Mizzou opens $28 million Plant Growth Research Center

(Missourinet) The University of Missouri has opened a new $28 million state-of-the-art center housing research greenhouses and cutting-edge, controlled-environment plant growth chambers in Columbia. From droughts to floods to monsoons, the more than 9,000 square feet for controlled environment growth chambers enable researchers to simulate climate conditions from all over the world to study their impacts on crops. Scott Brown, with the University of Missouri, says the new site is a much-needed improvement.

“So a chance to have some new greenhouse space to make sure our plant science researchers can do the cutting-edge research that they need,” says Brown.

The site contains some of the tallest growth chambers in the world that can accommodate the full 12-foot growth height of corn. Brown thinks the research will involve all sorts of crops.

“I think it’s going to be across the board and in fact, we’re looking at a number of researchers bidding on the opportunity to have greenhouse space in this new facility,” says Brown. “So, we’ll see how it unfolds moving forward.”

The East Campus building has 24 greenhouse units.