Light Pulsing in Vertical Farming For Sustainable Fresh Produce: LightPuls-VF

垂直农业中的光脉冲可持续新鲜农产品：LightPuls-VF

• 批准号: BB/Z51441X/1
• 负责人: Derek Stewart
• 金额: $ 38.99万
• 依托单位: James Hutton Institute
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FZ51441X%2F1
• 关键词: Light; Pulsing; Vertical; Farming; Sustainable

Prime Minister Sunak recently identified that the UK food and drink and horticultural sectors are worth £24Bn and £5Bn, respectively, but are under significant pressure to innovate and increase productivity. Vertical farming (VF) is a simple process of crops in developmentally optimised conditions (environments) for growth including light (intensity and composition), nutrients, water, temperature, and humidity. Replicated in 3-D to maximise production/m2, this allows for crops to be grown anywhere. This is timely given the issues of climate change (and associated extremes) and geopolitical instability both impacting heavily on food security/supply chains. Notably, in the UK we have a £6Bn import deficit in fruit and vegetables (F&V) which dwarfs UK (home) F&V production, valued at £2.6Bn (DEFRA 2021), within which, for VF-appropriate crops, UK production value is £1.7Bn (DEFRA 2021). This means the potential for VF in the UK alone is enormous. This is now being realised with the promulgation of commercial VF-builds globally and importantly in the UK, e.g., Vertegrow and OneFarm, both using systems from the collaborative partner here; Intelligent Growth Solutions Ltd (IGS).Here we aim to grasp the potential of VF using basil as an exemplar, but valuable (60-75% of EU herb market share and current global market value of $1.5Bn), crop, and to also explore a novel route to both crop development, economic value and a reduction in the energy used (and therefore emissions created) in the crop production system. Here we will explore the opportunities offered by VF-embedded light emitting diode (LED) light pulsing, the manipulation of light duration/frequency at the microsecond level that looks to offers significant opportunities to maintain/improve crop productivity, manipulate metabolism, biochemistry, development, and reduce energy use and associated emissions.The science in this area is sparse and the preliminary data has demonstrated that light pulsing increases gross components such as fresh/dry weight (biomass) and leaf areas. However, little underpinning science and knowledge exists in terms of the light pulse-plant interaction and associated consequences for plant metabolism, quality impacts or scope for change via diverse germplasm exploitation. To solve this, we will take a deep-dive scientific approach and, with the collaborative partners, Intelligent Growth Solutions, a leading VF state-of-the-art technology provider, "shine a light" on the light-physiological-molecular-biochemical mechanisms of interplay and impact. To do this we will tease out the impact of genetic diversity in response to light pulsing towards with the ultimate aims (beyond this project) of creating light optimised new crops. Alongside this mechanistic plant biology work we will deliver a life cycle assessment to identify potential energy (and GHG) reduction benefits.The work here has many potential outcomes not least of which is the ability to reduce the costs and improve the sustainability of fresh produce production. Success here would see the approach ultimately applied to other VF-amenable crops to validate broad the utility thereby creating impacts in terms of greater opportunities for on-shoring of F&V production, associated reductions in the aforementioned national F&V import deficit and, longer term, an improvement in the UK health indices via readily available, sustainable and nutritious fresh produce.

Sunak总理最近确定，英国的食品和饮料和马文业的价值分别为240亿英镑和50亿英镑，但面向创新和提高生产率的巨大压力。垂直耕作（VF）是在开发优化的条件（环境）中的一个简单过程，包括光（强度和成分），营养素，水，温度和湿度。以3-D复制至最大生产/M2，这使农作物可以在任何地方种植。鉴于气候变化（以及相关的极端）和地缘政治不稳定的问题都会严重影响粮食安全/供应链，这是及时的。值得注意的是，在英国，我们在水果和蔬菜（F＆V）中有60亿英镑的进口防御，使英国（Home）F＆V生产相形见,，价值为26亿英镑（Defra 2021），对于VF适当的农作物，英国的生产价值为17亿英镑（Defra 2021）。这意味着仅在英国，VF的潜力是巨大的。现在，随着在英国的全球且重要的是，在全球范围内颁布商业VF-builds，例如，Vertegrow和Onefarm都使用了此处的协作合作伙伴的系统；智能增长解决方案有限公司（IGS）。我们的目的是掌握VF使用Basil作为典范的潜力，但有价值（占欧盟草药市场份额的60-75％，当前的全球市场价值为15亿美元），农作物，还探索了一种新颖的途径，探索了作物发展，经济价值，经济价值，以及所用作品的降低（以及创建的作品）。在这里，我们将探索由VF插入的光二极管（LED）脉冲脉冲的机会，在微秒级别操纵持续时间/频率的操纵，这些持续时间/频率均可为维持/提高作物生产率，操纵代谢，生物化学，开发，开发，降低能量的数据和相关数据的范围提供了很大的机会。例如新鲜/干重（生物量）和叶片区域。然而，就光脉冲植物的相互作用以及对植物代谢的影响，质量影响或通过潜水员的种质开发而变化的范围，几乎没有基础的科学和知识的基础。为了解决这个问题，我们将采用一种深入的科学方法，并与协作合作伙伴一起，智能增长解决方案是领先的VF最先进的技术提供商，“在相互作用和影响力的光生理分子生物化学机制上“闪耀”。为此，我们将教导遗传多样性对响应脉冲的影响，以创建光线优化新作物的最终目标（超越该项目）。除了这项机械植物生物学工作外，我们还将进行生命周期评估，以识别势能（和GHG）的减少效益。这里的工作具有许多潜在的结果，尤其是其中的能力降低成本并提高新鲜生产的可持续性。在这里的成功将看到该方法最终适用于其他VF不明的作物，以验证广泛的公用事业，从而取得了更大的餐饮生产机会的机会，同时减少了Priorite National F＆V进口防御的相关减少，并且长期越来越多，可以通过可用的可用和营养新鲜产品来改善英国健康指数。