Location: Application Technology Research
Project Number: 5082-30500-001-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Jan 28, 2025
End Date: Jan 27, 2030
Objective:
Objective 1: Model plant growth responses to environmental conditions, design control systems, and develop automation technologies and decision support tools to optimize production, yield, quality, resource use, and carbon footprint of protected culture crops.
Sub-objective 1.A: Model plant growth responses to environmental conditions.
Sub-objective 1.B: Design and test environmental control algorithms for light, temperature, humidity, and CO2.
Sub-objective 1.C: Develop measurement systems to optimize lighting and airflow in controlled environments.
Sub-objective 1.D: Develop decision support tools that model plant growth and resource usage.
Objective 2: Develop and integrate production and automation technologies in soilless culture that improve physiochemical properties of water and substrates, reduce agrichemicals and contaminants, and improve economic and environmental sustainability of food and ornamental crops.
Subobjective: 2.A: Understand and optimize mineral nutrient inputs in greenhouse crops to enhance crop productivity response and quality.
Sub-objective 2.B: Understand and augment soilless substrate production systems to foster more sustainable protected culture agro-ecosystems that address GHG emissions, sequester carbon, or better utilize inputs.
Sub-objective 2.C: Develop improved water management and treatment technology strategies to extend freshwater resources and increase water quality to protect aquatic ecosystems when producing protected culture crops.
Objective 3: Develop climate-smart and automated strategies for managing insect pests and diseases in horticultural food and ornamental crops through engineered technologies and improved knowledge of pest biology, ecology, and behavior to reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides.
Sub-objective 3.A: Develop recommendations for the use of silicon for management of soilborne and foliar diseases in horticultural food and ornamental crop production.
Sub-objective 3.B: Develop disease management recommendations for hydroponic food crop production.
Sub-objective 3.C: Develop methods to improve plant health in soil-based protected culture systems.
Sub-objective 3.D: Optimize genomoviruses and spray-induced gene silencing as alternative fungicides for the control of Sclerotiniaceae fungi.
Sub-Objective 3.E: Determine the biology, behavior, and ecology of redheaded flea beetles infesting plants in ornamental nurseries to aid in developing a management plan.
Sub-objective 3.F: Optimize monitoring and management options for ambrosia beetles infesting trees in ornamental nurseries.
Approach:
Ornamental, nursery, and protected culture crops represent about one-fourth of the farm gate value of all specialty crops, and about 15% of the total value of U.S. crop production (USDA NASS Horticultural Crop Census 2014). This project brings together the expertise of USDA-ARS research scientists with cooperators at other universities to focus on research that advances ornamental, nursery, and horticultural food crops in protected culture. The project is a science-based, outcome-driven, economically motivated program to assist growers in improving the quality of food and ornamental crops. This project will continue to further our knowledge base in protected culture crops by: 1) modeling plant growth responses to environmental conditions, designing control systems, and developing automation technologies and decision support tools to optimize production, yield, quality, resource use, and carbon footprint of protected culture crops, 2) developing and integrating production and automation technologies in soilless culture that improve physiochemical properties of water and substrates, reduce agrichemicals and contaminants, and improve economic and environmental sustainability of food and ornamental crops, and 3) developing climate-smart and automated strategies for managing insect pests and diseases in horticultural food and ornamental crops through engineered technologies and improved knowledge of pest biology, ecology, and behavior to reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides. This project integrates the mission and expertise of the Application Technology Research Unit with other researchers in disciplines critical to the overall success of the project.