Success Stories

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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Evaluation of the effects of the weight of zeolite in peat moss-based media and the corresponding shipping logistics of potted plant products

IZ Weights Trial

IZC looked to Niagara College’s Horticultural & Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre (HESIC) team to determine if a new soil amendment was going to impact international shipping and handling of plants. The HESIC team created multiple zeolite-peat moss blend ratios and determined dry and wet weights of plants potted in several different pots with zeolite-containing media.

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Evaluation of the Performance of Zeolite-based NEREA® as a Media Amendment for Commercial Production of Basil in Canada

Fresh Basil plant

IZ reached out to Niagara College’s Horticultural & Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre (HESIC) team to work together to assess the performance of NEREA® as a provider of a short-term crop’s complete nutritional requirements. A small-scale trial was performed at the NC Teaching Greenhouse comparing germination and performance of Ocimum basilicum (basil) across a range of percentages of NEREA® blended with sphagnum peat moss.

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Networks have power in rapidly evolving industries

As published on Niagara College Research & Innovation on May 25, 2023. Written by Rita Sterne, PhD, Project Manager of the Greenhouse Technology Network. Agriculture is changing rapidly and so is indoor horticulture. Growers of flowers, trees, and vegetables that support human health and wellbeing year-round—and their supporting value chain…

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Niagara College-led Greenhouse Technology Network expands membership

As published by Niagara College on May 4, 2023. Brock University and the University of Windsor are the newest members of Greenhouse Technology Network (GTN), a Niagara College-led consortium of academic research institutions supporting the research needs of greenhouse and related technology businesses through applied projects. In 2019, the new…

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NC helps Quick Plug identify formulation of plug media to successfully encourage faster rooting of cannabis cuttings

Quick Plug wanted to produce a novel formulation of solid plug media applicable to several different crops, which would effectively reduce time to root emergence, ‘rooting’, without compromising plant health. Quick Plug turned to Niagara College’s Horticultural & Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre (HESIC) to conduct growing trials to evaluate two of their novel formulations.

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Controlled Environment Production of Hydroponic Fodder

Intravision Light Systems, a leading provider of high-fidelity controlled environment and LED lighting systems, partnered with University of Guelph’s Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility (CESRF) to develop new knowledge and methodologies to optimize the production of fodder crops in controlled environments.

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