Ryerson University Research Collaboration

Department of Chemistry & Biology and Department of Mechanical Engineering

 

AgricUltra Advancements has entered into a research collaboration with Ryerson University and its newly established Ryerson Cannabis Innovation Complex, as well as the Department of Mechanical Engineering, to conduct Cannabis research.

Ryerson's Capacity: The Faculty of Science at Ryerson provides customized, state-of-the-art facilities for leading-edge researchers and equipment in Cannabis horticultural research. The Ryerson Cannabis Innovation Complex gathers scientists from diverse disciplines (including evolutionary biology, phytochemistry, imaging and computing) under one academic roof to offer a new model of research for Cannabis. A new lab was designed with security and industrial growing conditions in mind, as it had to provide similar industrial conditions while withstanding federal regulations for safety and security of HQP. To accommodate these needs, the facility was built with state-of-the-art equipment and monitoring capabilities, with an on-site sample preparation lab and nearby analytic centre. 

As an emerging leader in Canadian botany, Dr. Campbell has promoted Ryerson as a rising centre of Cannabis research since 2014. The Ryerson Cannabis Innovation Complex is a hub of collaborative research, and is an important new commitment to turning that vision into reality. The lab, featuring Ryerson’s first Cannabis growing facilities, is a 45 m² space with a wet/dry laboratory space, a vault, cloning room (6.8 m²) and flowering room (13 m²), and is capable of supporting research for environmental risk, human health, and Cannabis botany. Ryerson will use this infrastructure to advance research in health, the environment and energy.

 

Research Aims: The proposed research will produce critical knowledge for the rapidly expanding Cannabis industry to provide standard methods to generate high-quality plant material with consistent cannabinoid concentrations. In collaboration with AgricUltra Advancements, Dr. Campbell's research will have two goals:

  1. Develop functional light recipes for the efficient production of clones, vegetative and flowering plants

  2. Better Understand the influence of UV light on cannabinoid and terpene production

In particular, we lack a firm understanding of the optimum spectrum for a diverse array of Cannabis cultivars at each developmental stage, the efficacy range for UV application (including onset of benefits to plant damage), the optimum daily light integral (mol/m² day) for UV supplemental light, and the utility of UV to control powdery mildew in growing Cannabis.

Dr. Bougherara is an established researcher in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Ryerson University, which possesses cutting-edge facilities for manufacturing and characterization of advanced composite materials for various engineering applications including Biomedical, Automotive and Aerospace. Dr. Bougherara’s facility is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art compression molding and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) equipment, including Lock-in Infrared (IR) thermography and Digital Imaging Correlation (DIC) systems. 

Research Aims: The main goal of the proposed research is to develop innovative and cost-effective materials for UV-LED fixtures, which will be used as a catalyst to promote secondary metabolites within various crops and plants in an environmentally controlled platform (the AgricUltra AirBox).  

Specifically, this project will:

  1. Develop cost-effective, impact-resistant coating material to allow UV wavelengths.

  2. Develop UV-resistant material for the inserts placed into the towers.

  3. Develop UV-resistant material for the grow-towers that will have the inserts placed in them, much like an industrial feed magazine.

With this research project, we hope to develop the required coating that would lead to numerous additional commercial applications, such as where there is risk of exposure to water or tacky plant-based films or new container materials that would support food preservation methods, which would lead to significant reductions in spoilage of fresh produce.

 
 
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Medical Cannabis Beta Sites

AgricUltra Advancements collaborates with licensed producers of medical Cannabis to evaluate our products, as well as demonstrate how the light spectrum influences cannabinoid development, metabolic pathways and terpenoid enhancement. This is an integral element in proving our research, as it closes the loop with our academic research partners. AgricUltra Advancements also provides engineering and consulting services to beta site partners to optimize test environments.