By Qingwu (William) Meng When I returned to Michigan State University (MSU) for my PhD 2.5 years ago, I was beyond excited to be involved in the development of a brand new research facility, the Controlled-Environment Lighting Laboratory (CELL), led by
Green light is more useful to plants than you might think
By Qingwu (William) Meng Urban Ag News originally published this article in July, 2017. You’re considering new LEDs for your vertical farms. What colors should you get? Would you be better off with classic red and blue light or broad-spectrum,
The National Floriculture Forum 2017
By Qingwu (William) Meng Enjoy this video I shot of this year’s National Floriculture Forum in Philadephia. The National Floriculture Forum is an annual educational meeting, where academia meets industry to communicate and advance floriculture. Established in 1999, it has
Canadian researchers advance supplemental lighting for the greenhouse industry
By Brian Poel New technologies in controlled-environment agriculture allow growers to manage crop production in ways like never before. Dr. Xiuming Hao and his team at the Harrow Research and Development Centre (HRDC) are guiding Ontario greenhouse vegetable growers to
Using light to enhance the nutritional value of microgreens
The cover photo (taken by Joshua Craver) of the January issue of the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science features microgreens. Microgreens are a specialty horticulture crop consisting of vegetables and herbs harvested and consumed during the fully-expanded cotyledon or
Michigan State lighting open house
By Qingwu (William) Meng and Mengzi Zhang Lighting Solutions is an open house and workshop event held on Feb. 3rd at Michigan State University to showcase the latest horticultural LED lighting research. Led by Dr. Erik Runkle and Dr. Roberto Lopez,
Teaching middle school girls science
How to grow food without soil or sunlight? Middle school girls learned about technology in vertical farming. By Qingwu (William) Meng Last Saturday, I presented at the Middle School Girls Math and Science Day, held on the Michigan State University campus. Middle
PIFs regulate auxin to promote stem growth
The following is my summary of a paper (Hornitschek et al., 2012) published on The Plant Journal. It revealed that PIF4 and PIF5 regulate stem growth through control of auxin biosynthesis and signaling genes. By Qingwu (William) Meng Plants growing in lower canopies
Far red is the new red
Adding far red to red and blue light from LEDs brings control of plant growth to the next level. By Qingwu (William) Meng and Erik Runkle Inside Grower originally published this article in February, 2017. Indoor farms are burgeoning in the
High-intensity light promotes anthocyanin accumulation in rough bluegrass
Image: Rough bluegrass produces abundant anthocyanins under environmental stress such as high light and/or high temperature (source). Anthocyanins, plant pigments known for their health-promoting properties, are in demand for medicinal and industrial uses. Anthocyanins have become sought-after natural products, but