We are thrilled to announce that Jason Hollick, a PhD candidate in Kubota Lab, has successfully defended his PhD dissertation.

Jason’s dissertation, titled “Whole plant physiology of grafted tomato and watermelon for optimized nutrient management” focuses on improving the understanding of how scion and rootstock interactions influence plant vigor and nutrient uptake in tomatoes, as well as how rootstock and nutrient management strategies affect reproductive development in watermelons.

Specifically, Jason’s research demonstrated that while tomato scion cultivar significantly impacts root mass, rootstock does not, emphasizing the need for further investigation into shoot-root signaling mechanisms. In grafted watermelon, he found that under specific environmental conditions, grafting onto squash and wild watermelon rootstocks can delay flower production and/or fruit set, regardless of the nutrient management strategy employed. Field trial results also suggest that grafting may enhance yield potential, particularly with an extended harvest season.

Jason’s work contributes valuable insights into the vegetative and reproductive development of grafted tomato and watermelon plants. Congratulations, Dr. Jason Hollick, on this outstanding achievement!

Join us at the upcoming COSI events on May 1st at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Center (CEARC) at Waterman Farm. This year, Kubota Lab is excited to share our scientific knowledge of CEA, including nutrient film technique (NFT), deep water culture (DWC), strawberry propagation, vegetable grafting, and flowering control.

If you’re interested in growing vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers in controlled environments, such as greenhouses and vertical farms, come talk to our experts and learn about how CEA can lead to more sustainable and efficient crop production.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Click the link below to check out our posters:

Nutrient film technique (NFT)

Deep water culture (DWC)

Strawberry Propagation

Vegetable grafting

Flowering control

Exciting research updates were showcased by three graduate students from Kubota Lab: Jason Hollick (PhD candidate), Pooja Tripathi (PhD student), and Katelyn Fulcher (MS student) at the Graduate Student Symposium in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science. Jason’s recent research highlighted the influence of rootstock and nutrient management on flower and fruit development in grafted watermelon. Pooja’s study showed enhanced strawberry runnering by applying artificial chilling on strawberry plants to facilitate strawberry propagation for controlled environment production. Meanwhile, Katelyn’s project focuses on optimizing strawberry yield in controlled environments through the development of a predictive model using flower mapping. The outcomes from these research projects will provide growers with recommendations for promoting crop productivity, enhancing management strategies, and improving resource use efficiency.

Dr. Changhyeon Kim, a member of the Kubota Lab, recently led a hands-on workshop focused on sensor-based controlling for Controlled Environment Agriculture. The workshop discussed the fundamental principles of sensor operation and the key considerations in selecting appropriate sensors and microcontrollers. To help participants better understand the principles of sensor-based control, the workshop included hands-on activities using an open-source microcontroller ‘Arduino’. Kubota Lab explored hardware and software components of Arduino for measuring temperature using a thermistor, storing the temperature data, and controlling a relay driver. This workshop enhanced Kubota lab members’ understanding of the operational principle of sensors and explored examples of low-cost controlling systems in CEA.

The Mid-Ohio Growers Meeting is an annual horticulture-focused event in Holmes County, OH, attracting growers from multiple states including OH, MI, PA, and KY. This event offers a platform for growers to participate in hands-on demonstrations, attend industry and extension seminars, and explore a trade show. At this year’s meeting, Jason Hollick, a Ph.D. candidate in the Kubota Lab, partnered with Dr. Matt Kleinhenz and Sonia Walker from the Vegetable Production Systems Laboratory at The Ohio State University to arrange a tomato grafting demonstration. This hands-on session provided growers with the opportunity to learn techniques for grafting tomato plants, aiming to empower growers with key knowledge and practical skills necessary for grafted plant production.

Jason Hollick, a Ph.D. candidate in Kubota lab, presented his recent research update at ASHS Annual Conference this year in Orlando, FL. Jason’s research focuses on improving flower and fruit development of grafted watermelon plants. By conducting both greenhouse and field trials using various scions and rootstocks, Jason found that the delay of reproductive development could be attributed to unbalanced source:sink ratio or localized deficiencies of specific nutrients. His work lays foundation for future studies focusing on using environmental and nutritional adjustments to promote earlier flowering and fruit set. The outcome of Jason’s research can help promote the application of grafted plants, providing economic and environmental benefits to the industry.

Dr. Changhyeon Kim, a postdoc scholar at Kubota lab, had a busy day harvesting tomatoes with the help of Ben Stover, an undergraduate student intern. Changhyeon’s research project focuses on improving the productivity of greenhouse-grown high-wire tomatoes based on physiological evidence and autonomous environment control in controlled environment agriculture. This work will contribute to the advancement of the horticulture industry, with potential benefits for producing high-quality produce in large quantities efficiently.

The Kubota lab members are grateful for the incredible opportunity to help host the Cultivate greenhouse workshop and the OHCEAC Annual Conference in the past 2 weeks.

Cultivate ‘23. At Cultivate, we were thrilled to see the new crop varieties and technologies shaping the green industry’s future. Members from Kubota lab and Dr. Garrett Owen’s lab participated in ‘Back2Basics: Media & Fertility Workshop’ held in OSU Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex (CEARC). We had the pleasure of assisting visitors from all over the US in understanding greenhouse substrates and fertility. Sharing knowledge and fostering growth within the industry is always a rewarding experience.

The 2^nd OHCEAC Annual Conference. This conference ‘Advancement of sustainable controlled environment crop production sciences and technologies’ offered us the chance to engage with countless scientists and industry leaders and learn about the cutting-edge research conducted to advance the CEA industry. We were proud to showcase our latest research projects at our state-of-the-art controlled environment agriculture research building, sparking meaningful conversations, and fostering potential collaborations.

Gratitude to all involved for making these events a great success! Looking forward to the continued growth and advancements in the world of horticulture.

The Kubota Lab members are passionate about hydroponics, and nothing brings us more joy than seeing people learn something new about this amazing field. Last week, we had the privilege of hosting two successful COSI events where we were able to share our knowledge and experience with the public.

We couldn’t have done it without our amazing team of volunteers. They did an incredible job educating attendees about the science behind controlled environment agriculture and hydroponics and showing them how they can benefit our communities.

Seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces as they learned something new was truly rewarding. We’re grateful to have had the opportunity to share our passion with others and we look forward to doing it again next year.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making these events a success. Your support and dedication are greatly appreciated! Check out some of the photos from the events below.

Join us at the upcoming COSI events on May 3rd at Waterman Farm and May 6th at the Columbus Center of Science and Industry (COSI) museum. The Kubota Lab is excited to share our scientific knowledge of hydroponics, including nutrient film technique (NFT), the effect of different colors of light on plants, vegetable grafting, and soilless substrates used to grow plants hydroponically.

If you’re interested in learning about hydroponic technology and its potential to revolutionize agriculture, don’t miss this opportunity to engage with our experts and discover how hydroponics can lead to sustainable and efficient food production. We look forward to seeing you there!

Click the link below to check out our posters:

Nutrient film technique (NFT)

Different colors of light and plants

Vegetable grafting

Soilless substrates

Posters designed by Pooja Tripathi, Changhyeon Kim, Jason Hollick, and Keiya Satoh.