Guillaume Paquet / Nomination IHC 2022
It is with great pleasure that we introduce
you to our Research & Development Director,
Mr. Guillaume Paquet, and highlighting his
recent appointment to the IHC 2022.
At the last International Horticultural Congress
(International Horticultural Congress, Guillaume
won the award for the best presentation*.
We spoke with Guillaume about his experience
at the International Horticultural Congress and the
price that he was awarded. We also took the opportunity
to ask him a few questions in order to learn more about
his background and showcase his role within
the Virgo team.
More than 3,000 delegates from 70 nationalities
were gathered in Angers, France, for this major event
dedicated to science and innovation in horticulture.
This meeting is organized under the auspices of the
ISHS (International Society for Horticultural Science)
which is composed mainly of researchers, teachers
and professionals related to the field of horticulture.
What was your motivation to participate in this competition?
To begin with, being present at this congress
is an opportunity to create a network of contacts
and get in touch with other with other research teams.
This event event allows us to present our work
to participants from all over the world.
I wanted to share my knowledge and report the
results of our studies at this international forum.
What was your presentation main subject?
And, why did you choose this topic?
My presentation was about the rotating drum.
As part of my master's degree in agronomy,
I studied this production method, so I chose
to build my presentation around this topic.
I mainly talked about the first experiment we did,
which was the production of lettuce in the controlled
environment that is the drum. Our research was
to compare the cultivation of food in a traditional
greenhouse system and within the wheel.
In my presentation, I explained the trials we conducted
and the results we obtained. For example, we tested
different types of fertilization and evaluated the impacts
on the plant as a result of the mode of production.
What would you like people to
retain from your presentation?
I hope that I have aroused an interest toward
the rotary drum, because it is a system of the future.
This technology has the potential to democratize agriculture
and solve certain problems such as the lack of cultivable
land, the lack of manpower and the growing demand
for food across the planet.
With more research and development this agricultural
process could be brought to a high performance and
the whole world's population could benefit from it.
What does this award mean to you?
The selection of candidates is based
on the review of research abstracts.
I am proud to have been selected and
I am thrilled that my work will be
published internationally. This prize
is a representation years of accomplishment
surrounding beautiful experiments and it motivates
me to pursue my research furthermore.
How did you develop your interest in agronomy?
Initially, my plan was to study to become a mechanical
engineer, but I quickly changed path. Then I chose to enroll
in the agronomy program at Laval University. I liked the fact
that the program focuses on sustainable development.
Plant agronomy is a concrete science. I am able to see
the evolution of a plant according to the actions I undertake
during the cultivation process. This is what motivated me to
become a "plant doctor" as my family would cleverly say!
How do you think Virgo technology can help
to reduce environmental impact?
Virgo technology allows us to limit the space needed
to grow different crops while increasing product output.
The rotating drum system uses less energy and requires
less water consumption compared to the traditional
greenhouse system. These are just a few of the various
elements that make this technology a major game changer
because of its smaller environmental footprint and
limitless possibilities.
How do you see your partnership with Virgo?
What do you hope to accomplish?
I would like to be able to continue my research and
development work to further optimize the machine.
With artificial intelligence, progress is exponential.
Each species grown requires different parameters
and adjustments. I hope to be able to create turnkey
"recipes" so that Virgo can offer the fruit of our efforts
to future customers.
With this ready-to-use solution, it would be possible
to produce different varieties of food all year round,
even in arid regions where the ecosystems aren’t
favorable to agriculture.
Thanks to Guillaume for the time he accorded us,
we are excited to think about all the great projects
that will certainly bloom from this partnership!
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*The agronomic potential of a new vertical growing system
using biofertilizers and a peat-based wood fiber growing
technique: lettuce as a case study was held during the
thematic session "Building resilience to resilience to
climate change".
