IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN PROTECTED CROPPING BY EXPLOITING PLANT RESPONSES TO SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION

通过利用植物对太阳紫外线辐射的反应来提高保护性耕作的能源效率

基本信息

批准号：
1653788
负责人：
金额：
--
依托单位：
Lancaster University
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Studentship
财政年份：
2015
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2015 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-1653788
关键词：
IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROTECTED CROPPING

项目摘要

Horticulture, the production of fresh fruit, vegetables, salads etc, is often overlooked in discussions of food security yet is vital to avoid hidden hunger due to shortage of micro-nutrients. Delivering a year-round supply of fresh produce for N Europe involves local crops produced in heated glasshouses, or crops imported from the Mediterranean basin and beyond. In either case, energy is a major commercial constraint (costs and C footprint) and any technology that reduces energy use is immediately attractive, commercially and environmentally. This project addresses this energy challenge in protected cropping by delivering fundamental insights into a newly recognized crop response to the ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight.Previous research at Lancaster contributed to the development of new UV-transparent (UV-T) crop-covers used in protected crops. Growers using UV-T cladding report that crops mature earlier than under conventional cladding, and they attribute this to the crop being warmer under UV-T covers. We have tested this and shown for the first time that additional UV exposure within a physiologically relevant range results in small but significant increases (0.5-1.7C) in leaf temperature. This is caused by UV decreasing stomatal conductance and transpirational cooling, thereby warming the leaves. This CASE studentship will investigate this effect of UV on crop temperature in a range of commercial protected crops, both fruit crops (e.g. strawberry, tomato, pepper, cucumber) and leafy crops (e.g. basil, coriander, lettuce, rocket). The student will go on to investigate in selected crops whether UV during the day also affects crop temperature at night, and whether effects are confined to leaves, or also occur in other tissues.Arid's commercial assessment is that objective scientific evidence that UV-T covers leads to increased crop temperature would be highly attractive to growers, especially for early and late crops in the Mediterranean rim. The new understanding obtained through the project will also inform the design of new energy saving claddings. In the longer term, this understanding may also allow improved energy use in crops lit by LEDs.The project will start at Lancaster (Years 1 & 2) studying temperature and physiological responses in a range of crops (as above). During Years 3 or 4 the student will spend at least six months placement at Arid's base in Antalya, Turkey. We believe an international dimension is essential for understanding the complexities of modern commercial protected crop management. Also, the impact from this project will most likely be applied most quickly in the environments like Turkey, where any temperature benefit would be a major commercial advantage for UK-manufactured UV-transparent plastics.This collaboration between Arid Agritec and LEC provides an immediate opportunity to field test academic findings at commercial field sites. The collaboration also provide the student with a unique opportunity to undertaken research across the range of scales (laboratory, glasshouse, field) and different research environments, and with an obvious, immediate route to exploitation.The student will have contact with a range of agri-business professionals, including growers, technicians, consultants and supply chain personnel. Such interactions will ensure the student understands the needs of the industry, and provide training in business strategy. That understanding will be underpinned at Lancaster by formal skills training consistent with the Researcher Development Statement developed by Vitae. The student will also benefit from a supervisory team (Prof Nigel Paul and Dr Ian Dodd at Lancaster, Dr Jason Moore at Arid) with a total of 60 years research experience in plant science across the academic-commercial spectrum. These are important contexts for the development of the student's wider skills base as well as for the successful commercialization of their research.

园艺，新鲜水果，蔬菜，沙拉等的生产经常在讨论粮食安全方面被忽视，但由于小营养不足，避免隐藏的饥饿至关重要。全年为N欧洲提供新鲜农产品的供应涉及在加热的温室中生产的当地作物，或从地中海盆地及其他地区进口的农作物。无论哪种情况，能源都是一种主要的商业限制（成本和C足迹），任何降低能源使用的技术在商业和环境上都会立即吸引。该项目通过将基本的见解对阳光下的紫外线（UV）辐射提供了新认识的作物反应，从而解决了受保护作物的能源挑战。兰开斯特的研究有助于开发新的UV-Transparent（UV-T）农作物覆盖。种植者使用UV-t覆层的种植者报告说，在常规覆层下，农作物早熟，它们将其归因于在UV-T覆盖物下的作物更温暖的作物。我们已经对此进行了测试，并首次表明在生理相关范围内的额外紫外线暴露会导致叶片温度的较小但显着升高（0.5-1.7c）。这是由于紫外线降低气孔电导和蒸腾冷却而引起的，从而使叶子变暖。该病例的学生将研究紫外线对种植作物（例如草莓，番茄，胡椒，黄瓜）和多叶作物（例如罗勒，香菜，生菜，火箭）的紫外线温度对农作物温度的这种影响。学生将继续研究选定的农作物中的紫外线是否会影响夜间的作物温度，以及是否局限于叶子，还是在其他组织中发生。阿里德的商业评估是，客观的科学证据表明，uv-t覆盖量会导致农作物温度升高会对种植者有吸引力，尤其是在地中海Rim中的早期和晚作物。通过该项目获得的新理解还将为新的节能壁板的设计提供信息。从长远来看，这种理解还可以允许LED启动的农作物中的能源利用。该项目将从兰开斯特（1＆2年级）开始研究一系列农作物（如上所述）的温度和生理反应。在第3或4年中，学生将在土耳其安塔利亚的Arid基地至少呆了六个月的时间。我们认为，国际维度对于理解现代商业保护作物管理的复杂性至关重要。此外，该项目的影响很可能会在土耳其等环境中最快应用，在土耳其的环境中，任何温度益处将是英国制造的紫外线透明塑料的主要商业优势。这是Arid Agritec与LEC之间的合作，这为商业现场现场现场测试学术发现提供了立即的机会。该合作还为学生提供了一个独特的机会，可以在各种规模（实验室，温室，现场）和不同的研究环境中进行研究，并具有明显的，即时的剥削途径。学生将与包括种植者，技术人员，技术顾问，顾问和供应链人员在内的各种农业企业专业人员接触。这种互动将确保学生了解行业的需求，并提供业务战略培训。这种理解将通过与Vitae开发的研究人员发展声明一致的正式技能培训在兰开斯特的基础。该学生还将受益于一支监督团队（兰开斯特（Nigel Paul）教授和兰开斯特（Lancaster）的伊恩·多德（Ian Dodd）博士，ARID的杰森·摩尔（Jason Moore）博士）在整个学术商业范围内拥有60年的植物科学研究经验。这些是发展学生更广泛技能基础以及成功商业化的重要背景。