The Controlled Environment Agriculture Herb Extension and Research Base (CEA HERB) team comprises experts dedicated to advancing the cultivation of culinary herbs in controlled environments.
Their collective expertise spans horticulture, plant physiology, food safety, and consumer behavior, enabling a comprehensive approach to enhancing herb production and quality.
Grace Akumu is a Ph.D. student and Graduate Research Assistant at Texas Tech University in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences. She has a strong background in food science and human nutrition, with over six (6) years of experience in project management, designing, and conducting research in food safety, nutrition, and food systems. Grace received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Food Science and Technology at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. In this project, Grace will be assisting with the food safety risk assessment, mitigation strategies, and the development of food safety extension materials.
Bridget K. Behe,
Professor Emeritus
Affiliation: Michigan State University
Description: With Dr. Alicia Rihn, we are investigating consumer behavior with regard to culinary herbs grown in controlled environments. Our goal is to provide industry professionals with timely, useful information about consumer preferences, perceptions, and behavior with culinary herbs.
Seth Benjamin is a M.S. student and Graduate Research Assistant at Michigan State University in the Department of Horticulture. Seth received his B.S. in Horticulture at Michigan State University. Seth will investigate the effects of ultra-violet light on herbs. In addition, he will study the interactions of air temperature, root-zone temperature, and CO2 concentrations on the growth of culinary herbs.
Dr. Jennifer Boldt, Research Horticulturist, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS)
For this project, my research group will focus on 1) modeling photosynthetic responses to environmental conditions such as light, temperature, and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, 2) evaluating supplemental silicon as a management tool for abiotic and biotic stress during production and post-harvest, and 3) evaluating crop mineral nutrition approaches to increase shelf life of potted and fresh-cut culinary herbs. More info about Jennifer’s work can be found here:
https://www.ars.usda.gov/midwest-area/wooster-oh/application-technology-research/people/jennifer-boldt/
Dr. Forrest Brown, Postdoctoral Research Associate, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS)
Forrest is a postdoctoral researcher working with Dr. Jennifer Boldt and her USDA-ARS team in Toledo, OH. He recently completed his Ph.D. in Horticulture at Virginia Tech focusing on plant nutrition and substrate fertility. Forrest will be working with photosynthetic modeling in response to different lighting intensities and supplemental carbon dioxide (CO2). He will also be investigating the addition of silicon (Si) as a supplemental nutrient to aid in herb post-harvest storage and shelf-life longevity.
Danielle Clade, M.S. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University
Danielle will investigate the development of nutrient disorders in herbs. This includes the creation of photographic guides and leaf tissue nutrient standards to assist growers in diagnosing nutrient disorders.
Dr. Christopher J. Currey, Associate Professor of Horticulture, Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University
The work our research group is focusing on relates to nutrient management in both containerized living herbs, as well as hydroponic fresh-cut herbs. We will be determining how better-managing fertilization and nutrient solution management will improve quality and yield for commercial producers, as well as a better quality and longer-lasting product for consumers.
More information on Chris can be found here:
https://www.hort.iastate.edu/directory/christopher-j-currey/Protiva Das, Post-Doctoral Research Assistant, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee
My research primarily centers on characterizing phytometabolites, volatiles, and nutraceutical values of herbs in response to CEA growth conditions. Specifically, I am studying changes in soluble and cell-wall-bound phenolic metabolites. I am also employing an untargeted volatilomics approach to analyze the entire volatile profile of green basil, purple basil, and cilantro to pinpoint key volatile metabolites. Furthermore, my research extends to comprehensive untargeted metabolite profiling, lipidomics, hormonomics, and transcriptomics of herbs. This holistic multi-omics investigation aims to deepen our understanding of herb metabolism systems in controlled environments and to elucidate their therapeutic and sensory properties.
Arlene Enderton (CEA HERB Evaluator), Program Specialist II, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farm, Food and Enterprise Development
Arlene is serving as the evaluator of the CEA HERB project. This includes a formative evaluation as well as an outcomes evaluation. The formative evaluation will measure trust among team members and the extent to which they coalesce around outcomes and goals. The outcomes evaluation will measure the extent to which the project reaches its goals, with a special emphasis on outreach and education.
