The Controlled Environment Agriculture Center invites you to join them Friday, December 4, at 4.00 p.m. to listen to PhD Professor Fritz Schroeder who will speak about: "Recent Innovations in Vertical Farming Infrastructure".
Agriculture--It all began about 10,000 years ago in China, Mexico, and the Middle East; then, it rapidly spread all over the globe. Until about seventy years ago, agriculture remained essentially unchanged: dig a hole, plant a seed, fertilize it, irrigate it, pick out the weeds, harvest the crop, ship/store/sell it. Then, in the 1930s William Gericke (UCD) invented hydroponics, while DR Hoagland and DI Arnon formulated a totally inorganic salt fertilizing medium now known as Hoagland's modified nutrient medium.
Together, this research started a farming revolution including the concepts of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). As recently developed technologies have facilitated moving farming indoors, and especially into enclosed urban settings, new challenges have arisen as plants are now cultivated in 'non-natural' environments. These challenges emanate from the necessary infrastructure (lighting, ventilation, energy sources and costs) to plant responses in these new environments (optimizing lighting, detection of stress signals which forecast plant deterioration and death, effects of ethylene accumulation and its early detection, etc.).
Dr. Fritz Schroeder will discuss his group's recent findings in these areas and how to overcome these challenges to optimize food crop production in urban vertical farming.
An informal networking and get acquainted session will start about 4pm. refreshments will be served.
The CEAC seminars are also available via webcast. To register, click the link below: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/52135911515542529 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Fritz Schroeder is Professor of Vegetable Crops and Greenhouse Management at the University of Applied Science Dresden. He earned his Diploma thesis in Horticulture Science at the Humboldt University, Berlin 1987. In 1994, he accepted a position at the University of Applied Sciences in Dresden. Schroeder spent a sabbatical (2000-2001, 2010) at the University of CA, Davis. Dr. Schroeder's research focuses on plant stress monitoring, supplemental lighting and urban vertical farming.
For more information
Controlled Environment Agriculture Center
1951 E. Roger Road
Tucson, AZ 85719
T: 520-626-9566