The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is holding the fifth annual Controlled Environment Horticulture Conference on Dec. 7 -8 in Dallas.
The event will be held from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Dec. 7 at the Water Education Building at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas, 17360 Coit Road.
On Dec. 8, Eden Green Technologies in Cleburne will host a tour of their vertical greenhouses. A bus will take participants to Cleburne and back to the center from 8 a.m. to noon. The bus cost is included in the registration fee.
Participants will be able learn about the latest on growing crops in controlled environments, such as in greenhouses, during the Dec. 7-8 Controlled Environment Horticulture Conference in Dallas. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Sam Craft)
Bus seating is limited to 40 and seats are on first-come, first-served basis. In-person registration includes donuts and coffee, lunch and a dinner reception at 6 p.m. on Dec. 7. Registrants can also drive their personal vehicles to attend the tour.
The conference will feature in-person and virtual participation options. Registration cost is $150 for in-person and $100 for the virtual option. To register, visit https://tx.ag/ControlledEnvironmentConference.
Conference geared toward new, experienced growers
The conference is geared toward both new and prospective growers interested in specialty crop production under a controlled environment and for experienced growers who want to learn more about the basics of crop production in a controlled environment.
“We have assembled a great lineup of controlled environment horticulture experts from Texas A&M and around the country,” said Joe Masabni, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension small-acreage horticulture specialist and associate professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Dallas. “We will also present our latest research from the Texas A&M AgriLife centers in Dallas and Uvalde, introduce our newest faculty additions and discuss their new programs in controlled environment horticulture.”
Speakers and topics
Topics will include the following:
- Solving food safety in controlled environment horticulture with super hydrophobic coatings — Masabni.
- Light and temperature control strategies to increase yield and quality for indoor farming — Sangjun Jeong, doctoral student, Dallas.
- Automation and AI in controlled environment — Azlan Zahid, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research assistant professor of controlled environment agriculture engineering and assistant professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Dallas.
- Planning production efficiency — Simone Valle de Souza, Ph.D., assistant professor, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
- Controlled environment agriculture labor requirements — Valle de Souza
- Advancement of plant-sensing technology for sustainable crop production under controlled environment — Murat Kacira, Ph.D., professor, Arizona State University, Tucson, Arizona.
- Light and nutrient management for indoor strawberries — Yujin Park, Ph.D., assistant professor, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
- Supplemental silicon for hydroponic lettuce production: An underutilized nutrient – Seunghyun Choi, Ph.D., AgriLife Research postdoctoral research associate, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Uvalde, Uvalde.
- Lettuce cultivar evaluation for sustainable hydroponic production in greenhouse and indoor farming — Desire Djidonou, Ph.D., assistant professor, urban and sustainable agriculture, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce.
- Controlled environment horticulture: entomology’s new program — Arash Kheirodin, Ph.D., AgriLife Research controlled environments entomologist and assistant professor in the Department of Entomology, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas
- Intelligent algorithms for controlled environment horticulture: A leap towards sustainable agriculture — Oscar Morales, service manager, Hoogendoorn USA.
- Controlled environment horticulture: breeding’s new program — Krishna Bhattarai, Ph.D., AgriLife Research controlled environment plant breeder and assistant professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas.
The conference will also include a panel discussion and a tour of the center’s controlled horticulture environment facilities.
For a complete agenda, visit tx.ag
Source: tamu.edu