ASHS 2025 Conference

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L. Genovese) is a highly valued and economically important herb with high culinary and medicinal qualities. Light intensity and photoperiod are the most influential environmental parameters affecting its growth, morphology, and biomass production under controlled environments. This study aims to evaluate the impact of gradually increasing light intensity and photoperiod on the growth and yield of basil while the total daily integral was the same at the end of cultivation. Four different treatments were used: (T1) constant light intensity (300 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹) and constant 16 h photoperiod (Control), (T2) constant light intensity with an increasing photoperiod (14 -16 -18 h), (T3) constant photoperiod (16 h) with an increasing light intensity (200 - 300 - 400 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹), and (T4) both dynamic light intensity and photoperiod increasing over time. The treatments were applied for 24 days in a growth chamber equipped with a drip hydroponic system, and the treatment dynamic changes were implemented every 8 days. Plants grown under increasing photoperiod and light intensity (T4) exhibited better morphological characteristics, more significant biomass accumulation (fresh and dry weight), and light use efficiency, measured as the proportion of light absorbed by PS II used in biochemistry than the other treatments. The results emphasize the relevance of adaptive lighting to optimize basil growth in indoor farming. Dynamic optimization of lighting can increase the utilization efficiency of light with positive implications for vertical farming and hydroponics cultivation. Future studies should explore the nutritional and olfactory profile to refine adaptive lighting approaches for vertical farming and hydroponic systems. Keywords: Basil, dynamic lighting, photoperiod, indoor farming, biomass accumulation, hydroponics.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a widely cultivated culinary and medicinal herb valued for its aroma, flavor, and nutraceutical properties. During hydroponic greenhouse production, precise regulation of air and nutrient solution temperatures plays a crucial role in enhancing yield and nutritional quality. Basil's inherent sensitivity to temperature makes it crucial to optimize these factors, as they have a significant impact on its bioactive metabolite profile. This study aimed to determine the impact of air and nutrient solution temperature on bioactive metabolites in hydroponically grown sweet basil to maximize accumulation. In a greenhouse sweet basil ‘Nufar’ were propagated in ebb-and-flow hydroponic systems for two weeks then transplanted into deep-water culture hydroponic systems and grown for three weeks. Air temperatures ranged from 20 to 30°C with a 5°C difference in day and night temperature and deep-water culture nutrient solution temperatures ranged from 15 to 35°C. At harvest, total phenolics (TPs), total flavonoids (TFs), and antioxidant activity including ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power), and DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) were measured. Air and nutrient solution temperature interacted to influence all parameters measured, with nutrient solution temperature exerting a greater influence on metabolite accumulation and antioxidant activity than air temperature. As air temperature increased from 20.3 to 28.5°C, TPs and TFs decreased by 40% and 58%, respectively, while ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP antioxidant activity decreased by 18%, 67%, and 53%, respectively. Similarly, increasing the nutrient solution temperature from 14.6 to 24.9°C resulted in a 76%, 87%, and 84% decline in TPs, TFs, and FRAP antioxidant activity, respectively. A greater increase in nutrient solution temperature from 14.6 to 30.0 and 32.3°C led to a 95% reduction in DPPH and 57% reduction in ABTS antioxidant activity, respectively. Thus, if enhancing phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity of sweet basil ‘Nufar’ is a primary production goal, maintaining an air temperature of ~23°C and a low nutrient solution temperature of ~14°C is an effective strategy.

Basil (Ocimum spp.) is a widely cultivated aromatic herb known for its culinary, medicinal, and industrial applications. The composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that give basil their characteristic aroma and flavor is greatly influenced by environmental conditions, particularly temperature. Hydroponic cultivation in greenhouses allows precise control over air and nutrient solution temperatures, providing an optimized system for studying the effects of temperature on VOC profiles. This study investigated the effect of air and nutrient solution temperature on sweet basil volatilomes. An untargeted volatilomics approach was used to characterize key volatile compounds in sweet basil influenced by the temperature during hydroponic production. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Nufar’) were propagated in ebb-and-flow hydroponic systems for two weeks then transplanted into deep-water culture hydroponic systems and grown for three weeks. Air temperatures ranged from 20 to 30°C with a 5°C difference in day and night temperature, and deep-water culture nutrient solution temperatures ranged from 15 to 35°C. At harvest, VOCs from leaf extracts were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 86 volatile compounds were identified across all treatments, encompassing aliphatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic alcohols, aliphatic acids, aromatic acids, aliphatic ketones, aromatic ketones, aliphatic aldehydes, aliphatic amines, esters, volatile phenylpropanoids, acid anhydrides, silicones, and furans. Among these, aliphatic hydrocarbons were the most abundant (48%), followed by aliphatic alcohols (22%). Multivariate statistical analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares–discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and Pearson correlation-based heatmaps, were used to determine the key VOCs influenced by air and nutrient solution temperature interactions. PLS-DA analysis determined 18 candidate volatile metabolites with variable important projection (VIP) scores higher than > 1.5 as the significant discriminant for air and nutrient solution treatments. These findings will contribute to optimizing hydroponic production strategies for enhancing basil’s aromatic profile in controlled environment production.

