Resources and Research

Percival follows and contributes to continuous research that improves technology and products used in the controlled environment industry. We strive to be a resource for insightful articles, industry trends, expert tips and helpful tools. We also share some of our findings from internal investigations to help researchers around the world create better science.

We’re here to answer your questions about the best environmental conditions for specific plant growth and biological studies.

Percival's Commitment to Low-GWP Refrigerant

As part of an effort to continue to advance sustainable refrigeration solutions for plant growth chamber and controlled environment research, and as part of a proactive measure in response to evolving U.S. environmental regulations and industry requirements, select chambers are configurable with low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant. This is part of our broader commitment to:

  • - Ongoing regulatory readiness
  • - Environmental responsibility and sustainable solutions
  • - Long-term serviceability and support for research facilities and production growers

Our refrigeration approach is configured to meet certain GWP < 300 class requirements applicable to impacted equipment categories, and support customers as the market transitions to lower-impact refrigerants. Throughout this work, we’ve focused on maintaining the operational standards our customers rely upon—temperature uniformity, reliability, and uptime—while meeting the expectations of the technology transition.

These configurations are available for applicable equipment categories. If you’re planning a new installation, our team can help you evaluate configurations that meet performance and environmental requirements.

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The Detrimental Impact of High-Speed Airflow in CEA

This report explains the importance of minimizing air speed that helps reduce mechanical stress while maintaining temperature uniformity. Read these best practices designed for vertical farming manufacturers, growers and producers.

Balancing for Success: Optimizing CO₂, Light, and Temperature

This report by David Imberti, mathematical modeler and software developer at Percival Scientific, shares his research and insights during a panel discussion at Indoor Ag-Con 2024 – “Balancing for Success: Optimizing CO2, Light, and Temperature.”

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Setting the Standard in Chamber Testing

This report explains the extensive testing protocol Percival Scientific uses to ensure that our customers’ chambers can achieve the desired specifications for their unique research needs. We follow one simple rule: If it doesn’t pass, it doesn’t ship.

Hydroponics System Comparison

This study compared two hydroponic systems for use in Percival Scientific’s research chambers. The goal was to mimic commercial production conditions for leafy greens using tower hydroponics and the nutrient film technique (NFT). After an in-depth analysis, the report concludes that the NFT system is the most suitable for manufacturing and consumer use in research chambers because it is precise and easily manufactured with stainless steel components.

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Factors Affecting Petri Dish Condensation in Tissue Culture Chambers

This investigation studied the effects of infrared lighting, light intensity, and stacking, as well as constant and varied temperature between the day and night cycle inside tissue culture chambers. The report summarizes the best ways to reduce condensation in tissue culture chambers.

Effect of Supplemental Far-Red Light on Lettuce and Arabidopsis

This report summarizes an investigation of the impact of supplemental far-red light on lettuce and Arabidopsis in a controlled environment setting. Internal experiments revealed positive effects of leaf size and harvest weights at specific red-to-far-red ratios, but caution is advised for leafy greens due to potential undesirable morphological changes.

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LED Spectra in Plant Growth

Use this general summary to learn how LED spectra affect plant growth and health. It’s a great tool for determining the best controlled-environment uses for particular spectrums, including violet, blue, green, orange, deep red and far-red.