prof.dr.ir. LFM (Leo) Marcelis

Chair Group

The greenhouse horticultural sector in The Netherlands is world leading. The sector is highly innovative and is continuously in search for new knowledge. This demands for a strong horticultural chair group at Wageningen University.

It is our mission to conduct high quality fundamental research and educating students. We want to provide the scientific basis that is required for sustainable crop production and high product quality in horticulture.

We want to explore and exploit the physiology of plants. Our research focus is on how physiological processes in crops, plants and plant organs interact with the abiotic environment and how this affects crop production and product quality. Using a systems analytical approach, questions from horticultural practice are translated into fundamental research topics, aiming to explain mechanisms. These questions can be related to improving yield and pre- and post harvest quality, energy saving, and efficient water use. In this way the research and education will also contribute to sustainably feeding the world with healthy high-quality products.

• Frontiers in Plant Science (1-9-2017/31-12-2099)
  Chief editor of the section Crop and Product Physiology of the open access journal Frontiers in Plant Science
• ISHS Council (1-8-2014/31-12-2099)
  Representing The Netherlands in the council of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS)
• Leibniz Institute of vegetable and ornamental crops (1-10-2020/31-12-2099)
  Vice chair of the Science Advisory board of the Leibniz Institute of vegetable and ornamental crops, Grossbeeren, Germany
• OptimIA (1-1-2021/31-12-2099)
  OptimIA (Optimizing Indoor Agriculture) is a USDA-supported Specialty Crop Research Initiative project to help this emerging industry be more profitable and sustainable through critical research and extension activities (USA) (https://www.scri-optimia.org/)