Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Complete meeting minutes are available at http://ncr101.montana.edu/minutes/NCERA-101_2007_meeting_minutes.pdf. Announcements Ted Tibbitts (Univ. Wisconsin) requested that members consider submitting papers to the annual journal entitled Environment Control in Biology. This journal, formerly known as Biotronics, then the International Journal of Biotronics is an official English publication of the Japanese Society of Environment Control in Biology, the Japanese Society of High Technology in Agriculture, and the Biotron Institute, Kyushu University. The email for the editors is ecb@agr.kyushu-u.ac.jp. The journal homepage is http://133.5.207.201/j-seikan/index-g.html. ASHS CEWG Meeting Highlights Jonathan Frantz (USDA-ARS), chair of the ASHS working group, reported that planning for the 2007 meeting in Phoenix, Arizona was well under way. The workshop Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in Horticulture, organized by Ray Wheeler (NASA-KSC), is scheduled for July 18, 2007. Speakers will include NCERA-101 members Bob Morrow (Orbital Technologies) and Gioia Massa (Purdue Univ). Jonathan Frantz also reported that the Crop Physiology Working Group was organizing a workshop on July 19th titled Irrigation Sensors and Control organized by Marc Van Iersel (Univ. Georgia). Administrative Advisor Report Ramesh Kanwar (Iowa State Univ) continues to serve as administrative advisor to this committee. Dr. Kanwar thanked the organizers and remarked that George Washington Carver had originally begun his studies in Iowa State. He indicated that the NCERA-101 (North Central Extension and Research Activity) committee is the oldest serving and best attended group in the entire North Central Region. It has had excellent partnerships with industry and is often highlighted at Directors meetings as a good example of national and international cooperation. Dr Kanwar discussed the state of funding indicating that the overall situation has been moving through a slow period of activity but some signs of improvement could be seen. Approval of the 2006 Meeting Minutes The minutes had been previously distributed to members via email. Erik Runkle (Michigan State) asked for comments or proposed amendments. None were made. Marc Van Iersel motioned to approve the minutes, seconded by Bruce Bugbee (Utah State Univ.), and approved by all. Station Reports Discussion A discussion ensued about the new format for the station reports. Erik Runkle re-emphasized to the group the importance of completing the station reports according to the new format guidelines  particularly the sections on accomplishments and impact statements (outcomes). Mark Romer (McGill University) mentioned that the reports served two distinct functions within the group - to fulfill the USDA mandate (as indicated by Erik Runkle and Dr. Kanwar) as well as a general source of information for sharing with other members (activities, equipment and unique problems or findings). E-mail Discussion Group Tim Mies and Ryan Stewart (Univ. Illinois) asked the group if there would be any interest in developing an e-mail discussion group for the exchange of ideas between members. The group expressed an interest in this form of communication and Tim Mies indicated that he and Ryan would investigate possible sites and report back to the group. Website report Mark Romer (McGill Univ. Phytotron) presented the website report in the place of Tracy Dougher (Montana State U.) who was absent. Mark Romer indicated that parts of the website (http://ncr101.montana.edu/) are in need of updating, particularly the sections pertaining to the history of the group and current activities. Ted Tibbitts mentioned that 2 useful resources were now posted on the website: The Growth Chamber Handbook and the Proceedings of the Lighting Conference held in Madison in 1994. Several members indicated that they often supply the URL to interested students and researchers for reference. Membership Report Mark Romer gave a brief membership report. This group is in its 32st year, and currently there are 139 members from 102 institutions, with a healthy balance among phytotrons, universities, governmental institutions, and industries. Mark Romer indicated that approximately 75% of the members attend meetings regularly and he wondered whether further action should be taken to encourage dormant members to participate. There were no specific suggestions offered by the group. Awards to Attendees Since 2005, additional funding available from sponsorships and registration fees have been used to subsidize the registration cost for graduate students. In addition, a Graduate Student Poster Competition has been held to defray some of the travel costs associated with meeting attendance. This years winners were Lashelle McCoy (Tuskegee Univ.) and Melissa Brechner (Cornell Univ). At the Awards banquet on Monday evening, a well deserved NCERA-101 Significant Contributor Award was presented to Mark Romer. Guidelines for Measuring and Reporting Environmental Parameters A.J. Both (Rutgers Univ) spoke to the group about the progress of the International committee preparing guidelines for measuring and reporting environmental parameters in tissue culture. The first set of guidelines (Minimum Guidelines for Measuring and Reporting Environmental Parameters for Experiments on Plants in Growth Rooms and Chambers) was published and presented at the 2004 International meeting in Brisbane, Australia. The guidelines are available as a PDF document (bi-fold flier) as well as two poster sizes: a smaller size for posting in Controlled Environment facilities and a larger size for presenting at poster sessions of scientific meetings. These