Advanced environmental chamber equipment for enhanced capacity in Nova Scotia's agricultural industry

在过去的二十年里，随着自动化拖拉机、传感器和无人机的集成，户外农业在技术上变得更加先进，所有这些都是为了提高产量和效率。然而，无论户外农业的技术变得多么先进，天气仍然是影响年度农业食品质量和产量的最大因素，因为天气造成的生物和非生物压力可能会对作物质量和产量产生负面影响。天气事件，如霜冻、干旱和高温压力，可能导致数亿美元的收入损失。随着农民不断感受到增加粮食质量和数量并向市场提供可靠的年产量的压力，减少天气事件对作物质量和产量的影响是生产者所希望和需要的。考虑到已经发生的气候变化，确定如何减轻天气事件对生产的影响特别及时和重要，预计将增加异常和生物胁迫的发生，这将增加种植大量优质粮食的能力的波动性。为了满足当前和未来的这一需求，越来越多的行业生产土壤改良剂和生物刺激剂，以帮助保护作物并减少不利天气事件对粮食生产的负面影响。为了在商业上成长和蓬勃发展，这些新行业需要研究和开发提供科学证据来支持其产品的使用。因此，NSCC要求为三个受控环境室提供资金支持，以帮助公司测试和创造减少负面天气影响的产品。需要两个可伸展的受控生长室和一个可伸展的冷室，这将帮助NSCC的研究人员解决测试方面的农业挑战，并确定土壤改良剂和生物刺激剂在各种气候情景(例如，热应激、干旱、霜冻等)下的有用性。总体而言，该设备的收购将为当地农业企业提供宝贵的资源，并将支持未来的大学与行业合作，并有助于NSCC研究人员和学生参与行业驱动的应用研究项目。

Over the past two decades, outdoor agriculture has become more technologically advanced with the integration of automated tractors, sensors, and drones, all in the effort to increase yield and efficiencies. However, regardless of how technologically advanced outdoor agriculture becomes, weather remains the strongest factor that influences yearly agricultural food quality and production, as biotic and abiotic stresses caused by weather can negatively impact crop quality and yields. Weather events, such as frosts, drought, and heat stress can cause hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue. With farmers continually feeling the pressure to increase food quality and quantity and provide reliable yearly yield amounts to markets, reducing the impact weather events can have on crop quality and yields is desired and needed by producers. Determining how to mitigate weather event impacts on production is especially timely and important considering the climate change that is already occurring and is expected to increase the occurrence of abotic and biotic stresses, which will add more volatility to the ability to grow large amounts of quality food. To address this current and future need, there has been an increase in industries creating soil amendments and biostimulants to help protect crops and reduce the negative impacts of detrimental weather events on food production. In order to grow and thrive commercially, these new industries require research and development that provides scientific evidence to support the use of their products. As a result, NSCC is requesting funding support for three controlled environment chambers to help companies test and create products that reduce negative weather impacts. Two reach-in controlled growth chambers and one reach-in cold chamber are requested, which will help NSCC researchers tackle agricultural challenges around testing and determine the usefulness of soil amendments and biostimulants under various climate scenarios (e.g., heat stress, drought, frost, etc). Overall, the acquisition of this equipment will provide a valuable resource for local agricultural businesses and will support future college-industry collaborations and help engage NSCC researchers and students in industry-driven applied research projects.