Reducing food losses in Vertical Farming through root monitoring

通过根部监测减少垂直农业的粮食损失

• 批准号: 10046158
• 金额: $ 6.37万
• 依托单位: HAI TECH LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Grant for R&D
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10046158
• 关键词: Reducing; food; losses; Vertical; Farming

HAI TECH LTD is developing a root monitoring technology to help vertical farmers predict crop yield and optimise harvest timing. In the UK it is estimated that at least 7.2% of crops (3.6M tons) go to waste or are left unharvested due to grading issues related to size, weight, and appearance \[1\]. Food loss can lead to higher costs for consumers and result in an unavoidable increase in CO2 emissions. Vertical Farming (VF), a branch of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), is a food production technology focused on optimising efficiency and plant quality. However, it can be challenging to meet strict supermarket and restaurant gradings. For a medium-scale VF (50,000sqft) growing leafy greens, failing to surpass such challenges can lead to losses of almost £1M per year (240 tons CO2 emissions).Our solution is to help VF producers enhance their efficiency and reach desired quality standards through plant root monitoring. Plant biomass is related to the plant's ability to produce new roots, and it has been demonstrated that under different irrigation schemes the final root-to-shoot ratio of the crop can be controlled \[2\]. HAI TECH LTD is going to enable VF producers to have more control of the key enablers of productivity and sustainability of any plant ecosystem, the roots. Our technology employs electrical stimuli to create a 3D image of the root zone. Such images are then analysed using machine learning algorithms that model the performance of the crop, creating a digital twin of the plant. Unlike current monitoring technologies that provide single point measurement references (e.g., CO2, humidity, etc.), we provide a crop status report that can help farmers get their desired outcome. The technology proposed is non-invasive and easily installable on most hydroponics and potted systems, thus more accessible to users and their ecosystems.Our goal is to enhance the profitability of VF production by increasing the yield of healthy crops. Ultimately, this will help reduce food waste and the carbon impact, reduce food costs for consumers, help expand current setups and create more jobs in the sector.\[1\] WRAP. (2019), Banbury, 'Food waste in primary production in the UK'; Prepared by Bojana Bajzelj, William McManus and Andrew Parry.\[2\] Guo-wei, X. et al. (2018); 'Morphological and physiological traits of rice roots and their relationships to yield and nitrogen utilization as influenced by irrigation regime and nitrogen rate', Agricultural Water Management, Volume 203, Pages 385-394\.

HAI TECH LTD正在开发一种根系监测技术，以帮助垂直农场主预测作物产量并优化收获时间。在英国，估计至少有7.2%的作物（360万吨）由于与大小，重量和外观相关的分级问题而被浪费或未收获。粮食损失可能导致消费者成本增加，并导致不可避免的二氧化碳排放量增加。垂直农业（VF）是受控环境农业（CEA）的一个分支，是一种专注于优化效率和植物质量的食品生产技术。然而，要达到严格的超市和餐馆分级标准可能是一项挑战。对于一个中等规模的VF（50，000平方英尺）种植绿叶蔬菜，未能超越这些挑战可能导致每年近100万英镑的损失（240吨二氧化碳排放）。我们的解决方案是帮助VF生产商提高效率，并通过植物根部监测达到所需的质量标准。植物生物量与植物产生新根的能力有关，并且已经证明，在不同的灌溉方案下，可以控制作物的最终根冠比[2]。HAI TECH LTD将使VF生产商能够更好地控制任何植物生态系统的生产力和可持续性的关键因素。我们的技术采用电刺激来创建根区的3D图像。然后使用机器学习算法对这些图像进行分析，这些算法对作物的表现进行建模，从而创建植物的数字双胞胎。与提供单点测量参考（例如，CO2、湿度等），我们提供作物状况报告，帮助农民获得他们想要的结果。该技术是非侵入性的，易于安装在大多数水培和盆栽系统中，因此更容易为用户和他们的生态系统所用。我们的目标是通过提高健康作物的产量来提高VF生产的盈利能力。最终，这将有助于减少食物浪费和碳影响，降低消费者的食品成本，帮助扩大现有的设施，并在该行业创造更多的就业机会。[1\] WRAP.（2019），班伯里，“英国初级生产中的食物浪费”;由Bojana Bajzelj，William McManus和Andrew Parry编写。[2] Guo-wei，X.等人（2018）;“水稻根系的形态和生理特征及其与产量和氮利用的关系，受灌溉制度和氮素利用率的影响”，农业水管理，第203卷，第385-394页。