A federal research project will try to help Ontario fruit, vegetable and flower growers make informed decisions about water and nutrient use.
Data so far suggests a one-size-fits-all approach will not necessarily work in dealing with different environmental challenges.
Project manager Donna Speranzini says all practices involve trade-offs.
She says her project will give growers the information they need to evaluate those trade-offs.
A number of horticulture production systems are being studied - including apples, grapes , tender fruit, greenhouse vegetables and field vegetables.
Each collaborating sector will get a report card outlining how their sector is doing environmentally, where they provide an ecological benefit, and where improvement and next steps can be made.
Researchers have been collecting data for the project since 2012.
It's scheduled to be completed next year, with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada passing the results back to the different sectors in the winter of 2016-17.
