protocol. During this internship, a single board computer designed by the intern […]

L’ensachage de produits dans l’industrie agroalimentaire se fait couramment par vérification du poids du produit mis en sachet. Or, les contrôles de poids sont soumis à de fortes règlementations et cette étape constitue un ralentissement dans la mise en sachet du produit. L’objectif de ce projet est donc d’optimiser cette étape de la chaîne de […]

Xanantec is currently working on a multi-year project to commercialize a novel precision feeding system for poultry. This project involved mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and software development. This project will provide assistance to the partner organization in completing this commercialization activity. Xanantec Technologies Inc. is an engineering consulting firm based out of Edmonton Alberta and […]

There is a consumer trend for “Natural” products that have received minimal processing but more importantly are free from artificial preservatives. This represents a challenge to food producers as consumers expect safety as a given and also an extended shelf life. The food industry has been inventive in developing new processes and identifying natural preservatives […]

Since legalization, cannabis has become a multibillion dollar industry and is now one of our most economically important crops in Canada. A unique aspect of the cannabis industry is that the market demands are continually evolving and there is a constant need for new cultivars with unique chemical and flavour profiles. This is an expensive […]

Inappropriate food autonomy poses serious threats to the sustainable development of Canada and the global society in general. This issue is further exacerbated by the four-season climate of Quebec that prevents year-round open-air farming. To cope with this challenge, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) uses managed artificial environmental conditions to produce vegetables and fruit in a […]

Current challenges, like climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, have brought new awareness to how we consume, produce, and distribute food. In Saskatchewan, climate change is already impacting the quality and quantity of southern water supplies and strategies used for hunting, gathering, and fishing in northern areas. Amidst these challenges, this project examines whether local […]

La culture biologique exige de ne pas utiliser notament de fertilisants d’origine synthétique et de pesticides. Cependant afin d’accroître la productivité de leurs cultures, les producteurs agricoles/horticoles doivent ajouter des produits d’amendement des sols. Les algues marines sont abondantes et constituent une source d’oligoéléments et de molécules bioactives. Le projet de recherche consiste au développement […]

Les régions du Mayombe et du Plateau de Batéké, dans le sud-ouest de la RDC sont sujettes à une déforestation qui, compte tenu des défis démographiques et en l’absence de mesures appropriées en termes d’aménagement du territoire, de changement climatique et de systèmes de production agro-écologiques innovants, pourrait accroître l’insécurité alimentaire et la malnutrition dans […]

Honey bees are known to be responsible for one in every three bites of food we take. The queen bee plays a basic role in the honey bee colony. She is the mother of all members of the colony that develop during her life. She also plays a critically important role within the honey bee […]

Soil moisture is a critical parameter in precision agriculture, which requires timely adjustments in the soil water resource management. Optimization of fertilizer and seed placement only result in producing improved yield if soil moisture is sufficient. Conventional soil monitoring techniques allows one-time soil sampling which are returned to the laboratory for soil fertility assessments and […]