Ferrarezi Lab of CEA at UGA

08/13/2026

We are excited to share a new paper published in Scientific Reports led by Dr. Husnain Rauf and team!

The study, "Evaluation of sap extraction methods for nutrient diagnostics in lettuce, cucumber, and tomato in controlled environments", dives deep into finding the most reliable ways to monitor real-time plant nutrient status in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA).

Key Takeaways:
🔬 5 extraction methods tested: The team compared different sap extraction techniques against standard Nutrient Leaf Analysis (NLA) across three major greenhouse crops.
📈 Best results for lettuce: The "Tissue Crushing" (TC) method yielded highly accurate correlations for Potassium (K), Magnesium (Mg), and Calcium (Ca) in lettuce.
⚠️ Crop-specific needs: The results varied widely across methods and crop types, showing that there isn't a "one-size-fits-all" approach to sap analysis yet.

This is a major step forward in standardizing real-time nutrient monitoring and helping growers optimize fertigation on the fly! 💧🌱

📖 Read the full open-access paper here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-52840-w

UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Ferrarezi Lab of CEA at UGA

07/18/2026

New research published! 🥬 We just released our latest findings on optimizing greenhouse lighting: "Chlorophyll fluorescence-based control of greenhouse supplemental lighting improves energy use efficiency in lettuce."

By using chlorophyll fluorescence as a feedback mechanism for supplemental lighting, we can make greenhouse energy use much more efficient.

Check out the full open-access article here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1854406

A massive congratulations to the first author, Dr. Suyun Nam! This paper is the final piece of her Ph.D. work. She just graduated after an incredibly productive doctorate that resulted in 5 published papers. I couldn't be prouder of everything she has accomplished in our lab! 🎓💡

UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Ferrarezi Lab of CEA at UGA University of Georgia Department of Horticulture

Plant-driven lighting control has been proposed as a strategy to regulate supplemental light-emitting diode (LED) intensity according to real-time plant phys...

07/02/2026

Today we visited the IF Goiano Rio Verde with Dr. Mesquita as part of the Brazil Fulbright Specialist Program. We toured the Tissue culture lab with Dr. Paula and the Indoor vertical farm lab with Dr. Fabiano. What an experience!

06/26/2026

🌱 Exciting news!

Our new paper, "A Proof-of-Concept Greenhouse Lighting Control System for Lettuce Using a Real-Time Chlorophyll Fluorescence Biofeedback," has just been published in AgriEngineering! 🥬💡

As part of the Special Issue on "Sky–Air–Land–Water" Cross-Domain Heterogeneous Systems, this research explores a smarter way to grow. By using real-time plant biofeedback, Suyun Nam and I are exploring ways to optimize greenhouse lighting by letting the plants tell us exactly what they need.

Read the full open-access article here: https://www.mdpi.com/2624-7402/8/7/263

UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences University of Georgia Department of Horticulture

Supplemental light-emitting diode (LED) lighting is essential for greenhouse crop production when solar radiation is insufficient, but it also contributes substantially to operating costs. Conventional strategies based on fixed photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) do not accurately reflect plan...

06/24/2026

And the visit to the UFG Caldas Novas campus continued with a nice tour and a fun trip back to Goiânia. Thanks Reizinha and Fabia for the great trip!

06/23/2026

UFG Goiania Horticulture department, award ceremony and visit to UFG Caldas Novas campus

06/18/2026

Mestrado Irrigação Cerrado University of Georgia Department of Horticulture UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Ferrarezi Lab of CEA at UGA Rhuanito Ferrarezi Henrique Oliveira

06/08/2026

Wrapping up an incredible second and final week of the UGA CAES Mediterranean Study Abroad program in Valencia, Spain! 🇪🇸

Our final days were packed with hands-on learning as we dove deeper into the region's agricultural practices. We had the opportunity to explore organic fruit production, tour a pre-prepared meals processing plant operating without chemical preservatives, and learn the traditional art of cheese making. We also got an up-close look at local rice production and aquaculture, and capped it off with olive oil production and a fantastic tasting session. 🫒🍊

We are already going to miss Valencia—especially the yummy and healthy Mediterranean food, the vibrant & welcoming lifestyle, and the rich culture.

A huge thank you to UPV and Claudio José Benavent Montoliu for running such a phenomenal, well-organized program. We also want to express our gratitude to our friends at NCSU, Ricardo Hernandez, and Jose Cisneros, for the wonderful company and collaboration along the way.

See you in 2028, Valencia! ✈️🌍 Rhuanito Ferrarezi & Leonardo Lombardi

06/04/2026

Passing this along: Gotham Greens is hiring an intern if you have any good candidates in mind:

10 Gotham Greens jobs available in Georgia on Indeed.com. Apply to Grower, Production Assistant, Brand Ambassador and more!