Controlled Environment Horticulture Conference set for Dec. 7-8 in Dallas – AgriLife Today

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.

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 https://tx.ag/ControlledEnvironmentHortConference.

For questions or more information, contact Masabni at joe.masabni@ag.tamu.edu.

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