For more information, go to: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/ffed/our-team/
Spencer Givens, M.S. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee
Spencer is investigating the interaction of air and nutrient solution temperature on the growth, morphology, and post-harvest longevity of greenhouse-grown culinary herbs. /p>
Dr. Mary Hausbeck, University Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University
www.veggies.msu.edu
https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/mary_hausbeck
We will be assessing disease control methods for herbs for organic and conventional growers.
Samson Humphrey, Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee
Sam is determining if end-of-production lighting strategies can be used to improve culinary herb quality, yield, and post-harvest longevity.
Bridget Knight, M.S. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University
Bridget is developing indoor lighting guidelines (considering light spectrum and intensity) to rapidly produce high-quality seedlings of culinary herbs. Transplant performance will subsequently be evaluated in the greenhouse and compared with greenhouse-propagated herbs.
Dr. Roberto Lopez, Assistant Professor of CEA, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University.
Roberto’s primary focus is investigating how photosynthetic light, temperature, and CO2 influence physiology, morphology, and development of CEA specialty crops. As a bilingual extension educator, he provides producers with research-based publications, bulletins, production guides, podcasts, webinars, and videos focused on energy-efficient production, some of which are in Spanish. Roberto has received awards for his Electronic Grower Resources outreach effort.
Dr. Alicia L. Rihn, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee
Description: Drs. Alicia Rihn and Bridget Behe are the marketing and economics team addressing consumer behavior and valuation for fresh culinary herbs. Their goal is to assess how U.S. markets respond to different fresh herb characteristics and factors that influence their preferences for fresh herbs. In turn, this information can be used by industry stakeholders and assist in generating effective marketing strategies. Additional information about Dr. Rihn’s program and lab can be found at:
Faculty Profile Page: https://utia.tennessee.edu/person/?id=19973
R.E.M. Lab: https://remlab.tennessee.edu/As a Research Graduate Assistant, Carlos Rosales undertakes a multifaceted role within the SCRI CEA Herb group, contributing to research, data management, and analysis. He is pivotal in conducting thorough literature reviews as part of his Master's thesis, enriching the project with scholarly insights and contextual understanding. In addition to his academic pursuits, Carlos plays a role in gathering, cleaning, and analyzing data derived from surveys and discrete choice experiments. His approach ensures the integrity and reliability of the data, facilitating in-depth analysis to uncover patterns and preferences within the U.S. market.
Working closely with the team under the supervision of Dr. Alicia Rihn and having collaborated with Dr. Bridget Behe, Carlos aids in understanding consumer behavior and valuation towards fresh culinary herbs. By synthesizing findings, he contributes valuable insights that inform industry stakeholders and support the formulation of effective marketing strategies tailored to meet consumer demands.
Erik Runkle (CEA HERB co-PD)
Professor and Extension Specialist
Department of Horticulture
Michigan State University
Together with Bridget Knight, we are identifying indoor lighting guidelines to produce high-quality herbs as transplants, which can potentially also be applied to cuts. We are targeting blue and far-red light to maximize growth while maintaining a compact growth habit.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/dr_erik_runkle
https://www.canr.msu.edu/floriculture/resources
https://scri-optimia.org
Dr. Angela Shaw, Professor, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University.
In this project, my research group will be conducting food research risk assessment and developing food safety mitigation strategies for the herb industry. I will also be developing research based food safety extension materials (such as publications, production guides, webinars, magazine articles, and extension publications) and mentoring a PhD graduate student
Dr. Kellie Walters, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee (Co-PD)
My research group will be investigating the interaction of air and nutrient solution temperature and end-of-production lighting on growth, morphology, post-harvest longevity, photosynthesis, consumer sensory preference (with Rihn and Behe), and volatile aroma compounds in culinary herbs. Undergraduate students are also determining optimal sowing densities and how long seedlings can be germinated in the dark. We will identify strategies to cost-effectively grow high-quality herbs.
Dr. Brian Whipker, Professor of Floriculture, Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University
Herb growers face uncertainty when diagnosing nutrient disorders of culinary herbs. In this project, M.S. student Danielle Clade will be the lead investigator in inducing nutrient disorders in herbs and then using that information to develop photographic guides and leaf tissue nutrient standards to help growers in determining nutrient problems.