Highlights From The 2024 OHCEAC Conference
August 1, 2024 On July 17, 2024, the Ohio Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (OHCEAC) hosted its third annual OHCEAC Conference. Held the day following Cultivate, the conference focuses on a different topic in the CEA space every year. The topic for 2024 was “Advancement in CEA and Crop Management,” and it was broken into four sessions that took place throughout the day. Once the conference was over, attendees went on a tour of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex (CEARC).
The CEARC Facility at the Ohio State University
Session 1: Agricultural Robotics
The first session of the conference focused on the evolution of agricultural robotics, and explored why they aren’t abundantly used in CEA. Dr. Dimitrios “Dimi” Apostolopoulos of Carnegie Mellon University spoke first, explaining how robotics have advanced from the mid ‘90s to today.
Dr. Apostolopoulos explained how there must be a connection between academia and the CEA industry for agricultural robotics to work effectively. He went on to say there are several industry needs for robotics, all of which could be improved by “automation” and “opportunistic data management.” He concluded his talk by emphasizing how growers should know when to automate before adopting agricultural robotics.
The second half of the session focused on why robotics aren’t found in all CEA operations. This talk was led by Dr. Eldert J. van Henten of Wageningen University and Research, and he reaffirmed how growers should do a systems analysis before adopting a new technology. He explained how tasks that are easy for humans aren’t easy for robots and vice versa. Dr. van Henten concluded his talk by explaining how there are opportunities to progress robotics in the industry, and it starts with having humans and robots work together.
Session 2: Sustainable Greenhouse Horticulture
The second session of the OHCEAC Conference focused on sustainable greenhouse horticulture, specifically autonomous growing and horticultural lighting. These talks were led by Dr. Silke Hemming of Wageningen University and Research and Dr. Erik Runkle of Michigan State University.
Dr. Hemming’s talk focused on autonomous growing, and whether fully autonomous greenhouses are feasible for the future. She explained how five key things are needed for automated greenhouses: sensors, data, models, robots and control. While she doesn’t see fully automated greenhouses being used in the foreseeable future, she believes there will continue to be a heavy focus on automation due to the lack of skilled labor in the industry.
For the second half of the session, Dr. Runkle explained the different types of lighting used in CEA: low intensity, supplemental and sole source. He described how growers should consider six “keys to success” to ensure they get the most out of lighting in their operation.
Dr. Runkle’s Keys to Success in Horticultural Lighting:
- Match desired outcome with the appropriate lighting type.
- Consider the light spectrum.
- Determine the desired light intensity.
- Understand efficiency.
- Only consider LEDs that are DLC qualified.
- Contact multiple companies for quotes.
Session 3: Plant Needs
The third session of the day consisted of research presentations on plant health. There were four talks in total, all describing different issues in plant health and offering potential solutions based on research. Below are the titles of each presentation as well as their presenters:
- “Novel Stimulant Control of Lettuce Tipburn in Greenhouse Hydroponic Production” by Dr. Quingqu “William” Meng of the University of Delaware.
- “Nutrient Strategies to Increase Strawberry Daughter Plant Production in Controlled Environments” by Dr. Jennifer Boldt of the USDA-ARS.
- “Advanced Nutrient Management for Recirculating Hydroponics” by Dr. Ryan Dickson of the University of Arkansas.
- “Evaluating Winter Production of Six Capsicum annum Cultivars Grown in the Greenhouse with Supplemental LED” by Dr. Craig Yendrek of Hawthorne Gardening Company.
Session 4: AI in CEA
The final session of the OHCEAC Conference focused on AI in the CEA industry. Each presenter focused on a different aspect of AI, including real-world applications, crop monitoring, leaf-pruning and identifying environmental DNA in a CEA operation. Listed below are the four presentations that made up the fourth session of the conference:
- “AI and Growing Plants: Limits, Threats and Opportunities in Real-World Applications” by Jan Westra of Priva.
- “AI-Enhanced Computer Vision for Crop Monitoring in Controlled Environment Agriculture” by Dr. Azlan Zahid of Texas A&M University.
- “Development of Data-Driven Leaf Pruning Method Based on Weekly Light Interval Below the Canopy” by Dr. Changyeon Kim of the Ohio State University.
- “Utilizing Environmental DNA for the Detection and Identification of Common Greenhouse Pests Found on Tomato Plants” by Jonathan Lee-Rodriguez of the Ohio State University.
Inside of a Greenhouse at the CEARC
CEARC Tour
Once the conference ended, attendees toured the CEARC facility at The Ohio State University. This comprehensive tour consisted of five stops, and OSU graduate students and professors gave an overview of the research being done at each one.
Looking Ahead
While a topic hasn’t been set for the fourth annual OHCEAC Conference, it will take place on July 16, 2025. For more information about this year’s event and specific details for each presentation, check out the OHCEAC’s website.