About

A.J. Both is a Professor and Extension Specialist at Rutgers University, with a focus on horticultural engineering. His research encompasses the application of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in horticulture, greenhouse lighting, and controlled environment agriculture. He has contributed to understanding how to control greenhouse light to optimize plant growth and has explored the effects of temperature and light on hydroponic lettuce production. His work also includes developing guidelines for environmental parameter measurement in greenhouses and evaluating lighting sources for horticultural applications. Additionally, he has investigated vertical farming, biomass production, pigment accumulation in kale, and energy conservation strategies in greenhouses. His research aims to improve sustainable practices and technological advancements in horticultural systems.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Computer Security
• Environmental science
• Agronomy
• Business
• Architectural engineering
• Biology
• Horticulture
• Environmental resource management
• Chemistry
• Data science
• Economics
• Environmental economics
• Engineering

Selected publications

• Online workshop empowers women farmers to manage business risk during the pandemic

  Acta Horticulturae · 2023-05-01 · 1 citations

  article

  ISHS XXXI International Horticultural Congress (IHC2022): International Symposium on Innovations in Ornamentals: from Breeding to Market Online workshop empowers women farmers to manage business risk during the pandemic

  PublisherDOI

• Measuring and reporting lighting characteristics important for controlled environment plant production

  Acta Horticulturae · 2022 · 3 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Environmental science
  • Architectural engineering
  PublisherDOI

• Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to improve high tunnel ventilation

  Acta Horticulturae · 2020-11-01 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Plant Production in Controlled Environments

  Virginia Tech Publishing eBooks · 2020-01-01 · 2 citations

  bookOpen access

  Installation cost

  PublisherDOI

• Calculating and reporting key light ratios for plant research

  Acta Horticulturae · 2020 · 6 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Data science
  PublisherDOI

• Potential Benefits of Silicon Nutrition to Hydroponically Grown Sweet Basil

  HortScience · 2020 · 8 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Horticulture
  • Chemistry
  • Agronomy

  Sweet basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.) is a globally cultivated and consumed herb known for its unique aroma and flavor. Sweet basil grows best in warm temperatures, and productivity and marketability decrease when grown under cool conditions (<10 °C). Silicon (Si) is not considered an essential plant nutrient, but it can be beneficial to Si macroaccumulator plants by alleviating several biotic and abiotic stresses. Recent studies have shown that some microaccumulator species may also benefit from Si. In this study, we examined the effects of different levels (0, 25, and 75 ppm Si) of Si amendments on hydroponic basil grown at 23 °C. Si (75 ppm) significantly increased shoot height and weight with no negative impact on plant morphology. All Si-treated basil plants absorbed Si in small quantities and affected the uptake of phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, iron, manganese, copper, zinc and molybdenum. After an unintentional frost event, basil plants treated with 75 ppm had significantly higher survival rates and reduced cold injury symptoms. We concluded that Si amendments can have a positive impact on hydroponically grown sweet basil, and that such amendments may reduce plant damage due to occasionally cooler growing temperatures.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Analysis of Economic and Social Costs of Growing Petunia ×hybrida in a Greenhouse Production System Using Alternative Containers

  HortScience · 2018-08-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Greenhouse growers find themselves under increasing pressure to respond to consumer preferences to use environmentally sustainable practices and materials while maintaining profitable operations. These consumer preferences reflect a mounting awareness of the environmental issues, such as climate change and their associated social costs. Ideally, sustainable horticultural production accounts for both traditional economic considerations and such social costs, some of which can be explained through the calculation of global warming potential (GWP). An obvious candidate for a sustainable intervention is the traditional plastic pot, which growers can replace with alternative biocontainers with varying degrees of GWP. This study calculates the variability of direct costs of production using alternative containers to offer a comparison of social and economic costs. We evaluated these direct costs of producing petunia ( Petunia × hybrida ) grown in pots made of traditional plastic, bioplastic, coir, manure, peat, bioplastic sleeve, slotted rice hull, solid rice hull, straw, wood fiber, and recycled reground plastic containers used in a previous assessment of GWP. Our analysis of the costs when using a traditional plastic pot showed that the highest contributors to GWP were different from the highest contributors to direct costs, revealing that the price does not reflect the environmental impact of several inputs. Electricity, the plastic shuttle tray, and the plastic pot contributed most to GWP, whereas labor, the plastic container, and paclobutrozol growth regulator contributed most to direct cost of production (COP). At 64% of total cost, labor was the most expensive input. Watering by hand added another $0.37–$0.54 per plant in labor. When we analyzed input costs of each alternative container separately, container type had the largest impact on total direct costs. Before adding container costs, the direct COP ranged from $0.56 to $0.61 per plant. After adding containers, costs ranged from $0.61 to $0.97 per plant. Wood fiber pots were the most expensive and recycled reground plastic pots were the least expensive in this study. Based on our assessment and the observed small variation in GWP between alternative containers, growers would benefit from selecting a container based on price and consumer demand. Some social costs that we are not aware of yet may be associated with some or all biocontainers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluating environmental conditions in open-roof greenhouses

  Acta Horticulturae · 2017-07-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Assessment of Electricity-Free Hydroponics in India: A Proof of Concept Field Study

  Journal of Agricultural Science · 2017-12-13 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Subsistence and smallholder farmers in the Deccan plateau region of India struggle with a predominantly hot and dry climate and often accumulated debt due to the cost of fertilizer that they need to increase yields for profitability. While a low-cost deep-flow technique hydroponic growing system (DFT) as a supplement to soil-based agriculture could help reduce debt, the cost of electricity needed to operate the DFT makes it inaccessible to these farmers. The objective of this project was to test the viability of electricity-free DFT which would substantially reduce production costs. Two DFT systems were set up in a shade net house and prepared with identical nutrients to grow chili pepper seedlings. Each DFT system was oxygenated for 30 minutes per day, one system using an electrical air pump, and the other system was oxygenated manually. After four weeks of growth, the dry mass of the shoots of the chili pepper seedlings in each system was measured. While the pump-oxygenated DFT system produced more dry matter, the manually-oxygenated system produced a larger number of visually healthier plants. Therefore, we conclude that electricity-free DFT hydroponics may be a viable alternative to pump-oxygenated DFT hydroponics, making hydroponic farming a cost-effective option for poor farmers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Putting Lights to the Test

  Grower talks · 2016-01-01

  articleSenior author
  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• S. Kaan Kurtural

  98 shared

• Carl E. Sams

  University of Tennessee at Knoxville

  58 shared

• Robin G. Brumfield

  Rutgers Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

  51 shared

• Erik S. Runkle

  Michigan State University

  51 shared

• Steven R. Rodermel

  49 shared

• Guihong Bi

  49 shared

• Seenivasan Natarajan

  49 shared

• Eran Raveh

  U.S. National Arboretum

  49 shared