USDA-ARS shares update on container farm lab & CEA research with Vertical Farm Daily
A first look at some of the vertical farming trials that are taking place inside the USDA-ARS Vegetable Research Laboratory, led by plant pathologist Dr. Kaishu Ling, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Vertical Farm Daily shares a first look at some of the vertical farming trials that are taking place inside the USDA-ARS Vegetable Research Laboratory, led by plant pathologist Dr. Kaishu Ling, in Charleston, South Carolina.
With 16 separate container farm research labs, the site is part of a federal research initiative launched in 2018 to better understand the role that controlled-environment agriculture could play in the future of U.S. crop production.
🌱 Tissue culture
🌱 Field trials
🌱 Genetic screening
🌱 Grower collaborations
Dr. Ling explains, “A major component of our research focuses on identifying plant varieties that perform well in controlled environments. By screening germplasm collections, we can see which traits work best indoors.”
In the article, AmplifiedAg CEO David Flynn describes why AmplifiedAg technology and container farms are optimal for both production and research environments: “Modularity is another key element….We designed these systems so that the technology never becomes the bottleneck.
Remote monitoring, standard parts, easy access for maintenance, the goal is always to keep the grower or researcher focused on their work, not the equipment.”
“Projects like these at the ARS research site demonstrate how container-based systems can support far more than commercial leafy green production.”
Thank you to Rebekka Boekhout for traveling to South Carolina to see this incredible research firsthand.
Read the full article at Vertical Farm Daily