The Doctor Is In Dr. Greenhouse, Inc.

This episode is part of our “What Plants Crave” series, where Dr. Sabeh speaks with growers, researchers, engineers, and manufacturers who work in controlled environment agriculture, to get their insights about the direction of the industry, and of course, what exactly it is that plants crave.

This week’s episode features John Ertle. John Ertle is a Plant Physiologist at PP Systems, specializing in the development and application of portable photosynthesis measurement instruments for studying leaf-level gas exchange. In his role, he not only conducts plant science research within the company but also collaborates with academic and industry partners to enhance research outcomes.

John's prior research initiatives include formulating methods to address lettuce tipburn, a prevalent nutrient deficiency in vertically farmed lettuce that impacts its marketability and growth. Additionally, he developed thermal time models to assess the chilling tolerance of grafted watermelon seedlings, aiding their safe transportation to open-field growers.

John earned his PhD in Horticulture and Crop Science from The Ohio State University in 2023, where he studied under Dr. Chieri Kubota. He received his MS in the same field in Dr. Kubota’s lab in 2020 and holds a BS in Biology from the University of Akron, obtained in 2017.

This episode is part of our “What Plants Crave” series, where Dr. Sabeh speaks with growers, researchers, engineers, and manufacturers who work in controlled environment agriculture, to get their insights about the direction of the industry, and of course, what exactly it is that plants crave.

This week’s episode features Paul Brentlnger. Paul is a second-generation owner of CropKing Inc and has 20+ years of experience working with controlled environment agriculture growers all over the world. He has studied best-of-breed controlled environment and hydroponic practices across the globe to apply the most efficient and cost-effective practices into optimal systems for CropKing customers. Paul leads the CropKing teams in consulting, sales and management, providing solutions for growers of all sizes.

This episode is part of our “What Plants Crave” series, where Dr. Sabeh speaks with growers, researchers, engineers, and manufacturers who work in controlled environment agriculture, to get their insights about the direction of the industry, and of course, what exactly it is that plants crave.

This week’s episode features Corenthin Chassouant. Known professionally as Felix Chassouant, he is an accomplished agronomist serving as the Director of Sales and Business Development at Harnois Industries, a prominent Canadian greenhouse manufacturer operating globally. Felix holds a Master of Science degree in agronomy from both France and Canada. With over a decade of dedicated involvement in the greenhouse sector, including five years in South-East Asia representing a European enterprise, Felix brings a wealth of international experience to his role. His comprehensive understanding of the industry, coupled with his scientific expertise, equips him to effectively assist greenhouse growers and provide strategic guidance towards optimal solutions.

This episode is part of our “What Plants Crave” series, where Dr. Sabeh speaks with growers, researchers, engineers, and manufacturers who work in controlled environment agriculture, to get their insights about the direction of the industry, and of course, what exactly it is that plants crave.

This week’s episode features Aaron Fields, Vice President of Agriculture for Eden Green Technology. Aaron grew up in a small agricultural town in Southern Illinois, and has worked in field cultivation & greenhouses in Illinois, California, New York & Texas. 

He has led greenhouse operations at Eden Green for the past 5 years. He's seen it all when it comes to commercial food production, sustainability, and R&D within the industry.  Aaron lives in Texas with his wife, two daughters, and Australian Cattle Dog.  He spends his time being a husband, dad, coach, old-man athlete, avid reader, gardener and beer & coffee connoisseur.

In this podcast Dr. Nadia breaks down five of the things you need to know about airflow:
The difference between airflow, air velocity, and air change rates
Why airflow is important for indoor plant environments
What airspeed to target across your plants
How to deliver airflow in the grow space
How much air to deliver to the grow space 
If you have questions or topics that you’d like Dr. Nadia to cover, contact us at AskNadia@doctorgreenhouse.com

Last week Dr. Sabeh and some of her team traveled to Las Vegas for the 2024 Indoor Ag-Con. Dr. Sabeh hosted an event and workshop, Vivid Canopy, with Nona Yehia, George Carter, and Thea Isabella Otto to celebrate diversity and inclusion in our industry. The conference itself has grown immensely since its start 11 years ago, with over 1500 people in attendance this year. vNadia caught up with some attendees to get their impressions and share her own after the conference. The guests in order of their appearance are:
Karen Varga and Lauren Lewis – CEAg World
Felix Chassouant – Harnois Industries
Gretchen Schimelpfenig – GLASE and ERI
Stacia Lewis – Eden Green Technologies
Erik Reidel – Trane / KCC International
Gerardo Ceballos – Trane / KCC International
Khalil Badran – Trane 
Amberley Dorrell – Clark County School District
Aaron Fields – Eden Green Technologies
Chanda Perman – Dr. Greenhouse