Forces of Change | Plant Science Possibilities with Light

As our population continues to grow, farm land disappearing and an increased awareness of what goes into our produce, the need to increase yield without chemicals is a critical topic. Host Mark Lien and Dr. Pocock discuss using LEDs (irradiance, spectral composition, timing, duration) to program photochemical, photosynthetic, development and biochemical processes in plants and the development of a physiological biofeedback system to maintain or change LED physiological programs. In layman’s term growing to produce better, stronger, faster. This fascinating, ground-breaking, and often warm interchange should not be missed. 

Dr. Tessa Pocock is a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems and Applications (LESA) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After obtaining a Ph.D. in plant physiology in Canada she moved her research to Sweden as a recipient of a prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship. She joined RPI in 2014 after a decade in the European horticultural lighting industry where she oversaw over 800 LED spectral high throughput experiments on greens, herbs, and medicinal plants. She is co-inventor on three technology patents, has authored or co-authored three book chapters and twenty-one peer-reviewed articles and has spoken at over 27 international conferences. 

“We work at the leading edge of LED systems engineering, plant photobiology,  plant physiology, and greenhouse environmental controls. Our goal is to develop, transfer and implement energy-efficient CEA lighting systems to reduce your operational costs and lower your carbon footprint. This means increased profitability without compromise. Join Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) and become part of the first horticultural lighting technology hub.”