Current practices aim to produce quality containerized culinary herbs at the end of greenhouse production, but the effects of fertilization choices during production on the post-production performance of these crops in the retail and consumer environment are unclear. This study aimed to quantify the effects of fertilizer type, source, and concentration applied during the greenhouse production phase on the post-harvest performance of containerized culinary herbs during the retail and consumer phases. Seedlings of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Nufar’) were transplanted into 11.4 cm-diameter containers filled with certified organic soilless substrate compromised of peat moss and coarse perlite and irrigated with solutions containing 100, 200, or 300 mg∙L –1 N from a conventional or organic water-soluble fertilizer (WSF) starting at transplant and throughout the end of the greenhouse phase, seedlings were; or were transplanted into the same organic substrate with amended with 0.25, 0.5 or 0.75 kg N∙m-3 from conventional controlled-release (CRF) or organic slow-release fertilizer (SRF) and irrigated with clear tap water Plants were grown in three different phases: 1) in a greenhouse for 21 d with 22°/18° day/night air temperatures and 12 mol∙m–2∙d –1 daily light integral (DLI) to simulate the greenhouse production phase; in a growth chamber for 7 d at 20° constantly with a DLI of 1 mol∙m–2∙d –1 to stimulate the retail phase; and, after harvesting shoots above the second node, an additional 21 d in a growth chamber with the same conditions to simulate the consumer phase. One-third of the plants were harvested at the end of each phase and data was collected. During production, conventional WSF produced plants 1.3-5.7 cm taller than all other treatments, but by the consumer phase there were no differences across all fertilizer treatments. The optimum fertilizer type and concentration for basil varied between conventional and organic sources. Fresh mass of basil was greatest for plants receiving conventional WSF, which were 4-9.5 g greater than plants which received conventional CRF. However, plants receiving organic SRF had a fresh mass which was 2.1-3.9 g greater than plants receiving organic WSF treatments. Fertilizer treatments did not affect the rate of biomass accumulation, but the phase did. The relative growth rate was lowest in the consumer phase compared to the greenhouse production and retail phases. The results of this study indicate fertilizer type, source, and concentration do not impact containerized basil growth and development in the post-harvest consumer environment.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) and sage (Salvia officinalis) are some of the most popular fresh cut culinary herbs, but little information is available on how to cost-effectively maximize their growth and development in controlled environments. Given that cut herbs are sold by fresh mass, the goal is to maximize harvestable fresh mass, while not increasing production time, space, or energy inputs. Therefore, our objective was to determine the most effective root-zone temperature (RZT) in combination with carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and reduced air temperature (AT) to maximize culinary herb yield. Seeds of basil ‘Genovese’ and sage were sown into 200-cell (2.5 cm × 2.5 cm) rockwool plugs and germinated for two and four weeks, respectively. Twelve seedlings of each species were transplanted into each of six 250 L, 0.9-m-wide by 1.8-m-long deep-flow hydroponic tanks among three walk-in growth chambers. Plants were grown under a total photon flux density of 260 µmol∙m–2∙s–1 for 16 h. The nutrient solution within the tanks was heated to 24, 28, or 32 °C. Additionally, AT and CO2 concentration setpoints of 20 and 23 °C and of 450 and 900 μmol∙mol‒1, respectively, were maintained for a total of 12 treatments. Basil and sage were harvested three and four weeks after transplant, respectively. Of AT, RZT, and CO2, AT was the largest contributing factor to shoot fresh mass (SFM) accumulation for both species. Increasing the air temperature from 20 to 23 °C resulted in a SFM increase of 100 and 180% in sage and basil, respectively. SFM of sage was not influenced by increasing CO2 from 450 to 900 μmol∙mol‒1 and resulted in a 12% decrease in basil SFM. However, at the high CO2 concentration, specific leaf area was 4 and 12% lower for sage and basil, respectively, resulting in greater biomass accumulation per cm2 of leaf area. RZT had no effect on basil SFM, but SFM of sage was greatest when the nutrient solution was heated to 24 and 28 °C. By maintaining an AT of 23 °C, RZT of 28 °C, and CO2 concentration of 450 μmol∙mol‒1, the SFM of both basil and sage can be maximized without further increasing RZT or CO2 concentration.

The hydroponic industry is valued at close to 1 billion dollars in North America and is expected to grow over the next 5 years. Hydroponic crop production in controlled environments has the advantage of year-round production opportunities and has been well-established for some vegetable crops, such as cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and tomato (Solanumlycopersicum). One area for growth includes edible flowers which have potentially increased use in the medical field for human health benefits and culinary arts as ingredients and garnishes. Considering the limited information about edible flower hydroponic production, we initiated research to evaluate two popular hydroponic production methods for three different edible flower species; dahlia (Dahlia xhybrida ‘Figaro Red Shade’), zinnia (Zinnia elegans ‘Zesty Scarlet’), and dianthus (Dianthus chinensis ‘Venti Parfait’). These species were grown in three treatments: two hydroponic systems, deep water culture (DWC) and nutrient film technique (NFT), and a traditional peat-based substrate. Plants were fertilized with General Hydroponics FloraSeries using the medium feed nutrient schedule. Data collected included plant biomass, flower biomass, and antioxidant and polyphenol concentrations. After 14 weeks, dahlia and zinnia grown in the DWC system produced significantly more plant biomass, flower numbers, and flower biomass compared to the NFT and substrate treatments. Dahlia plants in DWC also flowered ~ 10 days earlier than the other treatments. No significant differences were observed with dianthus plants between the treatments, except for lower flower numbers and flower fresh weight for NFT compared to the DWC and substrate treatments. Phytochemical analysis for antioxidant composition using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays and polyphenolic content through Folin-Ciocalteu assays will be conducted. The results of our initial study suggest that growing dahlia and zinnia on DWC hydroponic systems in our applied conditions has potential as an edible flower production system. However, dianthus may not be suitable for hydroponic system production, or additional modifications to hydroponic systems need to be evaluated to determine feasibility.

Domestic production of ginger is increasing, as it is used in a variety of culinary and medicinal applications due to its unique flavor and potential health benefits. However, some growing parameters, such as growing media and fertigation levels, have not yet been optimized for containerized production. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the growth and rhizome yield of ginger (Zingiber officinale) using different soilless substrates and nutrient levels under greenhouse conditions. Two separate experiments were conducted, each lasting six months. In Experiment 1, six substrates were evaluated: 100% coir (control), 100% peat, peat-bark mixtures at 75%-25%, 50%-50%, and 25%-75%, and 100% bark. In this setup, 1-2 sprouted ginger rhizomes were transplanted into each 12 L nursery container and harvested after 3 and 6 months of transplanting. In Experiment 2, five nitrogen-based nutrient levels (50, 100, 200, 300, and 500 ppm N) were evaluated. In this setup, 1-2 sprouted ginger rhizomes were transplanted into grow bags filled with coconut coir pith and husk chips. In both experiments, treatments were arranged as completely randomized design with six replicates. Physical growth parameters, such as the number of stems, relative chlorophyll content, number of roots, unemerged buds, and fresh and dry weight of stems, roots, and new rhizomes, were measured. According to the data from Experiment 1, no significant differences were observed among the substrates, except for the fresh and dry weight of stems and the dry weight of roots at mid-harvest in the peat-bark 25%-75% combination. In contrast, nutrient level significantly influenced all ginger growth parameters except chlorophyll content. Ginger grew well under low nutrient levels (50 to 100 ppm N). The overall growth differences between 50 and 500 ppm N ranged from 6% to 68%. For example, the fresh and dry weight of new rhizomes were 65.7% and 49.1% greater at the 50 ppm N nutrient level, respectively. The results demonstrated that ginger plants prefer well-draining substrates with low nutrient levels under controlled-environment production.

