Best Practices: Controls & Automation

Jennifer Polanz

In the last issue, we talked about the mission of the Resource Innovation Institute (RII) in providing guidelines and best practices for controlled environment agriculture growers. Now we get to report on one of those new guides. In April, the RII released its “Best Practices Guide: Controls & Automation for Controlled Environment Agriculture Operations.”

Authored by Rob Eddy, Resource Efficiency Horticulturist at RII; Dr. Joshua K. Craver, Assistant Professor of Controlled Environment Horticulture at Colorado State University; and Dr. Kellie J. Walters, assistant professor of controlled environment vegetable physiology at the University of Tennessee, the guide involved a number of additional researchers and experts in the CEA field.

The 48-page guide begins with how CEA facilities use controls and automation, and then expands on data collection and utilization, climate-smart controls of multiple indoor factors like lighting, CO2, temperature and irrigation among others, final considerations and links to further resources.

You can download the guide for free at resourceinnovation.org/controls-automation.