** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE MAJOR BARRIER TO CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE (CEA) PRODUCTION IS ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY DUE TO HIGH CAPITAL AND OPERATING COSTS. WHILE CEA TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES PRODUCERS THE ABILITY TO PRECISELY CONTROL THE ENVIRONMENT, THE OPTIMAL PRODUCTION CONDITIONS TO MAXIMIZE YIELD, QUALITY, AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN FOR MOST CROPS. THUS, THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED TO IDENTIFY COST-EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES SUCH AS END-OF-PRODUCTION (EOP) REGIMENS TO IMPROVE THE YIELD, APPEARANCE, NUTRITIONAL CONTENT, AND POST-HARVEST LONGEVITY OF LEAFY GREENS SPECIES AND CULTIVARS; THEREFORE, THIS CRITICAL NEED IS THE OVERALL GOAL OF OUR PROJECT.TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, WE PROPOSE IMPROVING THE CRITICAL PRODUCTION STAGE, EOP, BY INVESTIGATING HOW MULTIPLE MANAGEMENT COMPONENTS OF CEA HYDROPONIC PRODUCTION SYSTEMS CAN BE INTEGRATED TO IMPROVE LEAFY GREEN QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY; AN INVESTIGATION OF HOW CROPPING SYSTEM INTENSIFICATION WILL AFFECT PLANT HEALTH AND SYSTEM RESILIENCE, A GOAL OF THE FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS PROGRAM.THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO IDENTIFY EOP 1) LIGHTING, 2) NUTRIENT SOLUTION TEMPERATURE, AND 3) MINERAL NUTRIENT LIMITATION OR ELEVATION STRATEGIES THAT EFFECTIVELY IMPROVE YIELD, APPEARANCE, NUTRITIONAL CONTENT, AND POST-HARVEST LONGEVITY, AND 4) EVALUATE THE ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF EOP REGIMES. OUR FIFTH OBJECTIVE IS TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE VIRTUAL TRAINING RESOURCE ENCOMPASSING THE BASIC, INTERMEDIATE, AND ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE OF HYDROPONIC CEA LEAFY GREEN PRODUCTION.UPON COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT, WE WILL HAVE IDENTIFIED EFFECTIVE EOP STRATEGIES TO EFFECTIVELY IMPROVE LEAFY GREEN YIELD AND QUALITY WHILE ALSO CREATING RESOURCES FOR PRODUCERS TO EFFECTIVELY APPLY RECOMMENDATIONS.