Hydroponic production systems with recirculating nutrient solutions are routinely monitored and adjusted to maintain a target pH value. Supra-optimal or sub-optimal pH values can lead to nutrient deficiencies or toxicities, respectively, reducing crop quality and yields. The objective of our research was to determine appropriate nutrient solution pH ranges for herbs grown in recirculating nutrient solutions. Two week old seedlings of basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Nufar’), and three week old seedlings of dill (Anethum graveolens ‘Hera’), parsley (Petroselinum crispum ‘Giant of Italy’), and sage (Salvia officinalis), grown in phenolic foam cubes were transplanted into one of six deep-flow technique (DFT) systems in a greenhouse with different pH treatments. Treatments consisted of pH setpoints of 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, and 7.0. DFT systems contained nutrient solutions made with tempered municipal water supplemented with a complete water-soluble fertilizer (16N-2.2P-14.3K) to maintain a target electrical conductivity of 2.0 dS·m–1. The nutrient solution pH was maintained through a dosing system using 2% sulfuric acid and 2% potassium hydroxide as the acid and alkali, respectively. One-third (by vol.) of the nutrient solution was renewed with freshly mixed 16N-2.2P-14.3K fertilizer each week of production to ensure adequate nutrients in the nutrient solution. Greenhouse target environmental conditions consisted of day and night temperatures of 22 °C and 18 °C respectively, and a daily light integral of 12 mol∙m–2∙d–1. The optimal pH for culinary herb growth varied by species. Basil fresh mass was optimized at pH of 5.5 and decreased by 41.7% when grown at pH 7.0 compared to basil grown at pH of 5.0. Basil grown at pH of 7.0 was 3.38 cm shorter than plants grown at pH of 6.0. Similarly, dill and parsley had the greatest fresh mass when grown at pH of 5.0 and 5.5, respectively, and fresh mass was reduced by 40% and 33 %, respectively, when grown at pH of 7.0 compared to their optimum pH. In contrast, sage growth increased with pH, with a 17% increase in fresh mass between pH of 4.5 and 7.0. The results of this study indicate herbs may be able to grow throughout a broader range of pH values than originally thought, if nutrients do not become limited. Furthermore, when possible, hydroponic culinary herb producers can group species with similar pH requirements to maximize yields.

Muscadine grapes are native to the southeastern U.S. and are known for their unique flavor and aroma. Rapid postharvest deterioration of muscadine berries is a major barrier in market expansion. This study investigated the change in muscadine berries’ general composition over a four-week storage period. The vines were planted at the Chilton Research and Extension Center, Clanton, AL in a randomized complete block design with four single plant replications. Berries from the perfect-flowered cultivars ‘Hall’, ‘Paulk’, and ‘Southern Home’, and from the pistillate cultivars ‘Eudora’ and ‘Supreme’ (standard) were studied. Experimental vines were harvested on Aug. 2 and Sept. 4, 2024. One-pound clamshells were filled with berries collected from each experimental vine. Fresh samples (Week 0) were compared for berry quality changes occurring after 1, 3, and 4 weeks of cold storage at 4°C and 85% RH. After completing each storage period exposure, the berry samples were allowed to rest for 1 hour at room temperature. The change in berry weight and firmness was recorded after each storage treatment and 5 berry subsample was frozen at -80°C for later analysis of total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), TSS:TA ratio and pH. Our results indicate that the 4 Weeks storage period led to a significant weight loss of 11.3% in ‘Paulk’ and 7.6% in ‘Supreme’ berries in comparison to Week 0. It was found out that both cultivar and storage duration were accountable for the significant firmness reduction with ‘Paulk’ and ‘Supreme’ experiencing 51.4% and 46.2% reduction by Week 4 in storage. Titratable acidity increased significantly over time in all cultivars. The highest TA at Week 4 (0.67) was recorded for ‘Southern Home’, while ‘Paulk’ berries had the lowest TA (0.44), indicating strong cultivar effect (p < 0.0001). After the first week of storage, berries of ‘Hall’ were significantly sweeter than ‘Paulk’, while at Week 4, all cultivars had similar sweetness. Due to an increasing acidity trend, fruit pH decreased with increase in storage time exposure. Both cultivar and storage duration affected the berry pH. TSS:TA ratios varied significantly by cultivar and storage period duration with ‘Supreme’ maintaining its sweetness level throughout the four weeks of storage. Overall, the prolonged storage period resulted in significant firmness reduction and increased acidity with ‘Paulk’ exhibiting the highest reduction of berry firmness while ‘Supreme’ consistently maintained sweetness level over the 4-week period.

Brassica leafy greens are important vegetable crops in the Southern United States, where they are commercialized in whole and fresh-cut formats. Their consumption is associated with health benefits as these crops are rich in bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity. Several factors contribute to the postharvest quality of Brassica leafy greens. Preharvest seasonal variations associated with environmental variables can have a significant influence on shelf-life and quality maintenance and have been reported in various Brassica species. The effect of postharvest temperature management and mechanical stress induced by fresh-cut processing has also proven to be critical in organoleptic and nutritional quality; however, none of these factors have been systematically studied in collards, kale and turnip greens. This project aimed to address this knowledge gap by investigating the postharvest performance of whole and fresh-cut kale, turnip greens and collards during storage at different temperatures (2, 5 and 7°C) for up to 28 days in two growing seasons (fall and winter-spring). Cooling delays after harvest were imposed on some experiments. We also characterized the shelf-life of commercial and traditional collards ('landraces') commonly grown in the Southeast. Organoleptic (color, marketability scores, total soluble solids) and compositional (total chlorophyll, carotenoids, total polyphenols, lycopene, vitamin C and ammonia contents) were monitored during postharvest storage. Results revealed there was significant quality variation in fresh-cut kale, collards and turnip greens, which could attributed to genotypic differences and preharvest factors in each growing season. High shelf-life variability among commercial collards and landraces was observed. Moreover, postharvest storage at abusive temperatures accelerated quality deterioration in fresh-cut collards to a greater extent than in whole leaves. Collectively, these findings highlight that adjusting postharvest practices to seasonal shelf-life variations can contribute to minimizing food losses and optimizing produce supply chain performance. Furthermore, postharvest temperature regimes are critical in influencing the visual quality and nutrient retention of whole and fresh-cut collards during storage.

