Drs. Neil Mattson (Cornell University) and Tessa Pocock (RPI) participated in the Indoor AgTech Summit
Drs. Neil Mattson (Cornell University) and Tessa Pocock (RPI) recently participated in the Indoor AgTech Summit which brought together more than 200 industry leaders and investors to discuss the current and future role of indoor agriculture. Mattson presented in the panel on “Plant Science: Optimizing Traits to Indoor Systems”. Panelists noted that breeding and crop selection specific for indoor growing environments are likely to lead to quick gains in productivity. Environmental manipulation (lighting, nutrients) may allow indoor grown plants to become differentiated products based on freshness, nutrition, and shelf life. Mattson also noted Cornell’s Initiative for Digital Agriculturewhich is a multi-disciplinary effort to solve global food challenges. Other summit topics included: the role of indoor farming in local food systems, robotics and automation, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals.
