Quebec Research and Development Centre

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

2560 Hochelaga Boulevard
Quebec, Quebec
G1V 2J3

Normandin Research Farm
1468 St-Cyrille Street
Normandin, Quebec
G8M 4K3

Telephone: 418-657-7980

Email: aafc.info.aac@canada.ca

Latitude: 46.774468
Longitude: −71.282258

The Quebec Research and Development Centre opened in 1967 in Quebec City, Quebec. The Centre has a satellite location, the Normandin Research Farm, which supports research into northern or boreal agriculture.

The Quebec Research and Development Centre's main research is in the following areas:

• perennial crop production systems and bioproducts
• the environmental performance of perennial and short-season crops and cropping systems

Facilities at the Quebec Research and Development Centre

• 40 hectares at the Saint-Augustin-De-Desmaures research farm
• 145 hectares under cultivation in the Normandin Research Farm in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region
• Research greenhouses, growing chambers and cold rooms
• Climate simulator for treating forage crops
• Liquid and gas chromatography equipment
• Facilities for measuring CNS (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur), dissolved organic carbon and N15 analysis, and near infra-red reflectance spectrometer
• Electron microscopy equipment
• Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES)

Current research activities

Higher standards for crop and agricultural lands management

• Assessing the effects of agricultural practices on soil health, water quality, air quality (greenhouse gas emissions) and crop yields
• Establishing databases for managing water and land resources
• Developing management technologies for producing crops
• Conducting research into the effects on crops of organic and industrial nutrient supplements and the dynamics of soil micro-organisms have on crops
• Managing through modern technologies, such crop inputs, as fertilizers and crop protection products
• Developing strategies to control weeds and reduce pesticide use

Higher quality crops for greater competitiveness

• Developing forage crops that are more resistant to disease, winter conditions and have higher nutritional value
• Using DNA knowledge of forage crops to develop lines that are resistant to cold and have better nutritional quality, in keeping with the principles of functional genomics
• Developing methods to determine quickly, accurately and inexpensively, the quality of ruminant feeds (alfalfa, timothy, barley, wheat and oats)

Better harvesting and diversifying crop potential

• Developing systems for harvesting and storing forages in order to increase their use and value
• Reducing the effects of fungal contamination in harvested forages
• Exploring ways to use the organic matter from forage crops to develop commercially renewable resources
• Evaluating the potential for growing small fruits in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region

Results of our research

Beef and forages

• Developed forage concept specifically tailored to the needs of dry cows and implementation through an integrated set of agronomic practices. The production of low dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) forage is a world first, and this innovation is being used by a large number of stakeholders.
• Developed a set of agronomic practices to produce high-carbohydrate forage, by means such as the genetic selection of alfalfa.
• Lowered risk of milk fever (losses on the order of $33 million a year) using forage with a low (DCAD) and which reduces the use of anionic salts.

Agro-ecosystem productivity and health

• Implemented aeration of irrigation ponds to reduce populations of micro-organisms that are potentially pathogenic to humans. Demonstration that this technique can be used in horticulture and that it seems to be effective for quickly killing E. coli populations in irrigation ponds, which has led ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québe to include the technique in its Prime-Vert program.
• Developed effective nitrogen and phosphorous management tools during the growing season. These tools prevent environmental and economic losses associated with excessive nitrogen and phosphorous fertilization.
• Developed agricultural weather management tools in collaboration with the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Research and Development Centre. These models include weather observations and forecasts to ensure better monitoring and predict the development of various pests (insect pests and diseases).
• Demonstrated the advantages of using ion exchange membranes in conventional soil analysis methods. The membranes also effectively predict the availability of major elements (N, P, K, Ca) and trace metals in soil used to grow forage, corn, potatoes and blueberries.
• Applied near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in soil science.
• Developed agricultural uses for paper industry residues as an excellent source of nutrients that pose no risks to crops and as an organic amendment to improve soil quality.

Related information

• AgWeather Quebec: For better agricultural decision making (2016-06-23)
• Cranberries may boost broiler chicken immunity (2015-12-17)
• Sweet Twist on Silage Making Pays Off (2015-07-30)
• Bringing Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Research Results to the Farm (2014-06-10)