The Ohio Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (OHCEAC) held its second annual controlled environment agriculture (CEA) conference, "Advancement of Sustainable Controlled Environment Crop Production Sciences and Technologies", on July 19, 2023, in Columbus, OH. The full day conference focusing on the key sciences and technologies in CEA was attended by 102 in-person participants at the newly constructed Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex (CEARC) at the Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory and had 87 online participants.
Keynote Speakers
The OHCEAC conference morning session began with four keynote speaker presentations from four internationally and nationally renowned speakers of key areas of plant lighting, root-zone substrate sciences, plant sensing technologies, and crop production physiology to advance the sustainability of CEA: James Altland (USDA-ARS), Bruce Bugbee (Utah State University), Murat Kacira (University of Arizona) and Ricardo Hernández (NC State University).
Keynote Speakers with OHCEAC Director Chieri Kubota from L to R: Bruce Bugbee, Chieri Kubota, Murat Kacira, James Altland and Ricardo Hernández
- James Altland (USDA-ARS): "New Concepts for Managing Soilless Substrates for Sustainability & Crop Growth"
- Bruce Bugbee (Utah State University): "Turning Photons into Food"
- Murat Kacira (University of Arizona): "Advancement of Plant Sensing Technology for Sustainable Crop Production Under Controlled Environment"
- Ricardo Hernández (NC State University): "Indoor Precision Propagation of Horticultural and Industrial Crops"
Invited Research Presenters
The OHCEAC conference afternoon session featured eight invited research presentations by academic and industry based controlled environment research groups: Fadi Al-Daoud (OMAFRA Canada), Luis Cañas (Ohio State University), Brendan Higgins (Auburn University), Michelle Jones (Ohio State University), Peter Ling (Ohio State University), Yujin Park (Arizona State University), Uttara Samarakoon (Ohio State University) and Kellie Walters (University of Tennessee).
All In-Person OHCEAC Conference Presenters with OHCEAC Director Chieri Kubota from L to R: Uttara Samarakoon, Luis Cañas, Peter Ling, Michelle Jones, James Altland, Fadi Al-Daoud, Brendan Higgins, Bruce Bugbee, Murat Kacira, Ricardo Hernández and Chieri Kubota
- Fadi Al-Daoud (OMAFRA Canada) “Managing Nighttime Greenhouse Light Emissions”
- Luis Cañas (Ohio State University) “Development of Sensing Technologies for Detection of Pest and Diseases”
- Brendan Higgins (Auburn University) “Reimagining Controlled Environment in a Low-Carbon World”
- Michelle Jones (Ohio State University) “Using Beneficial Microbes to Reduce Fertilizer Inputs During Greenhouse Production”
- Peter Ling (Ohio State University) “Precision Spray Improves CEA Sustainability”
- Yujin Park (Arizona State University) “Sole-Source Lighting for Indoor Strawberry Production”
- Uttara Samarakoon (Ohio State University) “Nutrient Optimization for Kale and Collard in Hydroponics”
- Kellie Walters (University of Tennessee) “Leveraging Environmental Controls to Improve Crop Quality”
Mark your calendars: OHCEAC's third annual CEA conference will be held on July 17, 2024, following Cultivate'24.
We look forward to seeing you next summer!
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Photos from the OHCEAC Welcome Reception at Hofbräuhaus Columbus Sponsored by CropKing, Hort Americas, Innovative Growers Equipment – Hydrofarm Commercial Division, Matrix Sciences, Sollum Technologies, TotalGrow Lights & Valoya Inc. on July 18, 2023 |
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Contact: Carly Becker (becker.421@osu.edu), OHCEAC Program Coordinator