The
Horticultural Experiment Station, as it was then called, was founded in 1906.
Part of the original 36 ha was presented to the Ontario Government by M.F. Rittenhouse,
a former resident of the Niagara district, and the balance was purchased by
the Ontario Government.
The Research Institute is an outgrowth of the 15 Fruit Experiment Stations established in the 1890's. These stations were established primarily for the testing of new and little known varieties of fruits. As the Horticultural Experiment Station at Vineland took over their work they were gradually discontinued.
From 1906 until 1966, the facility was known as the Horticultural Experiment Station. In 1966 it was renamed the Horticultural Research Institute of Ontario (HRIO). For many years the Institute was responsible for the coordination of all horticultural research and service programs supported by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The
Station functions were originally to determine varieties of fruit best adapted
for growing on the tender fruit belt of Ontario and for the production of new
and more valuable varieties. To these were added the investigation of cultural
problems, pollination, soil management, pruning, propagation and weed control.
The original fruit program expanded to include vegetable crops and ornamentals.
In 1947 a Horticultural Products Laboratory was constructed and a 14 ha grape
substation established. Research and demonstration work on the 87 ha Horticultural
Experiment Station, Simcoe was begun in 1960.
The Muck Crop Research Station (MCRS) was established in 1948 on 3.5 ha in the Holland-Bradford Marsh north of Toronto to examine various aspects of vegetable production on organic soils. MCRS was originally a unit of the University of Guelph but was integrated into the consolidated HRIO system in 1966.
The Institute, comprising 179 ha, was administered until the spring of 1997 as a branch of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. As of April 1, 1997 the Institute became part of the University of Guelph and is now a division within the Department of Plant Agriculture. In 1997, the historic connection between the University of Guelph and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) expanded into an enhanced partnership. Many responsibilities of the ministry's education, research and laboratories division (ERLD) have now shifted to the University. The partnership is a "natural" combination of Ontario's agricultural education and research resources.