documents can be found on the NCERA-101 website (http://ncr101.montana.edu/). A draft of the guidelines Tissue Culture Experimenters has now been developed and was circulated among the NCERA-101 membership several days before the meeting. A.J. Both requested that members review the document and send feedback within the next couple of months. The committee was hopes to have a final published document for launching at the International meeting planned for Florida in 2008. Instrument Package Report Bruce Bugbee (Utah State Univ.) reported that the instrument packages were rented 3 times from March 2006 to March 2007. The current balance of the instrumentation package is $962. There was discussion on the appropriate use of the package, and several ideas for increasing the usage were discussed. Dr. Kanwar offered to distribute note to Experiment Station Directors to remind them of its availability. Bruce Bugbee described the various instrument package options and upgrades. More information on the instrumentation package is available at the NCR-101 website (activities section). Interested members should contact Alec Hay (Alec.Hay@usu.edu) for information and bookings. Bruce Bugbee then introduced new psychrometric chart software that is available from http://badger.uvm.edu/dspace/handle/2051/2983. Measurement Instruments List John Sager (NASA-KSC) spoke to the group concerning a motion from the 2006 meeting concerning the development of a list of appropriate instrumentation for environmental variables commonly measured in controlled environments. The list of radiation, temperature, atmospheric moisture, CO2, air velocity, pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and water potential sensors is available on the NCERA-101 website (http://ncr101.montana.edu/). Project Goals Committee Desmond Motley reminded the group that a committee had been struck in 2006 to examine possible project goals for the group. Marc Van Iersel indicated that no progress had been made in this area. Dr Kanwar mentioned that the NCERA was designated as an information sharing group and did not require specific projects to fulfill its mandate. The committee was disbanded. Selection of 2007-2008 Officers Erik Rankle reported that the Executive Committee had investigated several active members and had selected Alex Turkewitsch for nomination as Incoming Secretary. Erik mentioned that the group was appreciative of the participation and support of industry members in the group. Members voted vocally and unanimously in favor of the nomination. 2008 International Meeting Report - Florida Neil Yorio (Dynamac Corp./KSC) outlined the state of planning for the 2008 meeting. The dates for the meeting are March 8-12, 2008 and the venue (Holiday Inn Resort - Cocoa Beach) has been booked. The conference registration will be $275 USD for participating members, $125 for students and $100 for accompanying guests (spouses, children) who wish to participate in the tours, reception & dinners. The tentative Conference schedule is as follows: Sat - March 8  Reception; Sun/Mon March 9-10  Sessions & posters; Tue/Wed March 11-12  Tours of KSC facilities & local area CE facilities. The conference program is currently being developed with an international organizing committee. Details are posted on KSC website (http://www.lssc.nasa.gov/als/ncera101.php) and linked from the NCERA-101 website (http://ncr101.montana.edu/). 2009 Meeting Proposals Two proposals were brought forth for discussion by the group. Mark Romer (McGill University) informed the group about an offer by Dr. Andre Gosselin (Dept. Phytologie, Univ. Laval, Quebec) to meet jointly at the International Symposium on High Technology for Greenhouse Systems Greensys 2009 to be held June 14-19 in Quebec City, Canada. Chieri Kubota (Univ of Arizona) spoke to the group about meeting jointly with the VI International Symposium on Artificial Lighting in Horticulture, which was being organized in Tsukuba, Japan for October 19-23, 2009. C A request was made for volunteers to consider holding a US-based meeting in 2009. Bruce Bugbee indicated that the group had last met in Utah in 1990 and that he would consider hosting again at some point. Erik Runkle also volunteered to offer Michigan as a fallback location should the international options not work. At this point the group decided to end discussion and poll the membership with an email vote. Result of E-mail vote on 2009 meeting An email ballot with background information on the International meetings was sent to the membership on 8 May, 2007. Approximately 45% of the membership responded (53 ballots). The membership voted to have a domestic meeting in 2009 (24 votes domestic/22 votes international/5 no preference). If the vote had been for an International meeting, the membership strongly favored the Greensys 2009 venue (27 votes Quebec City/ 10 votes Japan). The 2009 meeting will be a domestic meeting. The final venue will be decided by the membership at the 2008 International meeting in Cocoa Florida. Future Meetings Dick Gladon proposed that the group consider meeting in Iowa State University in 2010 or 2011. Dick mentioned that the group last visited Iowa in 1992 and that many of the facilities had changed. Adjournment At 2:15 pm, a motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Marc van Iersel. Seconded by Bruce Bugbee and approved by all. Subsequent activities of the group at the Tuskegee meeting included: " Presentation of Station Reports by members on Sunday & Monday " Group tours: Youngs Plant Farm, Auburn, AL; Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, GA and the Rhizotron & Greenhouses at the University of Georgias Griffin campus. " Special Awards Banquet  Monday April 16, 2007-04-27. At a special banquet organized by the Tuskegee University CFESH (Center for Food and Environmental Systems for Human Exploration of Space), The NASA/CFESH Award of Excellence was presented to NASA collaborators who had participated in the sweet potato program since 1986. Awards were given to Dan Barta, Albert Behrend , Bruce Bugbee, Tom Dreschel , Guy Fogelman, Yvonne Freeman, Bill Knot, Shannon Potter, Ralph Prince, John Sager, Ted Tibbitts & Ray Wheeler. Minutes prepared by Mark Romer. Revised and submitted by Gary Stutte, Secretary June 15, 2007

