ACDC: Advanced Crop Dynamic Control for sustainable leaf protein production in vertical farms

ACDC：用于垂直农场可持续叶蛋白生产的先进作物动态控制

• 批准号: 10076948
• 金额: $ 96.48万
• 依托单位: LETTUS GROW LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Collaborative R&D
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10076948
• 关键词: ACDC; Advanced; Crop; Dynamic; Control

This project addresses UK food security challenges amidst a climate crisis by offering a game-changing solution to **transform inefficient TCEA** (total controlled environment agriculture) operations into sustainable, **energy-efficient crop growing systems**. By collaborating to integrate innovative technologies, the project will characterise and demonstrate novel, responsive TCEA growing methods to optimise the efficiencies of environmental control including lighting, irrigation and nutrient supply to reduce the largest contributors responsible for high carbon footprint. The solution will also automate manual operations and improve the safety/consistency/quality/shelf-life of produce for retailers/consumers, by dynamically altering the growth environment.This innovative project will, for the first time, use the **measurement of crop physiological status**, measured using an **integrated spectral imaging system**, to **inform the illumination intensity/composition**, as well as the energy management (including renewables integration); ultimately using plant health to develop **greener production recipes** using advanced **responsive control** methodologies. The project's impact will be measured by changes to **crop yield versus operational impact** benchmarked over cost/benefit and compared to the existing state of the art. The key crop identified is the high-protein leaf crop Spinach, not only as a test crop to validate this integrated TCEA technology, but as an alternative protein crop to unlock new markets.The project is delivered by a highly competent consortium led by LettusGrow and including another two technology companies: Fotenix and Vertically Urban, an RTO: CHAP, an academic partner: Rothamsted Research and a vertical farm grower: Perfectly Fresh.

该项目通过提供改变游戏规则的解决方案来解决英国在气候危机中面临的粮食安全挑战，将低效的 TCEA（完全受控环境农业）运营转变为可持续的、**节能的作物种植系统**。通过合作整合创新技术，该项目将描述并展示新颖、响应性的 TCEA 种植方法，以优化环境控制的效率，包括照明、灌溉和养分供应，以减少造成高碳足迹的最大因素。该解决方案还将通过动态改变生长环境，实现手动操作自动化，并提高零售商/消费者产品的安全性/一致性/质量/保质期。这个创新项目将首次使用农作物的**测量生理状态**，使用**集成光谱成像系统**测量，以**告知照明强度/成分**，以及能源管理（包括可再生能源整合）；最终利用先进的**响应控制**方法，利用植物健康来开发**绿色生产配方**。该项目的影响将通过以成本/效益为基准并与现有技术进行比较的**作物产量与运营影响**的变化来衡量。确定的关键作物是高蛋白叶类作物菠菜，它不仅作为验证这种综合 TCEA 技术的测试作物，而且作为打开新市场的替代蛋白质作物。该项目由 LettusGrow 和其中包括另外两家科技公司：Fotenix 和 Vertically Urban、RTO：CHAP、学术合作伙伴：Rothamsted Research 和垂直农场种植者：Perfectly Fresh。