Lethbridge Research and Development Centre
The Lethbridge Research and Development Centre (Lethbridge RDC) was established in 1906 in Lethbridge, Alberta. It is one the largest facilities within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) network of 20 research and development centres.
The Centre is associated with one satellite location: Vauxhall Research Farm.
Areas of Research
The Lethbridge RDC leads research on beef cattle production systems (health and welfare, food safety, microbiology); crop production (agronomy, breeding, genetics, pathology) and sustainable production systems under dryland and irrigated conditions associated with farming in a semi-arid climate.
Research activities focus on supporting the long-term competitiveness of the sector while reducing the environmental footprint of agricultural practices and maintaining the health and productivity of the agro-ecosystem.
Search Research projects from the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre to learn more about what we do.
Sector Needs
The Lethbridge RDC carries out innovative research, development, technology and knowledge transfer activities in support of the AAFC's Strategic Plan for Science, which includes:
Lethbridge RDC has a national mandate for research on feedlot finishing of beef cattle, with a focus on enhancing productivity, reducing adverse environmental impacts, addressing concerns regarding food safety (with a production focus), including antibiotic resistance, animal health and welfare, and mitigating disease threats and their vectors.
Lethbridge RDC’s germplasm and rumen microbe collections support research programs by providing a long-term repository of microbial diversity. The world-class collection includes anaerobic rumen fungi, a broad representation of rumen bacteria including those that are prominent in fibre digestion, and plant-associated fungi and bacteria (pathogenic and non-pathogenic isolates).
New varieties (potatoes, beans, wheat, triticale, rye and forages), sustainable crop production and protection technologies are developed for crops on dry and irrigated lands, adapted to the Canadian prairies. Discovery type science and innovation are conducted using novel technologies, such as remote sensing and imaging technologies, plant biotechnologies and increasing the integration with biological science, breeding, agronomy and farming.
Lethbridge RDC’s research includes nutrient cycling associated with cropping and livestock production; monitoring crop and environmental health using remote sensing and imaging technologies; and ecological modeling to understand the impact of various management practices at the farm level on the local environment.
Meet our Scientists
Find out more about the scientists at Lethbridge Research and Development Centre through their profiles below.
More information
Scientists and researchers
Publications
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Natarajan M., Singh K.D., Geddes C.M., Shirtliffe, S.J., Ravichandran P., and Wang, H., "UAV-based hyperspectral imaging to evaluate plant moisture and desiccant response in lentil (Lens culinaris)", Canadian Journal of Plant Science (CJPS), 2025, 105(2).
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Hoyos-Villegas, V., Jackson,M., Vargas-Cedeño, M., Farmer, E. E., Hanneman,M., Mazis, A., Singh, K. D., Sangjan, W., McNair, M.,Sankaran, S., Tirado Tolosa, S., Gore, M. A., & Rife,T. W. (2025). Affordable phenomics: expandingaccess to enhancing genetic gain in plant breeding.The Plant Phenome Journal, 8, e70034. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppj2.70034
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Chegoonian, A. M., Singh, K. D., Geddes, C. M., Hansen, C., and Wang, H.: Aerial Insights: Advancing Nitrogen Estimation in Field Crops using Multispectral Imaging, Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLVIII-M-8-2025, 7–12, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-M-8-2025-7-2025, 2025
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Ravichandran, P., Singh, K.D., Randhawa, H.S., Dhariwal, R., Sangha, J.S., Ellert, B., Wang, H., Chegoonian, A., and Natarajan, M., "High-Throughput Screening of Wheat Genotypes for Drought Tolerance Using Aerial Thermal Imagery", 13th International Conference on Agro-Geoinformatics, July 7-10, 2025, Boulder, Colorado, USA, doi: 10.1109/Agro-Geoinformatics66479.2025.11136381
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Wang, H., Singh, K.D., Chatterton, S. and Natarajan, M., "High-Throughput Imaging System for Early Detection of Root Rot Disease in Field Peas (Pisum sativum L.)", 13th International Conference on Agro-Geoinformatics, July 7-10, 2025, Boulder, Colorado, USA, doi: 10.1109/Agro-Geoinformatics66479.2025.11136239
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Panigrahi, S.S., Singh, K.D., Balasubramanian, P., Wang, H., Natarajan, M., Ravichandran, P. (2025). UAV-Based LiDAR and Multispectral Imaging for Estimating Dry Bean Plant Height, Lodging and Seed Yield. Sensors, [online] 25(11), http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s25113535
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Otani, J., Gavloski, J., Floate, K. 2025. Cutworms: Coping with an unpredictable complex of pest species. Forage Seed News (Summer 2025 edition). Volume 32 (Issue 2): xx-xx. (submitted March 3, 2025).