Agritechnove has brought greenhouses at the USDA BARC facility in Beltsville online, and nearly completed the construction of a new Biotron for the University of Western Ontario. Design of three USDA projects are nearing completion: 1)Agricultural and Research Technology Center in Salinas, CA, 2) Grape Genetics Research Center, Geneva, NY and 3) the Center for Health-Based Plant Genomics, Ithaca, NY. Design a new USDA Sugarcane Center in Houma, LA was started. This greenhouse will be about 30 ft tall, subdivided into hundreds of cubicles, and designed to withstand Category 4 hurricanes without damage. Alaska has constructed two greenhouses for tomato and lettuce production that utilize geothermal resources for electric power and heating. The use of geothermal energy allows for the continuous production of fresh produce in the far north. High tunnels have been evaluated for improving and extending the many crops, including leafy greens, various lettuce types, snap beans, peppers, onions, potatoes and culinary herbs. There has been high consumer acceptance of the produce. The high tunnel results show opportunities of r produce cultivars not fully adapted to high latitude conditions. Cornell developed a process based model of a tree seedling nursery to assist greenhouse energy management. The GUESS (Greenhouse Use of Energy & Seedling Simulator), model integrates a lumped parameter dynamic heat and mass transfer model of the greenhouse envelope with a process based model of the crop growth allowing the simultaneous assessment of energy cost and crop health and growth. Hourly weather data and crop/greenhouse parameters are provided as inputs; and a profile of energy use, indoor climate, and crop production are returned as outputs. Cornell evaluated several methods for controlling Pythium aphanadermatum, a devastating root disease organism, which has prevented successful hydroponic spinach production in the United States. Reducing nutrient solution temperature to 20 C (68 F) and producing commercial-quality crops within 14 days did work, as well as sequential production ponds where plants are moved from one to a second part-way through the production cycle effectively prevented infestation. This method requires supplemental lighting and daily light integral control to achieve sufficient yield before disease strikes. Cornell evaluated the persistence of three synthetic chelators, ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), diethylenetriaminepentaacetate (DTPA), and ethylenediaminedisuccinate (EDDS) was studied in a bench-scale lettuce production system. The EDDS concentration decreased rapidly within 7 days, most likely due to biodegradation. EDTA and DTPA concentrations stayed steady throughout the experiments despite additions to maintain a constant volume and loss of chelator may have been due to either plant uptake or photodegradation of the chelator. Duke Phytotron has modified growth chambers to in accommodate increased demand for genomic research on Arabidopsis for the development of plants genetically modified to resist drought, resist pathogens, and grow in salty soil and higher temperatures due to global warming. An underground conduit system was installed connecting the Phytotron and the TUNL (Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory) to allow direct transfer of the 11C isotope to the Phytotron C-11 chamber. This system will allow for real-time observation of the movement of carbon fixed by plants. Georgia is determining the impact of different irrigation scheduling regimes on peanut growth and development and to evaluate the application of a crop simulation model as a tool for irrigation scheduling. The CSM-CROPGRO-Peanut model was used to define the irrigation treatments by estimating the timing of irrigation and the amount of water to apply. They showed that the CSM-CROPGRO-Peanut crop model can be used for irrigation scheduling, but a variable irrigation management depth needs to be incorporated in the model and a correct characterization of the soil properties is needed. Georgia compared different vegetation establishment methods and products for erosion control. Rainfall simulator tests allowed measurements of runoff and sediment movement from lysimeters to me measured, and the impacts on sedimentation to be quantified. The study provides scientific basis for selection of various turfgrass establishment methods for erosion control of disturbed land. Guelph has found that high dissolved oxygen levels (e.g. 40 mg l-1) in the root zone have negative effects on plant root growth (e.g. tomato, miniature roses, Huang Qing) in hydroponic system, but that elevated levels above normal (~ 8.5) to 30 ppm may enhance overall plant growth and prevent or reduce pythium spp. Infection of roots. Kennedy Space Center completed environmental baseline studies for typical open cabin atmosphere in space (such as the Intl. Space Station) with radish, lettuce, and onion at ambient, elevated, and super-elevated CO2 (400, 1200, and 4000 ppm), air temperatures of 22, 25, and 28°C, and PPF levels of 150, 300, and 450 ¼mol m-2 s-1 with a 16-h photoperiod with fluorescent