Research Innovation Office, University of Guelph

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The Research Innovation Office helps turn University of Guelph discoveries into innovative solutions that improve life & address complex challenges.

Infographic titled “Let’s take action against clubroot”. Stop the spread by cleaning equipment, scouting field entrances and low or wet areas, controlling volunteer brassicas, monitoring soil drainage and reducing compaction. Reduce the inoculum by extending crop rotation (more clubroot = longer rotation), planting resistant cultivars, planting bait crops such as daikon radish and perennial ryegrass, and raising soil pH using soil amendments like hydrated lime.
This infographic shows phytoplankton as the cornerstone of marine food webs. Phytoplankton are microscopic plant-like aquatic organisms that perform photosynthesis, just like plants on land! Nearly every ocean creature depends on phytoplankton, either directly as food or indirectly by eating something that eats phytoplankton. A food web diagram depicts phytoplankton being a source food for zooplankton, which in turn are a source food for whales and fish. The fish are the source food for sharks, humans, and marine mammals. Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide, which helps fight climate change, and produce over 50% of the world’s oxygen. Rising ocean temperatures disrupt phytoplankton growth, putting the entire marine food chain at risk!
“Coral Reefs and Climate Change” shows how human activities increase greenhouse gases that warm and acidify oceans, stressing coral reefs. It explains five main impacts: coral bleaching from warming, sedimentation from rising sea levels, polluted runoff from increased rainfall, reef damage from stronger storms, and slower coral growth from ocean acidification. The bottom section lists actions to help, such as reducing plastic use, saving energy, using public transit, supporting renewable energy, and choosing sustainable seafood.
The dos and don'ts for reducing nutrient runoff from fertilizer on farms. Harmful algal blooms occur in high nutrient areas. Harmful algal blooms can produce toxins and create low oxygen zones where they decompose that kills aquatic life. Fertilizer runoff is a major contributor of nutrients in aquatic systems. Don't apply fertilizer on frozen soil so it is not lost as runoff when frozen fields melt. Don't clear cut shoreline. Avoid removing all plants on shorelines to decrease nutrient runoff. Don't overapply fertilizer. Test your soil before applying fertilizer to prevent unneeded application. Do conservation tillage. Leave crop residues on your fields after harvest. Do reduce irrigation. Choose drip irrigation and try irrigating only when necessary. Do keep a natural shoreline. Keep a planted shoreline to help absorb nutrients in runoff.
Event Promotion for Groundwater Science-Policy Workshop. Nov 12-14, 2025 in Guelph Ontario. As a critical resource for ecosystems, agriculture, and drinking water, groundwater is central to global sustainability. Be part of the conversation as we share insights and spark meaningful collaboration. Register: uoguel.ph/4d8d1
How does rotational grazing benefit the environment? Rotational grazing is a management practice that requires cattle to be moved frequently between different paddocks. This helps to prevent overgrazing by allowing plants and the land to rest and recover. Plant health: rest periods allow for vegetation regrowth and more developed root systems, increases plant nutrient uptake, and increases forage availability for cattle. Soil health: improves soil structure and organic matter, reduces soil erosion, and increases carbon sequestration which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Water quality and wildlife: improves water quality by reducing runoff, manure contamination, and sediment in water, helps maintain riparian areas and provide habitat for wildlife, and reduces bank erosion around rivers, streams, and bodies of water.
Our unsung agricultural heroes. Flower flies, also known as hover flies, are amazing bee and wasp mimics - and the best part? They can't sting! Flower flies provide multiple important ecosystem services including pollination as adults and pest control or nutrient cycling in their larval form. Fun fact! Some species of flower flies even migrate up to 3000 km, transporting billions of grains of pollen, nutrients, and energy across continents!
European Corn Borer (ECB) was a major pest throughout the 20th century before new varieties of modified corn were able to highly suppress it for the past two decades. ECB has started developing resistance. Greater than 80% of Canadian corn is now vulnerable to ECB. Scouting for ECB is critical for pest monitoring and control. Learn to recognize ECB and limit its spread. Signs of infestation include broken tassel, reddening of upper leaves, shot-gun feeding on leaves, window-pane feeding on leaves, feeding or tunnelling in mid-rib, egg mass on underside of leaf, bore holes with frass (white to brown colour) at entrance, and look for overwintering larvae in the cut corn stalks. What's the harm? Yield loss, mold, and quality loss. Use pheromone traps to monitor for ECB throughout the season. Two traps per field, E-strain or Z-strain pheromone lures. Replace pheromone lure every 2 weeks. Place on top of weeds adjacent to corn field. Upload your trap counts and see what others are catching.
Treatment and prevention. S. suis is a bacteria mainly found in pigs and has the ability to cause severe health problems. Infection of S. suis not only poses animal welfare concerns but also reduces productivity and increases mortality in affected herds. How does it spread? Pig to pig direct and indirect contact, and pig to human via consumption of raw pork products and direct contact through open wounds. Symptoms in pigs include fever, joint pain and lameness, loss of appetite, death, and neurological disorders. Risk factors include poor environmental conditions that increase the risk of disease transmission, stress and other infections that can weaken the immune system, and piglets not receiving enough antibodies from their mother's milk. Treatment with antimicrobials increase the risk of antimicrobial resistance. Alternative treatments include probiotics that optimize suitable gut microbiome to fight infection and bacteriophages that are highly specific to targeting to S. suis. Preventative measures include controlling co-infections, biosecurity measures, and proper environmental conditions.
We are looking for graduate students to create infographics about: climate smart agriculture; biodiversity & ecosystem management; pathogens & pandemic preparedness; resilient supply chains; agricultural technologies. Select a topic and complete the application survey by Sept 26th. Develop your infographic with support from the organizing team. Submit your first draft by Oct 17th and final draft by Oct 31st. Receive a $150 honorarium and compete for an additional $100 bonus award.
Grain Farmers of Ontario 2026 Grains Innovation Fund is open for applications.
A group of students gathered around a sustainability-themed display at an indoor event. Promotes a hiring opportunity for the Project SOY Plus Student Coordinator position, running from Summer 2025 to Spring 2026. Bold text states “We Are Hiring!” with logos for the University of Guelph, the Research Innovation Office, and Project SOY Plus at the bottom.
Innovation of the Year accepting nominations. Slideshow of past winners, including Guelph asparagus varieties, Whitebox Tools advanced geospatial software, process for decontaminating food and surfaces, yeast strains for craft brewing, airlift pump, In the Know mental health literacy training program, environmental DNA biomonitoring, genomic selection methods for reducing methane emissions in dairy cattle, and Dynasty dark red kidney bean.
The Policy Fellowship Program brings together professionals in government, industry, and other sectors for a series of meetings to engage in deep conversations with research experts and bridge the gap between science and policy. This is the only program of its kind in North America.
Innovation of the Year. Nominations open until July 18th at noon. Gold glittery background.