Florida ranks third in the United States for lettuce production with approximately 90% of commercial lettuce cultivated on organic soils in southern Florida. These organic soils require phosphorus (P) inputs to sustain economic production and ensure lettuce shelf-life. Lettuce shelf-life depends on quality factors such as firmness, appearance, color, texture, decay, discoloration, and wilting. Optimal P fertilizer management is necessary to improve yield, market quality, and ensure postharvest quality (shelf-life). Over-fertilization can reduce quality, while deficiencies can limit yield and shelf life. Therefore, the objective of this research was to understand how different rates of P affect the lettuce shelf-life across four cultivated morphological types. Two field trials were conducted at the Everglades Research and Education Center in Belle Glade, FL, during the lettuce growing seasons (spring, fall, and winter). Experiments were set as a split-plot designed in which P fertilizer rates (0, 48, 97, 150, 195, and 210 lbs P2O5 acre-1) were considered as the main plot and four lettuce types (romaine, iceberg, butterhead, and leaf) as the subplot. Ammonium polyphosphate (11-37-0) was used as the source of P fertilizer. Shelf-life was evaluated over 10 days at 15 °C and 90% RH using visual ratings of 9 (excellent) to 1 (poor) following the protocol for an accelerated shelf-life testing. The estimated shelf-life was considered as the number of days when lettuce reached an acceptable appearance on the rating scale of ≥5 and multiplied by a factor of 2 (2-fold factor proportional to the deterioration rate). The results indicate varying responses to P fertilizer application in shelf-life that were significantly morphological-type dependent. Overall, leaf lettuce had the shortest shelf-life and iceberg lettuce had the longest shelf-life. Butterhead had an acceptable estimated shelf-life rating of 5 at 24 days at 210 lbs. P2O5 acre-1 while romaine and leaf had a shelf-life rating of 5 at 22 and 21 days at 210 lbs. P2O5 acre-1, respectively. In addition, crisphead had an acceptable estimated shelf-life rating of 5 above 35 days at 150 lbs. P2O5 acre-1. However, an acceptable shelf-life was maintained at 48, 150, or 195 lbs. P2O5 acre-1 in iceberg lettuce over 30 days. Together these results demonstrate that there is no effect of increasing the rate of P2O5 acre-1 to maintain economic yields on the lettuce shelf-life. Rather, shelf-life quality increases with P inputs.

The incidence of necrotic peel disorders during cold storage is a severe CI symptom observed in hardy kiwifruit, impacting fruit visual quality. This study focuses on understanding the mechanisms of necrotic peel disorder in ‘Daebo’ hardy kiwifruit cultivar during cold storage. This research aimed to investigate the effects of different soluble solids content (SSC)-based fruit maturity at harvest on the severity of peel disorder after storage and to present the associated biochemical alteration using integrated transcriptomic, antioxidant, and lipidomic analyses. The fruit of ‘Daebo’ hardy kiwifruit cultivar harvested at various SSC levels, including 5.5%, 6.1%, and 7.2%, were cold-stored for upto four weeks. Fruit harvested at 5.5% SSC exhibited the highest severity of necrotic peel disorder, accompanied by significant weight loss and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. The enhanced activities of antioxidant scavenging enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase, were observed, indicating the response of fruit to oxidative stress. However, lower enzymatic activities of dehydroascorbate reductase and glutathione reductase were insufficient to restore the ascorbic acid-glutathione cycle. In contrast, the 7.2% SSC fruit contained higher concentrations of phenolic compounds, suggesting their role as natural antioxidants in mitigating oxidative damage. Additionally, lipid analysis revealed increased levels of phosphatidylcholine and fatty acids during fruit maturation, which are crucial for membrane stability. Notably, the differences in phosphatidic acid concentrations between SSC levels indicated its potential role in ROS scavenging. Overall, this study elucidates the biochemical mechanisms contributing to necrotic peel disorder in hardy kiwifruit during cold storage, highlighting the importance of SSC at harvest in managing fruit quality. These findings can comprehensively understand necrotic peel disorder and fruit maturity in hardy kiwifruit.

Postharvest longevity of perishable produce remains a challenge in the global fresh market supply chain. Postharvest longevity is determined by the rates of ripening and senescence, which are influenced by harvest time and storage conditions. Ripening and senescence are predominantly regulated by ethylene, which produces a plethora of metabolic effects within the harvested produce, leading to physiological and developmental changes during postharvest. Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) are prone to yellowing and wilting due to the relatively high respiration rate and tissue senescence during postharvest handling, transportation, and storage, which greatly affects the quality and reduces market value that led to the problem of food waste and loss. Broccoli florets treated with hydrocooling, 1-MCP (ethylene inhibitor) and controlled atmosphere (CA) can delay the senescence. However, little is known about the mechanisms on how those treatments worked at the molecular level. Here, we combined a physiological, biochemical, and genomics analyses on the postharvest broccoli and identified a core gene regulatory network governing senescence-associated developmental events, ethylene-regulated signaling pathways, and activation of stress responses. Additionally, we developed genome-editing toolkits by CRISPR/Cas9 system to understand deterioration of broccoli as well as through machine learning approaches to aid development of an innovative and easy-to-use accessibility tool to accurately estimate the freshness of produce. The findings give insights into ethylene biosynthesis and signal transduction at the tissue-specific level in broccoli and provide guidance on how to extend broccoli shelf life and reduce its economic losses, which also generate genetics and molecular recourses for marker-assistant breeding and expand the general scientific knowledge of regulating senescence of Brassicaceae family.

Most of the world's pistachios are grown in saline-sodic soils with soil boron (B) levels over the 2 ppm suggested for most trees. As a resulting symmetrical leaf edge necrosis produced by B accumulation, “B toxicity”, is common and regarded as damaging to leaf photosynthetic capacity. This study was carried out in a 8-year-old pistachio orchard with field-budded Pistacia vera cv. ‘Golden Hills’ on cloned P. atlantica x P. integerrima, UCBI rootstocks, spaced at 18 x 20 feet, 121 trees per acre. The soil was a silty clay loam saline-sodic Cerrini complex with salinity ranging from 3 to 15dS/m, pH 7.5 to 8.2, boron levels of 3 to 12 ppm and soil sodium levels ranging from 16 to 130 meq/l (370 to 3000 ppm). High soil and water B levels will produce increasingly higher scion leaflet B leaf symptoms ranging from a slender marginal necrosis to almost complete necrosis. We analyzed the relationships among soil B, leaf B, percentage of damaged leaf surface and marketable yield. Our results a demonstrated a strong negative correlation of yield as a function of soil B. As soil B levels increased yield decreased; r = - 0.705, p < 0.001. However, both leaf B levels and % leaf damage had had weak, insignificant relationships with soil B levels. As soil B increased leaf B levels and the percentage of damaged leaf areas did not increase. However, there was a moderately positive relationship between leaf boron levels and leaf damage; r = 0.50, P

