Category: Vertical Farm Crops

GrowON presents: How to Use Light Spectral Combinations to Steer Plants

Published on by Fadi Al-Daoud

Exciting new research from Dr. Youbin Zheng (University of Guelph) explores how plants respond to different light spectra and spectral combinations.

This GrowON talk was on July 22nd 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST in-person at Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) and online.

Learn more about how to apply spectral variations to a diverse set of crops by accessing the recording and presentation files below.

Continue reading “GrowON presents: How to Use Light Spectral Combinations to Steer Plants” →

Finding the Right Light Recipe

Published on by Fadi Al-Daoud

Review of recent greenhouse vegetable lighting research at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Harrow Research and Development Centre

Photo: LED inter-lighting in low-wire mini-cucumbers.

Authors: Dr. Fadi Al-Daoud (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) and Dr. Xiuming Hao (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

Table of Contents:

  1. Summary and Conclusions
  2. Introduction
  3. Mini-Cucumbers, Overhead HPS, and LED Inter-lighting
  4. Tomatoes, HPS, and Far-Red Light
  5. Peppers, HPS, LED, and Far-Red Light
  6. Dynamic, Long Photoperiod, Low Intensity Lighting of Tomatoes, Mini-Cucumbers, Peppers, and Microgreens
  7. References

Summary and Conclusions

The market demand for locally-grown fruits and vegetables year-round has driven adoption of lighting technologies for winter food production in greenhouses and vertical farms in Ontario. Here, we review some of the lighting research conducted at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Harrow Research and Development Centre (Harrow, Ontario) over the past several years.

Continue reading “Finding the Right Light Recipe” →

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Enrichment in Controlled Environment Agriculture – Is it always a good idea?

Published on by Fadi Al-Daoud

Authors:

Dr. Fadi Al-Daoud (Greenhouse Vegetable Specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Harrow, ON)

Dr. Xiuming Hao (Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Harrow, ON)

Table of contents:

  1. Introduction
  2. What is CO2?
  3. CO2 Enrichment and Plant Physiology
  4. CO2 Enrichment and High Light and Heat
  5. So, is CO2 enrichment always a good idea?
  6. References
Continue reading “Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Enrichment in Controlled Environment Agriculture – Is it always a good idea?” →

GrowON Lunch and Learn: Autonomous Greenhouse – Improving Production and Sustainability

Published on by Fadi Al-Daoud1 Comment

Enjoy this recording of the GrowON lunch and learn that took place in person at Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers and online (March 20, 2023) and learn more about autonomous growing technologies.

Continue reading “GrowON Lunch and Learn: Autonomous Greenhouse – Improving Production and Sustainability” →