Heiner Lieth

Crop Ecologist and Professor Emeritus specializing in greenhouse, nursery and in-door production, soilless culture, and applications of photovoltaic energy production in agriculture

Mailing address:
Plant Sciences Department Mailstop 2; One Shields Ave, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA

Description of research and extension activities:

I conduct research in plant/crop production in protected cultivation (greenhouse, nursery) as well as in-door production using light generated with lamps.

My research continues to be focused on the relationship between environmental variables and soilless crop production (including liquid culture hydroponics).
I work extensively with horticultural crops including ornamentals (rose, lily, chrysanthemum, orchids, etc) and vegetable and fruit crops (strawberry, tomato, pepper, leafy-greens etc).
I use technologies (photovoltaics, LED lighting, nutrient sensing, etc) within the above areas. I am especially interested in the dual use of agricultural lands for both energy and horticultural crop production.

I am no longer taking graduate students since I have officially retired from UCDavis.

Consulting Expertise:

Management and optimization of the greenhouse environment; greenhouse computer control; sensor technolog
Horticulture: Management of light, temperature, irrigation and other factors of the greenhouse environment; root zone management; irrigation and fertigation.
AgriVoltaics - dual use of sunlight to produce electricity and grow plants
Vertical farming; In-door plant production with artificial light either as supplement to sunlight or as complete replacement