Seguin, Philippe
Professor
“Our research program is aimed at helping agricultural producers develop more resilient production practices in the context of climate change. We lead an applied research program fuelled by passion aimed at developing tomorrow’s farming practices.”
Philippe Seguin obtained his Ph.D. in agronomy in 2000 from the University of Minnesota (USA), following undergraduate and graduate studies in general agriculture and plant science at McGill University. In 2000 he joined McGill University as Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Science and became Associate Professor in the same Department in 2006. He is a Full Professor since 2018. He served as Chair of the Department of Plant Science between 2009 and 2014 and as Acting Associate Dean (Research) between August 2016 and January 2017.
- Ph.D. (University of Minnesota): Agronomy
- M.Sc. (McGill University): Plant Science
- B.Sc.(Agr) (McGill University): General Agriculture
- 2020: Excellence in Extension Award - Digital Decision Aid section from the American Society of America; co-recipient with collaborators D. Bachand, H. Martel, and G. Tremblay
- 2009: Young Crop Scientist Award from the Crop Science Society of America
- 2005: Young Agronomist Award from the Canadian Society of Agronomy
Prof. Seguin conducts research on the management, physiology, and ecology of forage crops, and on the evaluation of new crop species and new crop uses (e.g., as biofuels, as sources of health-beneficial compounds, or for the gluten-free market).
Increasing the resilience and sustainability of forage crops in a context of climate change
Our research program evaluates innovative forage crops management strategies to improve their yield, nutritive value, and persistence. We evaluate annual companion crops that can be used for the establishment of perennial species and species mixtures that are more resilient in a context of climate change. We are also developing or adapting simple models (e.g., PEAQ: Predictive Equations of Alfalfa Quality) that can be used to predict in the field the pre-harvest nutritional quality of forage mixtures grown in Quebec. Work to date resulted in the development of a web-based decision aid tool for Quebec agricultural producers.
Evaluating new crop species for eastern Canada
We are evaluating the potential of several crop species for emerging markets including the bioenergy, bioproducts, and gluten-free markets. Our research projects in this area at the moment focus on the development of quinoa for the gluten-free market and the use of hemp as source of bioproducts. The goal of our research is to identify cultivars best adapted to eastern Canada and determine management practices that will maximize yield and/or quality.
International agriculture
I am actively involved in field courses abroad including “Sustainable Land Use” offered in Barbados and have contributed to courses in Cuba and China (at the Inner Mongolia Agricultural University in Hohhot and Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan) over the last 10 years.