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CNC research aims to extend northern growing season

Finding new ways to extend the growing season in the north researchers at the Quesnel campus of the College of New Caledonia did some testing.
CNC growing season extended for north
CNC's Quesnel campus researchers discovered the best way to extend the growing season in the north.

Finding new ways to extend the growing season in the north researchers at the Quesnel campus of the College of New Caledonia did some testing.

The project was to see if minidomes within a greenhouse with additional light could help extend the seasons of romaine lettuce, butter crunch lettuce and scallions.

Two sets of crops were sowed using four sets of growing conditions.

LED lights in a dome, LED lights with no dome, no LED lights with a dome and no lights no dome.

“The addition of LED lights inside the minidome provide the plants with supplemental light and also extra heat,” Araham Gazana, CNC researcher said. “These two are essential to keep the plants alive and growing during harsh winter conditions.”

Harvested in mid-November and mid-December, the study measured total weight, average height and diameter of onion bulbs and lettuce heads per treatment.

“Plants grown with lights grew bigger and faster,” Jennifer Catherall, CNC biology instructor, said. “This method could allow for producers to harvest lettuce and scallions just prior to winter farmer's markets and diversify the produce that’s usually available at this time of year."

For this project, CNC’s Applied Research and Innovation received funding from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership under the Farm Adaptation Innovator Program delivered by the Climate & Agriculture Initiative BC and partnered with the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Cariboo Agricultural Research Alliance and Mackin Creek Farm.