Learning Opportunity: University of Florida Greenhouse Training Course to Focus on Climate Management

Posted by Brian Sparks|September 22, 2023

A new Climate Management online course has been added to the Greenhouse Online Training series offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension (UF). Climate Management is designed to take your environmental control knowledge to an expert level and help you produce crops under optimal conditions. Topics covered include photoperiod and supplemental lighting, plant energy balance, photosynthesis, controlling growth and flowering, propagation, vapor pressure deficit, and environmental control systems. The course is at an advanced level, designed for experienced, well-trained growers. It is offered in English and Spanish.

Ph.D. instructors include Paul Fisher from University of Florida, Erik Runkle and Roberto Lopez from Michigan State University, Jim Faust from Clemson University, John Erwin from University of Maryland, Jennifer Boldt and Kale Harbick from USDA-ARS, Charlie Hall from Texas A&M, as well as environmental control experts from Argus, Priva, and Wadsworth. This well-rounded team will help you select and operate climate control equipment and sensors for ideal crop growth.

The course runs from Oct. 16 to Nov. 10, 2023. All course material is completely online and available at any time of the day, and includes pre-recorded videos, an interactive discussion board with professors and industry experts, and quizzes. Two new modules are activated each week during the course, for a total of eight learning modules. Instruction is at your own pace and time within the four weeks of the course, with a typical time commitment of about six hours per week. Those who complete the course will receive a customized certificate of completion from UF. Click here to register.

For more information, go to http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training, or contact Greenhouse Training, Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida; Email: [email protected]. The course is supported by the American Floral Endowment and the USDA-ARS Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative.