Controlled environment (CE) horticulture production has shown its potential to cope with the impact of climate change such as rising temperatures and declining water availability. Drives like “locally grown”, and “food miles reduction” favor CE-based food production which represents a $50 billion market for fresh, local, and sustainable food. CE production systems use advanced technology for climate control and mechanized growing practices for which infrastructure and software development have taken a good start. Contrastingly, the breeding and development of plants designed to best perform in CEs to reduce energy usage, allow automation, and increase profits are just beginning. The US CE producers can benefit from the breeding and development of new cultivars with modified stature that offer high-density planting and shortened crop cycles, ease in maintaining and harvesting, and allow automation. Utilization of plant genetics to breed for plant statures will increase crop diversity in CEs. Additionally, discovering new genetics in plant germplasms to enhance crop quality for nutrition, flavor, taste, color, and texture through breeding can meet consumer needs for fresh, high-quality, nutritious, and sustainably produced food. Several other opportunities exist where leveraging genetics to breed new crops that produce nutraceuticals, biofuel, macro and micronutrients, and bioactive compounds can sustain the CE horticulture industry, feed the increasing population, improve health, and cope with climate change.
