Purdue Engineer Earns USDA AFRI Grant to Advance Hydroponics Research
June 26, 2026 
A pair of scientists working in a hydroponic vertical farm. | amorn via Adobe Stock
Purdue College of Agriculture engineer Caitlin Proctor has received a major grant from the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) to explore the management of bacteria and biofilms in hydroponic growing systems.
Proctor will work with Purdue’s Assistant Professor of Agronomy Roland Wilhelm and Associate Professor in Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Celina Gomez, as well as Associate Professor of Plant Pathology M. Soleded Benitez Ponce from the Ohio State University, to “improve sampling procedures, develop biofilm capture devices, and create methods of using ‘good’ bacteria to outcompete bad bacteria.”
Currently, researchers must swab tanks to properly sample biofilms. Not only can this be a labor-intensive process, but there are also no established guidelines for taking measurements, meaning the results are often inconsistent. Proctor looks to develop more consistent and reliable procedures for testing various sampling methods.
Additionally, Proctor and her team are looking for more effective and efficient methods of seeding good bacteria into hydroponics systems, including testing different methods of adding microbial inoculants through biofiltration systems.
Proctor hopes that the project will benefit growers by helping them be more proactive than reactive with their hydroponics systems, and consumers by creating more resilient food systems.
For additional information on the details of the grant and Proctor’s research, read the original reporting here.