Short-day onions such as Vidalia are vital in warmer climates, but their delicate skins make them prone to an average of 8% bruise damage during mechanical harvesting. As a result, manual hand harvesting remains the preferred method despite its high cost of $3,951/hectare for labor, according to the 2019 Onion Irrigated Budget (University of Georgia). Addressing issues of mechanical harvesting could offer a more cost-effective alternative while solving the labor shortage problem. This study aimed to evaluate the bruise tolerance of five Vidalia varieties (Vidora, Sweet Magnolia, Sapelo, Red Maiden, and Monjablanca) under different impact conditions and identify the specific sections of mechanical harvesters that contribute to bruising. Identifying the most bruise-tolerant varieties can guide growers in selecting onions better suited for mechanical harvesting, reducing labor costs and postharvest losses and by understanding which sections of the harvester cause the most damage, modifications can be made to reduce bruising. Controlled pendulum tests were conducted to simulate onion-to-surface impacts, using onions embedded with Impact Recording Devices (IRDs) to measure impact forces at two maturity stages (80% tops down and one week after 80% tops down) and two drying durations (0 and 7 days). Drop heights were selected based on bruise damage results for Vidora, with two levels for each surface type: 10 cm and 30 cm for flat surfaces, and 30 cm and 55 cm for padded surfaces. A total of 320 impacts were recorded. To identify the most bruise-prone sections of the harvester, 23 field trials were conducted using a Top Air Harvester, with IRDs embedded within onions and placed on field, to capture real-time impact data. The Top Air Harvester, consisting of a collecting belt, elevator, sorting belt, and conveyor, transferred onions to the bulb collection truck within 36 seconds. Early results for Vidora variety indicate that bruising severity increases with higher drop heights, on flat surfaces, while padded surfaces significantly reduce damage. Testing all five varieties will provide a comprehensive profile of bruise tolerance, helping growers select varieties better suited for mechanical harvesting, potentially reducing labor costs. Initial analysis of field trials revealed that the conveyor-to-bin transition generated the highest impact forces, significantly contributing to bruising. These preliminary results indicate the need for design improvements in this section to reduce impact damage and enhance mechanical harvesting efficiency. Further testing will validate these findings and guide the development of improved mechanical harvesting practices.

Increasing the efficiency of irrigation practices is necessary to conserve water resources. However, extreme reductions in irrigation may lead to stunted growth. In this project, we aimed to evaluate if chitosan applied as a substrate amendment influenced plant growth, physiology, and marketable parameters of container-grown ornamental crops cultivated at different container capacities. The experiment was a full-factorial design with two factors: container capacity (100%, 70%, and 40%) and chitosan application timing (No application, Week 1, Week 3). The plants were kept in the greenhouse for six weeks and then in growth chambers set at 30°C or 40°C for two weeks to simulate post-production conditions. Plant growth and stomatal conductance were measured weekly and flower area after the sixth week. Significant differences were observed between the treatments. Plant growth was lowest at 70% and 40% CC when chitosan was applied at week 3. The stomatal conductance of plants under 70% and 40% CC was higher than 100% CC with no chitosan, but plants with chitosan at 40% CC had higher stomatal conductance. Flower coverage did not differ at the end of the crop cycle and in the first week at the two post-production temperatures (30°C and 40°C), but in the second week, the flower coverage decreased drastically in all the treatments, with the lowest values observed at 100% CC in both environmental temperatures. Deficit irrigation in petunia plants could be a strategy to produce marketable plants while reducing the volume of water. Chitosan applied in the first week of production seems to be the best application timing under deficit irrigation to see an amelioration effect from lowering container capacity.

Overwatered spring crops are subject to a range of biotic and abiotic disorders including hypoxia, nutrient deficiencies, and increased susceptibility to root rot diseases. Defining parameters associated with under- and overwatering would demonstrate how watering practices influence growth and abiotic disorders that develop during greenhouse production. Growth and nutrient content of petunia ‘Cascadias Indian Summer’ (IS) and ‘Headliner Strawberry Sky’ (SS; Expt. 1) and calibrachoa ‘Aloha Kona Midnight Blue’ (MB; Expt. 2) plants were grown under three different watering regimes of overwatered (rewatered when weight of sentinel pots dropped to 90 to 95 5% of container capacity, CC), optimally watered (60 5% of CC), and underwatered (35 to 45 5% of CC) and two different fertilizer sources of Jack’s Professional General Purpose and Jack’s Classic Petunia Feed. Across both plant species, the optimal watering regime generally yielded the largest plants based on width, fresh and dry weights. SPAD readings of youngest foliage were different based on fertilizer source. While IS petunia did not develop yellowing of youngest foliage in any treatment, SS petunia developed distinctive symptoms of interveinal chlorosis in youngest foliage of overwatered plants fertilized with general purpose fertilizer. However, tissue analysis of SS petunia revealed no difference in Fe between watering regimes or fertilizer formulations. Differences did occur across watering regimes in tissue P, K, Ca, Mg, S, and Mn and between fertilizer formulations in P, Mg, and S. Overwatering induced visual symptomology of chlorotic young foliage in SS petunia and MB calibrachoa, but not IS petunia, which suggests a genetic component to the disorder. Symptomology is effectively mitigated by using petunia feed. Tissue nutrient content is affected by overwatering, but Fe is not significantly different. Future work will explore a mechanism associated with substrate microbial activity that explains these results.

Sugarcane bagasse (SCB), a byproduct from the refinement of sugar, is an abundantly available material in tropical and semi-tropical regions. The use of SCB as a component in soilless substrates and other horticulture applications has gained attention due to its regional availability, use as a peat alternative in floriculture production, and as a phosphorus-rich material. Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for the growth of plants; however, P leaching losses from excessive fertilizer applications can pose environmental concerns. This study evaluated using SCB as a soilless substrate amendment in the production of Petunia ‘E3 Easy Wave Coral’, where two particle sizes of SCB (hammermilled at 4 mm and 6 mm) were blended with a peat moss/perlite (7:3 by vol.) floriculture media at rates of 15% and 30% by volume. Two fertilizer rates were investigated, one applying P at 100 mg L-1 and one applying P at a reduced rate of 30 mg L-1. Plant growth and vigor was assessed through measuring growth index (average of plant height and two widths) and chlorophyll content (SPAD). Leachate collected from containers following the “Pour-Through” method was assessed for pH and electrical conductivity (EC), with subsamples collected and analyzed for nutrient content. Plants appeared to grow larger in the control (peat moss/perlite media only) and 15% SCB amended soilless substrates compared to the 30% SCB substrates, regardless of SCB size or fertilizer rate. Substrates amended with SCB at 30% resulted in less vigorous growth than either the control or the 15% SCB amended substrates; however, the differences were less visible in the 30% SCB media when provided the higher P fertilizer rate. Given the important role of P in plant growth and the environmental concerns associated with fertilizer applications, evaluating P availability in sugarcane bagasse and its potential contribution to plant nutrition could provide a more sustainable alternative for soilless substrate systems in floriculture production.

