The Integrated Plant Growth Facility (PGF) is a state-of-the-art research crop cultivation facility, offering scientists a variety of advanced plant growth spaces and expert horticultural services. The PGF spans a total of 94,401 square feet. This includes a 80,805 sq.ft Greenhouse Complex as well as 13,596 sq.ft of Growth Chamber facility and Headhouse space. The PGF has 50 individual greenhouse compartments and 100 growth chambers and growth rooms.

The PGF’s research-grade greenhouses are designed for cultivation and containment of research crops, including regulated and protected plant materials. Greenhouse compartment sizes range from 400 to 2,100 sq.ft and offer various functional capabilities. All greenhouses are environmentally controlled for temperature, humidity and light levels, and have automated irrigation and nutrient delivery capability using Argus Control Systems. Specialized growth areas include eight (8) air-conditioned greenhouses, two (2) black-out greenhouses for photoperiod control, and dedicated propagation rooms. Many houses have 14 to 20 ft sidewalls for growing taller crops, as well as in-floor heating, height-adjustable light canopies and automated irrigation capabilities. Over 95% of the greenhouse complex utilizes high intensity, energy-efficient horticultural LED lighting.

The Plant Growth Facility has multiple special-use work spaces including potting areas, seed processing, seed storage coolers, plant dry-down and soil handling rooms, autoclave, fertigation/utility rooms, as well as general storage space.

The Plant Growth Facility is operated by a team of 25+ staff, including dedicated horticultural, operations, and maintenance personnel. The PGF team provides plant care 365 days per year, while regularly consulting with researchers and conducting horticultural-based experimentation and growth trials. The PGF is also responsible for managing the Seed Storage coolers housing the Danforth Center Institutional Seed Collection.

The DDPSC Phenotyping Core Facility provides equipment and services for high-throughput plant phenotyping. This includes both imaging and gravimetric platforms for analyzing plant genetics and environmental responses.

The Scanalyzer 3D platform consists of multiple digital imaging chambers connected to a controlled environment Conviron growth house by a conveyor belt system, resulting in a continuous imaging loop. As an automated, high-throughput platform, it enables our scientists to repeatedly image more than 1,000 plants at multiple points throughout time.

RGB imaging allows visualization and quantification of plant color and structural morphology. Near-infrared (NIR) enables visualization and quantification of plant water-use efficiency.

Watering and weighing stations are customizable to deliver water and nutrients on a specified schedule by volume or weight.

Our standard phenotyping services include operation and maintenance of the LemnaTec Scanalyzer system, as well as technical support and troubleshooting.

Other extended services may be offered based on time and labor availability, at an additional charge.

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The Plant Tissue Culture and Transformation Facility operates both as a full service facility delivering transgenics and cell cultures to researchers and a self service facility providing high quality space for researchers to use for their own specific project needs. The facility currently consists of a 880 sq. ft. single large lab along with a 225 sq ft annex for transformation and tissue culture work, over 880 sq.ft of culture growth space, and a dedicated media kitchen for media preparation.