Save the date for the 6th annual Controlled Environment Horticulture Conference in Dallas, Texas

RESERVE THE DATE: DECEMBER 5, 2024

Drs. Joe Masabni and Genhua Niu are excited to invite you to attend our sixth annual Controlled Environment Horticulture Conference on Dec. 5, 2024, in Dallas.

The event will be held from 8 a.m.- 4:40 p.m. on December 5 at the Water Education Building at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas, 17360 Coit Road.

The conference is geared towards both new and experienced growers interested in specialty crop production under a controlled environment 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 Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, Arizona State University, and Hort Americas along with speakers from Texas A&M University, in addition to presentations by faculty, post-docs, and students representing Texas A&M. A total of 8 presentations will be held.

Topics include:

  • Electric lighting to regulate crop growth and development in controlled environments — Dr. Erik Runkle. Professor in the Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University.
  • Strawberry propagation in Controlled Environments: research updates, challenges and opportunities – Dr. Ricardo Hernandez. Associate Professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, North Carolina State University.
  • Hydroponic strawberry production: Optimizing root environment to maximize quality and yield – Karla Garcia, Hort Americas.
  • Optimizing Hydroponic Conditions for Indoor Strawberry Production – Dr. Yujin Park. Assistant Professor in the School of Applied Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University.
  • Organic lettuce production Jun Liu – Dr. Jun Liu. Post-Doc with Dr. Genhua Niu, Dallas Center.
  • IPM under controlled environment – Dr. Arash Kheirodin. Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, Dallas Center.
  • IoT uses and applications in Controlled Environment – Dr. Azlan Zahid, Assistant Professor in the Department of Agriculture Engineering, Texas A&M University, Dallas Center.
  • Evaluation of Micro-Dwarf Tomatoes for Indoor Vertical Production System – Joshua Osuch, graduate student with Dr. Desire Djidonou, Texas A&M Commerce.

The conference will feature in-person and virtual participation options. Registration cost is $150 for in-person and $100 for the virtual option.

A round-table discussion is scheduled from 3:20 pm to 4:50 pm with the goal to discuss challenges and opportunities and solicit input from conference participants on the topic of strawberry production in controlled environment. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Nathan Howell with West Texas A&M University.