In high latitudes (≥40°), commercial greenhouse growers utilize supplemental lighting (SL) and heating to offset low solar radiation, air average daily temperature (ADT), and root-zone temperature (RZT) during peak young-plant production. Growers have historically used high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps to deliver SL but are transitioning to light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures, mostly because of their improved energy efficacy. However, many growers report changes in crop morphology and undesirable purple leaf pigmentation when cuttings of some species, especially petunia (Petunia ×hybrida), were grown under LEDs. The objectives of this study were to 1) quantify how light intensity during callusing, ADT, RZT, and SL sources influence the morphology, rooting, leaf pigmentation, and quality of petunia and to 2) develop strategies to mitigate the purpling of leaves. Shoot-tip cuttings of petunia SureShot ‘Dark Blue’ and ‘White’ were inserted into 72-cell trays and propagated inside a greenhouse at an air ADT of 21 or 23 °C and with an RZT of 21 or 25 °C. Cuttings were grown under SL delivered by HPS lamps or LED fixtures proving different light qualities (low blue or moderate blue) at a photosynthetic photon flux density of 60 or 120 µmol·m–2·s–1 for the first 6 d, then 120 µmol·m–2·s–1 for the remaining 16 d. Cuttings of both cultivars grown at an air ADT of 23 °C often had greater stem lengths and shoot dry masses than cuttings grown at 21 °C, as well as lower concentrations of anthocyanins. Cuttings of both cultivars grown with an RZT of 25 °C typically had longer stems than those grown with an RZT of 21 °C. Overall, cuttings of both cultivars propagated under LEDs were of greater quality (shorter stems, greater root dry mass) than those grown under HPS lamps. The color of cuttings grown under LEDs were more red and blue than those grown under HPS lamps, especially at low ADT and RZT. Additionally, the anthocyanin content of ‘Dark Blue’ cuttings grown under LEDs was greater than those grown under HPS lamps. Little differences were observed between cuttings grown under either LED fixture. These results indicate that growers using LEDs may have to adjust other environmental parameters, such as light intensity, ADT, and RZT, to produce cuttings of similar morphology and quality to those grown under HPS lamps.

Photo-selective shade nets substantially benefit ornamental plant production by mitigating excessive radiation, enhancing light diffusion, and promoting adequate ventilation. These nets establish favorable microclimates that optimize water utilization, thereby reducing plant water demand through physiological and environmental adjustments. Shade nets of different colors vary notably in their spectral distribution and light transmission characteristics, directly impacting plant morphology, physiology, and development. This study aimed to evaluate how different colored photo-selective shade nets influence physiological, morphological, and floral characteristics, as well as water usage, in Zinnia elegans ‘Cherry Queen’. We used four distinct shade net colors: blue, red, white, and black with 30% shade factor as treatments. The 107 cm x 61 cm shade structure was prepared using the PVC pipes with different colored shade nets wrapped around it. Seeds of zinnia were sown in a commercial substrate, Metro-Mix® 820, and kept on a misting bench. Following germination, the plugs were transplanted in a 3.6 L pot filled with the same commercial substrate and kept under four distinct color shade nets. Substrate moisture content was consistently maintained at 35% volumetric water content using an automated irrigation system using capacitance-based soil moisture sensor, ECH20 10HS from Meter Group. Black shade nets transmitted the least radiation across all wavelengths. Blue shade nets increased transmission in blue and green wavelengths while reducing red and far-red light transmission. Red shade nets enhanced red and far-red wavelength transmission, whereas white nets provided the highest overall radiation across all wavelengths. Morphologically, plants grown under red and white shade nets exhibited similar growth and floral characteristics to those under blue nets, and all showed improved growth compared to plants under black nets. Physiological responses, including photosynthetic assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm), Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and anthocyanin content measured via leaf spectrometry remained similar across all treatments. Water use per plant was highest under white shade nets, significantly exceeding usage under black nets but comparable to blue and red nets. Growers may prefer red or white shade nets for optimal growth and water efficiency, blue for balanced spectral quality, or black for reduced radiation needs.

Maryland’s cut flower industry represents an expanding sector within the broader U.S. horticultural market, currently valued at $6.69 billion with Maryland alone contributing significantly ($139 million in 2018). Recent surveys conducted at the 2025 Bay Area Fruit School and University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Small Farm Conference-2024 provided critical insights into the demographic diversity, interests, and barriers faced by Maryland cut flower growers. Survey results indicated a diverse population, with participants spanning various ages, experience levels, and farming backgrounds. The largest demographic segment (25%) ranged between 35-44 years, suggesting an active, economically productive age group interested in cut flower production. Notably, the survey underscored a strong existing interest, with half of the respondents expressing a high level of enthusiasm toward cultivating cut flowers. Despite this enthusiasm, significant barriers impede growth and expansion. Key limitations identified included a lack of expertise and technical knowledge (41.7%), limited availability of relevant workshops and training (33.3%), and restricted market access (37.5%). Other reported challenges comprised high production costs (29.2%), pest and disease management issues (25%), limited labor availability (20.8%), and environmental factors such as weather variability and soil conditions. Dahlias emerged from these findings as a particularly promising crop, offering distinct advantages for Maryland farmers, especially those with constrained resources. Due to their delicate blooms and brief vase life, dahlia imports into the U.S. are minimal, primarily limited to pompon varieties. This creates a substantial market gap and an opportunity for local growers to supply diverse, premium-quality blooms tailored to consumer preferences. Consumers increasingly favor locally grown, sustainably produced flowers, especially when sourced directly from local farms, enhancing market potential for dahlias. To enhance dahlia production in Maryland, growers should consider collaborative research trials and evaluations of variety selection, sustainable cultural practices, and integrated pest management strategies under varying conditions, including open fields and protected cultivation such as high tunnels. Developing specialized extension materials, hands-on workshops, and practical demonstrations can also significantly address existing knowledge gaps. Such focused, region-specific guidance and facilitation of access to lucrative markets would empower Maryland's small-scale growers to capitalize fully on the growing demand for locally produced specialty flowers, significantly enhancing their productivity, profitability, and long-term sustainability.

