Michigan State To Host Horticulture Lighting Symposium In May

Posted by Brian Sparks|April 19, 2016

Growers and other horticulture experts looking to learn more about lighting should mark their calendars for the eighth annual International Symposium On Light In Horticulture, which will take place May 22-26, 2016, at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, MI.

Participants from more than 30 countries on five continents are expected to attend the event, which is held once every three to five years and is presented by the International Society of Horticultural Sciences (ISHS). The last two ISHS conferences on light in horticulture were held in Tsukuba, Japan in November 2009 and Wageningen, the Netherlands in October 2012.

Michigan State University’s Erik Runkle and Roberto Lopez are organizing this year’s symposium, which is sponsored by several organizations, including Greenhouse Grower as a silver sponsor. The event features three days of scientific oral and poster sessions, followed by three optional one-day industry tours. The tours include stops at several large greenhouse growing operations, including Mast Young Plants, Henry Mast Greenhouse, C. Raker and Sons, Wenke Sunbelt, and Four Star Greenhouse.

Scientists and experts in horticulture and plant lighting are invited to attend, along with growers with expertise and interest in plant lighting. Presentation topics include lighting in greenhouses and vertical farms; manipulating light in the production of ornamental and specialty food crops; greenhouse glazing and covers; and opportunities and constraints with horticultural lighting. Here’s a look at just some of the specific presentations:
• “Toward an optimal spectral quality for plant growth and development” by Bruce Bugbee, Utah State University
• “Plant growth control by light spectrum: Fact or fiction?” by Wim van Ieperen, Wageningen University (the Netherlands)
• “UV LEDs in horticulture: from biology to application” by Jason Wargent, Massey University (New Zealand)
• “Controlling plant growth, development, and metabolism with commands from the electronic canopy” by Kevin Folta, University of Florida

For more information on the event, go to Lightsym16.com.