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Ensing, D.J., R.S. Bourchier, R.De Clerck-FLoate, V. Miller, J. Brooke, and C. Moffat. 2025. Rangeland invasive plant management relies on biological control. Oral Presentation. National Science Seminar Series: Agroecosystems and Landscapes Portfolio. Virtual. 20 March 2025
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Moffat, C.E., R.S. Bourchier, R.A. De Clerck-Floate, and D.J. Ensing. 2025. Canadian Biocontrol Experience: Past, Present and Future. Invited virtual oral presentation. North American Invasive Species Management Association Webinar Series. Virtual. 19 March 2025.
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Ensing, D.J., R. Bourchier, R. De Clerck-Floate, V. Miller, J. Brooke, P. Weyl, and C. Moffat. 2025. Research on invasive plant species biological control at AAFC’s Summerland Research and Development Centre. Invited oral presentation. Vermilion Forks Field Naturalists, Princeton, BC, 11 March 2025.
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Khanal, N.*, Lupwayi, N., Bhattarai, K., Neupane, R., Shrestha, B., Lemke, R., Rahman, N., Kuzmicz, S., Yoder, C. and Otani, J. (2025) Highlights of past and current studies on forage seed crops and cropping systems at Beaverlodge Research Farm. A presentation in the 2025 Canadian Turf & Forage Seed Conference, held in Grande Prairie on March 4 - 5, 2025
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Bourchier RS, R De Clerck-Floate, C. Moffat, D. Ensing, C. Kora, 2025 Canada’s National Program for Biological Control of Invasive Plants. Poster - 11th International IPM Symposium – Part of AAFC Team: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s National Insect Pest and Weed Biocontrol Program that received the International IPM Award of EXCELLENCE Award. March 3-6 2025, San Diego, CA, USA
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Khanal, N., Shrestha, B., Bhattarai, K., Neupane, R., Lupwayi, N., Lemke, R., Rahman, N., and Kuzmicz, S. (2025) Perennials in rotation and Agroecological ways to terminate them. An oral presentation in the Organic Alberta 2025 Conference held in Nisku, Edmonton on February 28 to March 2, 2025.
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Moffat, C.E., Williams, H.E., Stutz, S. Marini, F., Cock, C., Messer, T., De Clerck-Floate, R.A. Federal update on targets for biological control in British Columbia: Zooming in on invasive trees. Invasives BC Forum 2025, Feb 24-27 2025, New Westminster.
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Ensing, D.J., R.S. Bourchier, R.De Clerck-FLoate, V. Miller, J. Brooke, and C. Moffat. 2025. Rangeland invasive plant management relies on biological control. Oral Presentation. INVASIVES 2025 Annual Forum & AGM. 24-27 February 2025. New Westminster, BC.
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Tidemann BD, Geddes CM, Martin SL, Sharpe SM (2025) False Cleavers (Galium spurium) biology: understand the biology and the populations. Weed Science Society of America and Canadian Weed Science Society Joint Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC. February 24-27, 2025. Winner of 2nd place in the Canadian Weed Science Society Poster contest.
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Ensing, D.J., R. Bourchier, R. De Clerck-Floate, V. Miller, J. Brooke, P. Weyl, and C. Moffat. 2021. Research on invasive plant species biological control at AAFC’s Summerland RDC. Invited virtual presentation to PLSC (Plant Sciences) 427: Ecology and Management of Invasive Plants, University of Saskatchewan, 06 Feb 2025.
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Abram, P.K., Bourchier, R.S., Mason, P.G. (2025). Guidance on redistributing arthropod natural enemies within Canada for biological control of arthropods and weeds. Report submitted to the AAFC Biological Control Working Group.
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Medina, C.A., Zhao, D., Lin, M., Sapkota, M., Sandercock, A. M., Beil, C.T., Sheehan, M.J., Irish, B., Yu, L., Poudel, H., Claessens, A., Moore, V. M., Crawford, J. L., Hansen, J., Viands, D., Smith, K. P., Peel, M. D., Tilhou, N., Riday, H., Brummer, E.C., and Xu, Z. 2025. Microphalotypes uncover private alleles and molecular markers associated with winter survival and biomass yield in alfalfa germplasm pools. Plant and Animal Genome Conference San Diego, CA, USA, 10-15 janvier 2025
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Presenting wheat gene editing work to Cereals Canada and AAFC management.
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