lamps. Biomass yields show optimal temperatures for growth and generally increasing yield with increasing PPF. Significant tipburn was observed on lettuce plants at higher PPF levels. A similar series of environmental factorial studies was completed with dwarf tomato (Red Robin) and dwarf pepper (Hanging Fruit Basket). Mild oedema (intumescence) continues to occur on pepper leaves, likely due to low UV radiation in these controlled environment tests. Kennedy Space Center completed volatile organic compound exposure studies at 100, 50, 25 and 10% of NASAs Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentration (SMAC) levels for target VOCs and threshold (T10, T50, and T90) levels were published for methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, and t-butanol. Seedling bioassay results indicate that the threshold levels are reasonable exposure guidelines, although species and cultivar variation in sensitivity to VOCs does exist. Kentucky has continued to develop systems to evaluate the effects of low oxygen fumigation on whole plant responses. Michigan has led a team of collaborators including scientists at Rutgers University, University of Georgia, and University of Florida to develop and compile resource documents that can be used by greenhouse growers to help determine options for consuming less energy and improving production efficiency. This information is available online at www.hrt.msu.edu/energy/Notebook.htm and includes articles on greenhouse lighting, temperature and scheduling, energy-saving technologies, alternative fuels, and energy grant and loan opportunities. North Carolina refined a web-based system linking user submitted proposals and data collection from chambers that reduces paperwork and reentry of data. Work has begun on implementing remote data monitoring and control of chambers. Ohio continues to develop Virtual Grower software at USDA-ARS GPRG, a decision support tool for greenhouse growers. In the last 12 months, a shade curtain feature, detailed scheduling, and additional fuel types were added. Current versions are being tested that have plants growth reacting to set points and photoperiods, more shade curtain options, and better descriptions of infiltration. More than 1,200 copies have been distributed. Ohio determined the effects of a water barrier between light sources and plants in a chamber at OSU. It was found that the barrier cuts down long wave energy but does not affect PAR intensity. As a result, plant canopy temperature is lower compared to that without the barrier. Lower canopy temperature, in otherwise similar environment (e.g. air temperature, air relative humidity, and PAR level) in the chamber, is likely to reduce transpiration, and reduce energy costs. Ohio developed a novel tissue preparation procedure was developed by USDA-ARS GPRG for analysis of Si in an ICP-OES that allows us to detect and quantify tissue Si at concentrations of <10 ppm dry weight and <0.1 ppm in solution. USDA-ARS GPRG used the technique to test 15 floriculture species for their ability to take up and accumulate Si with zinnia (1.5% dry weight) and verbena (0.8% dry weight) accumulating the most. ORBITEC developed an LED lighting system that incorporates adaptive control, sensing plant location and powering only those LEDs that are adjacent to plant tissue and delivered to Purdue University for further testing. Purdue has conducted experiments in tall chamber and high-bay growth rooms to evaluate the effects of light quality, planting density, pot size, and temperature management to regulate crop size have been progressing. These experiments have demonstrated a high correlation between average stem diameter and grams of seed produced (r=0.98). This relationship was much stronger than that of plant height or total biomass. Purdue has continued evaluating the use of intracanopy and overhead LED lighting systems with cowpea and dwarf pepper. They found that at either 10% or 15% blue (440 nm), dramatic intumescence (oedema) growth developed on leaves, sepals, and meristematic tissues. These growths were not prevented with the addition of 365 nm light, suggesting that wavelength shorter than 365 nm UV-A is necessary to mitigate intumescence in Triton pepper. Rutgers developed an energy audit checklist that growers can use to evaluate their operations and/or to make smart energy decisions regarding retrofits and/or new construction. Rutgers initiated greenhouse floor heating research was conducted in an experimental open-roof greenhouse. Extensive measurements were collected and used for a computer simulation model that evaluates temperatures and heat distribution throughout the crop environment. The resulting recommendations for the design and operation of greenhouse floor heating systems can be directly applied by greenhouse growers. Utah has found that the threshold for ethylene sensitivity is lower than we once thought. Vegetative growth is significantly reduced by continuous exposure to only 20 ppb ethylene in several crops. Ethylene dramatically reduces stem elongation in many species, but it increases stem elongation in several other species. 1-MCP reduces the detrimental effects of ethylene, but the protective effect last only 3 to 4 days. Wisconsin is in the process of upgrading the environmental control system for the Biotron to a single system for the entire building, which will improve environmental control and reduce energy costs. An energy audit has determined that replacing the 1500 T12VHO lamps used in the Biotron with T5HO lamps could save 47% in energy with an additional savings in the air conditioning load by removing roughly half of the heat from the space.

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