Regulating the microclimate to achieve the desired crop quality and yield demands substantial resource consumption, making it essential to optimize resource use. AI models can be used to forecast future plant development based on microclimate conditions, allowing controllers to preemptively adjust climate settings to optimize growth and resource consumption. However, the current paradigm of microclimate controller lacks AI-assisted feedback to predict how crops respond to dynamic climate conditions (crop × environment interactions). Thus, there is an urgent need to develop an AI-assisted predictive analytics system that can support decision-making processes. This study presents a multimodal deep learning approach for forecasting lettuce growth in CEA using both microclimate (aerial and rootzone) and early-stage plant image data. We employed Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to model the temporal dependencies of microclimate variables such as temperature, humidity, and light intensity. Further, we integrated image and microclimate data into the multimodal growth predictor to enhance T-days ahead prediction accuracy by capturing visual and temporal cues of plant growth and development. The model effectively predicted the lettuce growth trend using multimodal data, achieving high accuracy in its forecasts for the next few days. The combined use of LSTM and image data provides an efficient framework for forecasting lettuce growth, offering valuable insights for optimizing resource use in CEA.

Greenhouse tomato production with high-wire system and indeterminate tomato cultivars facilitates year-round production with high quality and productivity. However, maintaining optimal climate conditions in greenhouse is expensive due to high operational costs. Optimizing climate control strategies requires in-depth understanding of controlling systems, outdoor climate, and plant physiology. But skilled and experienced growers may not always be available. Artificial intelligent-driven climate control (AI) has been emerged as a potential solution. Yet, few trials have conducted, which may not be at an equivalent scale as the industry and following the industry standard. To address this gap, we compared AI and conventional climate control strategies (human decision-based; CV) for greenhouse tomato production in two identical high-tech greenhouse compartments (namely, AI and CV each with 481.7 m²) over 145 days after the final transplanting with management practices established by commercial growers. Each compartment had 420 plants of the indeterminant cultivar Maxxiany at a planting density of 3 plants m⁻². The AI algorithms were developed using datasets from commercial growers and a digital twin via physiology-informed neural network (photosynthesis and transpiration modules). Leaf pruning in AI was determined based on weekly light integral below canopy (Kim and Kubota, 2025), while CV followed conventional pruning based on harvesting trusses. To evaluate the performance of AI, parameters for crop development, yield, and fruit quality were collected in addition to environmental conditions and resource usage for lighting, cooling, heating, and fertigation. AI maintained relatively higher day and night temperature with high heating pipes temperature and keeping windows closed. AI also resulted in more leaves within canopy from fewer leaf pruning compared to CV. Those contributed to increase in cumulative irrigation volume (936 vs. 785 l m⁻² for AI and CV) and thus total fertilizer use (878 vs. 639 g m⁻²). AI used more natural gas for heating (190 vs.79 MJ m⁻²) and more electricity for supplemental lighting (91.4 vs. 80.4 kWh m⁻²). However, AI had higher cumulative yield (9.3 ± 0.3 vs. 8.5 ± 0.3 kg m⁻²) and greater PAR-based productivity (grams of fruits per PAR mol; 4.1 vs 3.6 g mol⁻¹). These findings suggest that AI increased resources use (water, fertilizer, natural gas, and electricity) but also resulted in higher yields as a trade-off. Further optimization of AI’s algorithms regarding fertigation and heating strategies may improve economic feasibility of AI application in greenhouse tomato production.

In controlled environment agriculture (CEA), accurate yield forecasting remains challenging due to reliance on environmental sensor data, which fails to capture plants’ dynamic morphological responses to growth conditions. This study bridges the gap by establishing a vision-based framework to forecast plant growth dynamics through automated phenotyping and time-series modeling. A plant phenotype monitoring framework was implemented using commercially available cameras and off-the-shelf deep learning-based models (YOLO). The robustness of the YOLO and time-series models was evaluated under various treatment conditions, including salt stress and variations in root architecture, in hydroponic greenhouse trials across two seasons. Top-view images of the plants were collected using GoPro and Raspberry Pi cameras, and different YOLOv8 instance segmentation model variants were trained on four image datasets to extraction of morphological traits such as area, major, and minor axes. Results indicated that YOLOv8 generalized well, achieving mAP50 for bounding boxes and masks in the range of 0.897 – 0.952 and 0.896 – 0.947, respectively. Plants with split root systems exhibited superior growth under the highest salt stress levels compared to single-root systems. Comparisons between physical measurements and image-derived parameters such as major and minor axes yielded high R² values of 0.85 and 0.92 for single-root systems, and 0.90 and 0.84 for split root systems. Additionally, the area parameter obtained from images showed an R² of 0.882 when compared with plant fresh weight. Area parameters were forecasted using an ARIMA model over 2-, 4-, and 8-day windows, evaluated using MAPE. The lowest MAPE values (3.99 in the fall and 1.70 in the spring) were attained by single-root plants under salt stress when projected for two days. The forecasted area values demonstrated R² values of 0.623, 0.671, and 0.75 for the 2-, 4-, and 8-day forecast windows respectively when compared with fresh weight, indicating that the area parameter is a reliable predictor of yield. These findings confirm that morphological changes capture environmental influences and can be reliably forecasted, introducing a scalable, data-driven method to predict yield in CEA while helping growers optimize resource usage and reduce productivity risks.

Efficient supplemental lighting control is crucial for optimizing crop productivity and energy use in controlled environment agriculture (CEA). While environmental factors such as temperature and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration significantly influence photosynthesis, current lighting control strategies rely solely on ambient sunlight levels. To address this limitation, a chlorophyll fluorescence (CF)-based biofeedback system has been proposed to dynamically adjust LED light intensities based on real-time photosynthetic responses. However, frequent CF measurements using pulse-amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometers can induce severe photoinhibition due to repetitive saturating light pulses, limiting long-term application. This study explores an alternative approach by developing a machine learning model to estimate the quantum yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII) from environmental parameters, eliminating the need for the fluorometer and continuous physical measurements. Four-week-old green and red lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cultivars (‘Casey’ and ‘Cherokee’) were grown in a greenhouse for a month, where ΦPSII was measured every 15 minutes using a fluorometer (Monitoring-PAM; Heinz Walz, Effeltrich, Germany) alongside environmental data, including extended photosynthetically active radiation, temperature, CO₂ concentration, and vapor pressure deficit. A linear regression model was developed to estimate ΦPSII, generating cultivar-specific equations that were integrated into the biofeedback system for LED control. The estimated ΦPSII values exhibited a strong correlation with the measured data, allowing the biofeedback system to optimize lighting without the risk of photoinhibition associated with frequent PAM fluorometer measurements. This approach enabled dynamic light adjustment based on environmental conditions and lettuce cultivar, with the regulated light levels closely aligning with direct measurements. These findings highlight the potential of integrating predictive models into the biofeedback-controlled lighting systems, offering a cost-effective and non-invasive alternative to direct CF measurements for precision lighting management in CEA.

