USU Crop Physiology Laboratory

The CPL specializes in the use of controlled environments to examine whole-plant physiological responses to the environment. Our plants are often grown under electric lamps and in hydroponic culture – so they never see the sun and never touch soil. These conditions allow us to conduct detailed studies on genetic responses to environmental conditions. We are proud to have been funded by NASA for over 20 years to study the challenges associated with growing food crops in bioregenerative life support systems in space.