Research Archive

The Cornell University CEA Program is actively conducting leading research in commercial-scale crop production. Current research is focused on the various aspects of CEA crop production for Lettuce, Spinach, and Tomato. Projects range from developing computer models to predict impending crop damage or failure, evaluating marketing strategies and developing value-added products grown in a controlled environment, investigating hydroponic crop production for life support in space flight environments, improving the nutritional value of crops for humans, and developing environmentally-friendly biological controls of insect and disease pests.

Controlled Environment Agriculture

• Controlled Environment Agriculture Scoping Study, 1996

Lettuce

• Commercial Demonstration of Hydroponic Lettuce Production

• Modeling of Evapotranspiration in Lettuce

• Modeling of Nitrate and Root/Shoot Partitioning in Lettuce (NICOLET)

Tomato

• Influence of Supplemental Lighting on Greenhouse Tomato Production

Lighting

• High Pressure Sodium Lamp Lighting Analysis and Design for the BIO-Plex Plant Growth Chambers

• Baseline Data Collection on Dry Bean Growth for NASA Mission to Mars

Spinach

• Horticulture Methods of CEA Spinach Production on a Commercial Scale

• Characterization of the Effects of Innoculation Time and Nutrient Solution Temperature on the Development of Pythium aphanidermatum Infection of Full-Size Spinach

• Root Disease Treatment Methods For Commercial Production of Hydroponic Baby Spinach

• Improvement of Crop Nutritional Value for Humans

Marketing

• Marketing Research and Development - Value Added Products

• Marketing Research - Cost Effectiveness of Doing CEA

Temperature Control

• Application of Pseudo-Derivative-Feedback Algorithm in Greenhouse Air Temperature Control

Energy

• Energy Audit for the CEA Hydroponic Lettuce Greenhouse from 1999-2002

• Energy Investments And CO₂ Emissions For Fresh Produce Imported Into New York State
  Compared To The Same Crops Grown Locally

References through September 2010