Using luminescent quantum dot (QD) films as greenhouse coverings offers a novel approach to enhancing plant growth by modifying the light spectrum. This study evaluates the effects of novel QD glass on the growth, morphology, and yield of butterhead lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. butterhead) in a greenhouse setting. Two identical greenhouses were employed: one fitted with a QD film and the other with conventional glass, serving as a control. Lettuce seedlings were cultivated in a deep-water culture hydroponic system, with continuous monitoring of key environmental parameters—including temperature, relative humidity, CO₂ concentration, and light spectrum. After four weeks of growth, various morphological traits were assessed, such as canopy diameter, leaf count, total leaf area, and fresh and dry biomass. Results indicated that lettuce grown under the QD glass displayed enhanced leaf development and significantly higher biomass accumulation, with a 37% increase in fresh weight and a 27% rise in dry weight compared to the control. The spectral modifications induced by the QD film, especially the conversion of blue photons to red wavelengths, likely contributed to these improvements in plant morphology and productivity. These findings highlight the potential of QD glass to boost greenhouse lettuce production by increasing radiation capture and biomass accumulation.

Incorporation of quantum dots within greenhouse films has the potential to enhance local food production with a reduced carbon footprint, without compromising yield or quality. Silicon quantum dots in particular hold advantages over other photoluminescent nanoparticles in that they have low toxicity and are highly tunable. The down-shifting of photons observed under silicon quantum dot films can enhance vegetative productivity of plant commodities, but due to a relatively low photon emission efficiency of the films, the transmitted light to crop canopies below is reduced. A growth model has been used to predict the performance of lettuce grown under a silicon quantum dot spectrum, but no studies have been conducted to validate these predictions. Our study aimed to evaluate the yield and physiological performance of Lactuca sativa cv. ‘Rex’ grown in controlled environment growth chambers fit with tunable 11-channel LEDs which were used to match the color fraction of a solar spectrum transmitted through glass greenhouse glazing or a solar spectrum transmitted through a silicon quantum dot film. Light intensity levels of 500 and 350 µmol m−2 s−1 were also tested to simulate the expected 33% loss of light transmission through the silicon quantum dot film at a density of 5 wt%. The spectrum and light intensity treatments were tested in a factorial design for a total of four treatments, with each treatment replicated five times. Fresh biomass results from the growth chambers showed that growth model predictions underestimate the performance of ‘Rex’ under the mock silicon quantum dot spectrum. The elimination of UV-A photons and enrichment of red and far red photons in the mock silicon quantum dot treatment increased leaf area and growth at their respective light intensities compared to the mock solar spectrum; however, the yield of the 350 µmol m−2 s−1 mock silicon quantum dot spectrum did not surpass that of the 500 µmol m−2 s−1 mock solar spectrum. This research highlights the importance of coupling solar cells with silicon quantum dot films to increase their economic feasibility and further illuminates the effects of down-shifted spectra on lettuce physiology.

Energy costs are typically the second largest operational cost for greenhouses behind labor and these costs are increasing over time. Energy use varies greatly between operations based on their geographic location, type of technology, months of operation, and type of crops grown. Energy benchmarking is a process used for many commercial buildings whereby energy performance of facilities are quantified. The information can be used by operations to better understand their energy use relative to their peers and can help identify opportunities for energy efficiency improvements and cost savings. The Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) consortium leads a project with a goal of benchmarking energy use in 40 greenhouse operations in New York State. The process began with implementing a database tool with EnSave’s FEAT (farm energy audit tool) specific to greenhouse operations. The tool allows energy efficiency contractors to enter information from farm site visits on: building dimensions and properties, equipment usage (including HVAC and lighting), past utility bills, crops grown and months of the year they are grown. The database tool outputs a benchmarking report to give operations a clear understanding of energy use (total energy, energy use intensity and on a per square foot production space and per crop unit basis). Through New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), funding was made available for up to 80 greenhouses in New York State to participate. More than 40 operations have now enrolled in the project. Findings will be presented on the initial results. Challenges in reporting include the diversity of types of operations (with different types of products produced) and in many diversified farms there are not specific energy meters relative to greenhouses vs. other diversified farm activities. Nevertheless the results provide a baseline of energy use intensity in New York State greenhouses.

While Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) continues to expand rapidly across North America, the U.S. lacks a unified national organization to represent, support, and connect greenhouse growers. In contrast to Canada and the Netherlands, which benefit from strong national-level grower associations, American growers remain fragmented across states, commodity groups, or scale-specific networks. The existing groups tend to be state-specific, crop-specific, or focused on suppliers and hobbyists—leaving a major gap for commercial growers who need actionable support and a unified voice. This fragmentation further limits access to shared knowledge, economic leverage, and consistent representation in research and policy. To address this, we propose the creation of the United Greenhouse Growers Association (UGGA), a national, grower-led association designed to support collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and improved market efficiency. Initial development will begin in Kentucky, where the University of Kentucky has already mapped CEA activity across the state, providing a strong foundation for data-driven outreach, pilot engagement, and program testing. What distinguishes this initiative is its emphasis on practicality, inclusion, and tangible value. Rather than serving as a passive affiliation, the UGGA will offer direct support through group purchasing programs, collective marketing strategies, access to shared services, and the translation of academic research into usable tools. There will be the opportunity for the UGGA to set training and certification standards for professional growers which will give guidance to trade schools and colleges. Membership will be kept affordable and low-barrier, intentionally structured to welcome small and mid-sized growers alongside larger operations. Most critically, the organization will be led by growers themselves—not just vendors or researchers—ensuring the priorities reflect real operational challenges and opportunities. The society will address national gaps that existing groups often overlook: the need for peer-to-peer knowledge on transitions from soil to substrate, crop management under protected/controlled environments, strategies for reducing the isolation of growers in low-density CEA states, and creating a network that supports national-scale coordination without losing local relevance. The UGGA structure would also allow for cross-state collaboration and integration with USDA priorities around regional supply chain resilience and U.S. producer support. This abstract proposes launching an organizing committee to begin outreach, host stakeholder roundtables in Kentucky and beyond, define founding principles, and formalize UGGA’s nonprofit framework in preparation for national rollout.