My Educational Programs / Sessions @ Cultivate

Essentials of Hydroponics Production: A tHRIve Symposium
Saturday, July 15 • 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Hydroponics has been used for more than a century by small farmers, hobbyists, and commercial enterprises. Growing healthy and nutritious leafy greens and other crops in hydroponics requires good understanding of crop growth responses, physical systems, and their management. This 2.5-hour program is an opportunity for novices to learn the essentials of hydroponic production. It is also a good opportunity to learn technologies and tips to share with home gardeners. Speakers for this program are nationally and internationally recognized scientists and engineers in both academia and the industry sector. Information shared during this program includes insights from several HRI-supported and USDA NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative funded projects including OptimIA and LAMP. Industry professionals (beginners) in greenhouse and indoor farms, students, and home gardeners are encouraged to register.

Back2Basics: Smart Scheduling Tool
Sunday, July 16 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Achieving precise ship dates with exact product specs is the keystone of floriculture crop production. Environmental conditions such as temperature and light influence plant growth and development and thus, govern crop finish time. In our research partnership, equations were developed to accurately predict finish times for key annual and potted vegetable crops, and an easy-to-use tool was created for grower use. In this session, we will go over manipulations of flowering time, the science and practical applications of this tool, and future developments.

Transparent Solar Cell Design for Greenhouses
Monday, July 17 • 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Semi-transparent photovoltaics have potential greenhouse applications to simultaneously generate electricity while transmitting light for crop production. However, there are key differences between the photopic response of the human eye and the photon action response of plants need to be considered as these devices are designed specifically for greenhouse applications. In this session, we report on our investigation into the optical impact of various wavelengths on a range of horticultural crop species. This is the first step to optimize transparent solar cells designed to maximize both plant productivity and electricity generation in the same area for worldwide adoptability.

                



    Dr. Erik Runkle

    Professor of Horticulture at Michigan State University  

    Dr. Erik Runkle is a Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University. Since Erik joined the faculty in 2001, he and his graduate research team have developed research-based information on the effects of light, temperature, and other environmental parameters to control the growth, quality, and development of floriculture crops and edible leafy greens. He also investigates the opportunities and challenges of new greenhouse technologies, such as LEDs, spectral-shifting films, and transparent photovoltaics. Erik is a partner of the Floriculture Research Alliance and director of OptimIA, which focuses on improving the profitability and sustainability of indoor leafy-greens production.

    Horticulture at MSU ... science and technology to cultivate human and environmental health.  
    Michigan has long been an important horticultural state. After the forests were cut in the late l800s, farmers moved to Michigan and found good land and climates conducive to growing many horticultural crops. Land located along Lake Michigan is particularly suited for apple, peach and cherry orchards because southwesterly winds sweeping across the lake provide protection from sudden temperature changes. Former swamps are now used to produce blueberries, celery, onions, and other horticultural crops. Nurseries, florists and garden centers are numerous, and urban areas provide ready markets for horticultural products.

    MSU Horticulture FacilitiesAs a subject, Horticulture has been part of the Michigan State University curriculum since this pioneer land grant institution opened in 1857. In 1883 Horticulture became a separate department headed by Liberty Hyde Bailey, who later became known as the "Dean of American Horticulture." Eustace Hall, the first building to be constructed in the United States solely for the teaching and study of horticulture, was completed in 1888, and it remains as the second oldest academic building on campus. The Department has offered MS degrees since 1910 and PhD degrees since 1927.

    The Horticulture Department is known throughout the world for its excellence in teaching and research. In 1986 the MSU Horticulture Department moved into the new Plant and Soil Sciences Building located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Wilson and Bogue Streets. Some of the outstanding features of this facility are computerized greenhouses, excellent research and teaching laboratories, a floral design lab, a retail plant shop, and an autotutorial lab for students.

    Address:   A288 Plant & Soil Science Bldg. East Lansing, MI 48823
    Email:    hrt@msu.edu     Contact:   Bridget Behe, PhD
    Phone:    (517) 355-5191 ext 1359   FAX: 


                 


    What is Horticulture? A Modern Applied Plant Science!

    Horticulture is the science and art of the development, sustainable production, marketing, and use of high-value, intensively cultivated food and ornamental plants. Horticultural crops are diverse; they include annual and perennial species, delicious fruits and vegetables, and decorative indoor and landscape plants. These specialty crops help sustain and enrich our lives by providing nutritious food, enhancing the beauty of our homes and communities and reducing our carbon footprint.

    BrainardCarrotResearchCherryResearch

    Researchers evaluate carrot and cherry yields, two food specialty crops.

    Horticulture also contributes to quality of life, and the beauty, sustainability and rehabilitation of our environment and the human condition (e.g., see https://www.loveyourlandscape.org/more/the-benefits-of-landscapes/).  Environmental horticulture (i.e., the “green industry”), is composed of careers in greenhouse production, wholesale brokers, commercial nurseries, garden centers, florists and landscape design and construction firms, as well as private and community gardens, municipal parks and state or national reserves.  Michigan ranks third in floriculture/greenhouse production, with wholesale crops valued at over $400 million, where, for example, bedding/annual garden plants account for over half of those sales – leading the U.S. A recent report out of Texas A&M University and the University of Florida concluded that the green industry in the U.S. had direct employment of 1.6 million individuals, nearly $14 billion in sales, and direct economic output of $136 billion.  Michigan is among the top 10 states in terms of employment in the green industry.

    Why Study Horticulture at MSU?

    The Department of Horticulture at MSU is dedicated to providing the highest-quality education and is one of the largest horticulture programs in the U.S. As the nation’s first Horticulture Department, we are proud to maintain a tradition of excellence spanning more than 150 years.  See why our students love horticulture and love studying it at MSU!

    StudentsLearningPlantID 

    Students at MSU learning Plant Identification for the green industry.

    In addition, MSU has a very active Student Horticulture Association club that allows YOU to get involved in many aspects of horticulture while having fun.

    2015HortClubBestGroupInHomecomingParade

    The Student Horticulture Association at the homecoming parade.

    Careers in Horticulture

    Practitioners of horticulture are as diverse as the crops that make up the industry and the discipline.  They include a wide array of individuals and groups who farm, landscape, garden, research, advise and enjoy the bounty of horticultural plants for their nourishment, health benefits and aesthetics.  For more information, visit our Careers in Horticulture page.

    The Need for Horticulture Professionals

    A strong and sustained need for horticulture professionals exists.  This is true in Michigan, the Great Lakes region, nationally and internationally; and is as true for small, local operations as it is for larger commercial enterprises.  The Department of Agriculture census estimated U.S. fresh market vegetable production at 18 million metric tons and a value of nearly $12 billion in 2015.  Similarly, U.S. (non-citrus) fruit and nut production was valued at over $26 billion for approximately 22 million tons in 2014.  In addition, it is estimated that the global urban horticulture market is worth nearly $300 billion. 

    Michigan produces over 300 commodities, making it the second most agriculturally diverse state in the nation, and exports internationally to Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, South Korea, etc.  These successful horticultural operations depend on expertise in areas such as physiology, breeding, molecular biology, pomology, viticulture, and greenhouse management to enhance yield and improve production. The 2014 U.S. Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture concluded that too few scientists are being trained in agricultural disciplines like horticulture.


               

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