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.

英国首相苏纳克最近指出，英国食品饮料和园艺行业的价值分别为 240 亿英镑和 50 亿英镑，但面临着创新和提高生产力的巨大压力。垂直农业 (VF) 是一种在发育优化条件下进行作物生长的简单过程。生长（环境），包括光（强度和成分）、养分、水、温度和湿度，以 3-D 形式复制以最大化每平方米产量，这使得作物可以在任何地方生长。鉴于气候变化（以及相关的极端情况）和地缘政治不稳定问题都对粮食安全/供应链产生严重影响，这一举措是及时的。值得注意的是，英国的水果和蔬菜 (F&V) 进口赤字高达 60 亿英镑，这让英国（本土）相形见绌。 ）F&V 产量，价值 26 亿英镑（DEFRA 2021），其中，对于适合 VF 的作物，英国的产值为 17 亿英镑（DEFRA 2021 年），这意味着仅在英国，VF 的潜力就巨大，随着商业 VF 构建在全球（尤其是在英国）的推广，例如 Vertegrow 和 OneFarm，它们都使用此处合作伙伴的系统。 ；Intelligent Growth Solutions Ltd (IGS)。在这里，我们的目标是利用罗勒作为范例来掌握 VF 的潜力，但很有价值（占欧盟草药的 60-75%）市场份额和当前全球市场价值 15 亿美元），并探索一种新的途径来实现作物开发、经济价值和减少作物生产系统中使用的能源（以及由此产生的排放）。探索 VF 嵌入式发光二极管 (LED) 光脉冲提供的机会，在微秒级控制光持续时间/频率，这为维持/提高作物生产力、操纵新陈代谢、生物化学、发育和减少作物产量提供了重要机会该领域的科学知识很少，初步数据表明，光脉冲会增加总成分，例如鲜重/干重（生物量）和叶面积。然而，在这方面几乎没有基础科学和知识。为了解决这个问题，我们将与合作伙伴、领先的 VF 智能生长解决方案合作，采用深入的科学方法。最先进的技术提供商，“照亮”光生理分子生化相互作用和影响的机制为此，我们将梳理出遗传多样性对光脉冲的影响。除了这个项目之外，我们的最终目标是创造光优化的新作物，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，以确定潜在的能源（和温室气体）减少效益。这里的工作有许多潜在的成果，其中最重要的是。这降低成本和提高新鲜农产品生产可持续性的能力将最终应用于其他适合 VF 的作物，以验证广泛的效用，从而为 F&V 生产的本土生产创造更多机会。减少上述国家食品和饮料进口赤字，并从长远来看，通过现成的、可持续的和有营养的新鲜农产品改善英国的健康指数。