Horticulture & Greenhouse:

Niagara College offers horticulture and greenhouse faculty and students the opportunity to work with local industry partners on real-world projects through course-based assignments and applied research initiatives

Niagara College has substantial infrastructure to support its faculty and students in working on industry-led research projects, including a 20,000 square foot greenhouse and adjacent research greenhouse, horticulture eco-campus, nursery operations, laser and photonics technologies and science laboratories. Areas of research have involved horticultural and greenhouse management, in particular disease and pest management, energy management, and leading-edge research into the use of lasers and other photonic technologies in greenhouse management.

Infrastructure:

  • 20,000 square foot greenhouse centre
  • New greenhouse research laboratory - 2007
  • Horticulture Eco-campus
  • Container and nursery operations
  • Laser and photonics technologies
  • Various science laboratories

Areas of Research Include :

  • Research in horticultural management practices
  • Greenhouse management
  • Insect and disease management practices
  • Energy management in greenhouses
  • Alternative fertilizer treatments
  • Treatment of greenhouse effluent
  • Cross-disciplinary research with the technology division
  • Alternative energy - LED lighting experiments

Recent Research Projects

  • Hydroponic Lettuce: Organic Fertilizer vs. Inorganic Fertilizer
    The purpose of the study was to evaluate Dramm’s alternative fish fertilizers, Drammtic “K” and Drammatic “One”, versus traditional inorganic fertilizers. View Research Poster
  • Strawberry Yields Forever
    The purpose of the study was to evaluate the viability of growing strawberries as an alternative winter crop in southern Ontario greenhouses.View Research Poster