Our Commitment to Plant Research
At the SEF Center for Horticultural Innovation, we are committed to finding the best methods for producing healthier, better-performing plants for greenhouse growers. One of the best ways we can discover and test these methods is by continuously conducting R&D projects in our Center!
Conducting Plant Testing
Molecular biology plays a critical role in testing for elements like diseases and bacteria in plants. The genetics lab at the SEF Center for Horticultural Innovation was launched in 2020 with the goal of enhancing our plant testing efforts and giving our team greater access to even more advanced testing methods.
The lab currently offers standard PCR and quantitative real time PCR testing for several important viruses that affect plant crops. Greenhouse growers rely on these types of tests to monitor crop pathogens and ensure early detection. These tests not only need to be accurate, but also reliable and accessible with a quick turnaround on results. In such a dynamic growing environment, decisions need to be made quickly in order for greenhouse growers to successfully treat potentially destructive pathogens affecting their crops.
More Plant Testing Innovations
A new DNA sequencing facility has also been added to the Center. This allows us to detect and sequence virtually all biological elements in unknown samples such as bacteria, fungus, and DNA and RNA viruses.
Tissue culture, or micro propagation of plants, is also an area of focus for our genetics lab. Specific plant species are cloned and cultured for use in downstream research applications.
Implications for the Greenhouse Industry
One of our main goals at the SEF Center for Horticultural Innovation is to establish better growing methods that can benefit greenhouse growers across the industry–not just regionally, but globally. It is for this reason that the lab has partnered with reputable local and international stakeholders to conduct research on viruses that affect greenhouse growing across the globe.
Our R&D Mission
Innovation, sustainability, research excellence, and improving greenhouse growing for all members of the industry—these are the concepts that lie at the core of our genetics lab operation.
