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Infrastructure

From the Phytotron to the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative on NC State's campus, we are connected to a number of unique and top-notch facilities.

We use several of the cutting-edge research facilities at NC State to lead innovation in Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA). These facilities provide access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and resources that enhance our ability to perform transformative research and solve complex problems in agriculture.

In addition to the NC State facilities, which provide the infrastructure to develop any research systems, we also have established several unique research systems that can be leveraged for novel CEA research.

CEA Coalition Infrastructure

Phytotron

The NC State Phytotron is one of several facilities the CEA Coalition uses which allows for plant research in strictly controlled environmental conditions. In the Phytotron, we are able to control such factors as light quality, day length, temperature, humidity, CO2, water, nutrients and soil composition.

NC Plant Sciences Initiative

The N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI) is the global leader for plant science innovation. The new state-of-the-art Plant Sciences Building on NC State’s Centennial Campus, provides several unique research facilities including growth chambers, a makerspace, and greenhouses. 

Photo of Plant Sciences Building

Horticultural Sciences Greenhouses

CEA has designated space in the Department of Horticultural Sciences greenhouses. These greenhouse facilities include one headhouse and two greenhouse ranges at the Horticultural Field Laboratory.

Research Stations

NC State operates 18 research stations across the state, in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), where scientists can test and validate their research in real-world conditions.

Explore our research systems with unique capabilities that allow for fast execution of any CEA experiment.