Harrow Research and Development Centre

  • Greenhouse
  • Tractor
  • Soybean
  • Strawberries

 

The Harrow Research and Development Centre (Harrow RDC) located in Harrow, Ontario was established in 1909. It is the largest greenhouse research complex facility in North America, and is one of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) network of 20 research and development centres.

The Centre is associated with three satellite locations:

  • Greenhouse, laboratory & field based research complex on sandy soils at Harrow;

  • Clay-loam soils at the Honourable Eugene F. Whelan Experimental Farm, Woodslee, Ontario; and

  • The Ontario Development and Technology Transfer unit located in Guelph, Ontario.

Areas of Research

Harrow RDC develops and transfers new technologies for the production and protection of greenhouse vegetables and field crops, including soybeans, dry beans, corn, winter wheat and tomatoes. It is a lead contributor in research on the quality and sustainable use of Ontario soils as methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient losses from agricultural soils. This activity enhances the environmental health of farmlands in the Great Lakes basin.

The Harrow RDC is one of seven sites where field and greenhouse trials on potential pest management tools and technologies are conducted for AAFC’s Minor Use Pesticide Program.

Harrow RDC is the location for the Canadian Clonal Genebank greenhouse and orchard.

Search Research projects from the Harrow Research and Development Centre to learn more about what we do.

Sector Needs

The Harrow RDC carries out innovative research, development, technology and knowledge transfer activities in support of the AAFC's Strategic Plan for Science, which includes:

Research focuses on sustainable year-round greenhouse crop production (using supplemental lighting and automation technologies for vegetables and fruit) and examines dynamic plant-based climate control, nutrient, irrigation, integrated crop management strategies, energy conservation and renewable energy. Integrated pest control strategies (including Minor Use Pesticide products) are developed to manage current and emerging insects, viral, fungal and bacterial diseases.

The Centre develops  sustainable agricultural practices for the humid temperate zones with particular emphasis on the Great Lakes Basin to enhance soil health and improve environmental quality.  Multidisciplinary research programs involving soil microbial ecology, soil carbon sequestration, soil physical quality and nutrient dynamics aim to optimize field crop production, enhance soil function and biodiversity and reduce agricultural degradation of water quality (phosphorus and nitrate) and air quality (ammonia, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions). 

The Harrow RDC develops food-grade soybean and dry bean germplasm and cultivars and supports winter wheat research conducted by AAFC’s Ottawa Research and Development Centre. Pest management research includes ecology, population dynamics and plant-pest interactions, and management of disease, insects, nematode, and weed pests on these crops.

  • Biodiversity and bioresources

The Canadian Clonal Genebank, part of AAFC’s Plant Gene Resources Program, preserves the genetic diversity of Canadian fruit crops by acquiring and maintaining wild plant material and named cultivated varieties.

Meet our Scientists

Find out more about the scientists at Harrow Research and Development Centre through their profiles below.

You can also visit the Fields of Science campaign featuring 11 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists from coast to coast. Discover why they chose to pursue a career in agriculture and learn more about their research.

 

    2585 County Road 20
    Harrow, ON N0R 1G0
    Canada
    (519) 738-2251

    Follow us on Social Media!

    Scientists and researchers

    Image Craig Drury
    Research Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Research Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Eric Page
    Research Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Eric Fedosejevs
    Research Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Jamie Larsen
    Research Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Kangfu Yu
    Senior Research Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Lauren Des Marteaux
    Field Crop Entomologist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Lori Phillips
    Research Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Robert Nurse
    Research Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Dr. Roselyne M. Labbé
    Research Scientist - Greenhouse Entomology
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Tiequan Zhang
    Research Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Geneviève Marchand
    Research Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Jingyi Yang
    Soil Scientist, Nutrient Modeller in Agroecosystems | Agronome pédologue et modélisateur d’éléments nutritifs dans les écosystèmes agricoles
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Keith Reid
    Retired - Soil Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Owen Wally
    Field Crop Pathologist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Pamela Joosse
    Senior Soil and Nutrient Management Specialist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Quade Digweed
    Junior Greenhouse Engineer
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Sonja Fransen
    Water Management Engineer
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Image Xueming Yang
    Research Scientist
    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

     

    Publications

    1. (2024) Tri-society conference: Canadian Phytopathological Society, Canadian Society for Horticultural Science, Canadian Society of Agronomy, 2023, Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, DOI: 10.1080/07060661.2024.2306734

      2024 - View publication details

    2. Oxford Soil and Crop Improvement Association

      2024 - View publication details

    3. Essex Soil and Crop Improvement Association

      2023 - View publication details

    4. Annual Meeting of the Canadian Weed Science Society

      2023 - View publication details

    5. Des Marteaux, L.E., Martin, A., and Skevington, J. 2023. GenARCC: Using genomic data from insect collections to understand impacts of climate change. (Entomological Society of America annual meeting – Maryland, USA)

      2023 - View publication details

    6. Des Marteaux, L.E., Reynolds, S., Callaghan, C., Raine, N.E., Skevington, J, and Young, A. 2023. Identifying habitats that best support pollinator communities in agricultural landscapes. (Entomological Society of America annual meeting – Maryland, USA)

      2023 - View publication details

    7. Macrae, M.L., Plach, J.M., Carlow, R., Little, C., Jarvie, H.P., McKague, K., Pluer, W.T., Joosse, P. (2023). Trade-offs in nutrient and sediment losses in tile drainage from no-till versus conventional conservation-till cropping systems. Journal of Environmental Quality, [online] 52(5), 1011-1023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20502

      2023 - View publication details

    8. Carter, J. and Des Marteaux, L. Field margins, hedgerows support beneficial insects. Ontario Farmer. May 16, 2023.

      2023 - View publication details

    9. Labbe, R. 2023. Epizootiology and management of arthropod pest invasions in vertical farms. Vertical Farmers of Ontario Meeting and Workshop. Harrow RDC, AAFC. March 28 2023.

      2023 - View publication details

    10. Xueming Yang, Craig Drury, Mary-Anne Reeb, Dan Reynolds, “A Diversified Organic Cropping System: Impacts on Crop Production and Soil Health in S. Canada”. 3rd Global Soil Biodiversity Conference, poster presentation, March 12-16, 2023, Dublin, Ireland.

      2023 - View publication details