Evaluating a novel indoor compost product as an organic fertilizer to grow diverse crops in a greenhouse

Vcycene Trials - T1 T2 and T3

The objective of Phase 1 of this project was to evaluate the potential of the product of VCycene’s intelligent composting device to be classified as a mature compost, as per the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment‘s (CCME) Guidelines for Compost Quality. Niagara College’s Horticultural & Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre (HESIC) team generated, and subsequently evaluated, product from alpha versions of VCycene’s composting device.

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Diverting liquid bio digestate from waste and turning it into a consumer product

The team members at Bayview are proud to grow plants using innovative and environmentally sustainable methods. They continuously develop business practices and utilize new technologies that help reduce/re-use waste while generating renewable energy. It’s for these reasons that they reached out to Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) to discuss their latest innovation challenge.

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New Pao Tau is growing research-backed orchids for the masses

Blooming orchid in a flower pot close-up in natural light.

While orchids are commonly grown in bark-based substrates, New Pao Tau is taking an innovative approach by using newer substrates with better water holding and release capacity than the typical bark-based substrates. Vineland Research and Innovation was able to take on this research project to help Michael and the New Pao Tau team identify the substrate best suited for the consumer market and find a solution that would result in increased customer satisfaction.

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Greenhouse technologies support untapped local food source and crop improvements

Fiddleheads are a nutritious and delicious spring delicacy in Ontario, but they are only available for a few weeks each year. The young leaves of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris L. Todaro), fiddleheads are harvested from wild populations of ostrich ferns which limits availability, market growth, and research opportunities. Norcliff Farms Inc. turned to Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility (CESRF) to investigate.

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A ‘FitBit’ for plants, EarthOne turned to BCIC to fill the gap in marketing

While many people love plants and spend good money on them, we may not all be plant experts. You might find yourself asking yourself, when did I water that plant last? Does it need more light? Should I add more soil? That’s why Sidhanth (Sid) Pereira, Founder & Head of Product at EarthOne, knew the market needed a product like this. While Sid was confident in his product, but knew, to be successful, they were going to need someone to help them with marketing. That’s where the Business & Commercialization Innovation Centre (BCIC) came in to help to give them the direction they needed.

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Phytotoxicity assessment of sodium for lettuce grown in NEREA®-based hydroponics

Niagara College’s (NC) Horticultural & Environmental Science Innovation Centre (HESIC) ran parallel crops of lettuce that were grown in a hydroponic Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) system in NEREA® and standard Oasis® rockwool at the NC greenhouse located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, with the goal being to determine sodium concentration in both hydroponic solutions and the edible portion of lettuce.

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