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

首相苏纳克最近指出，英国食品和饮料以及园艺行业分别价值240亿英镑和50亿英镑，但在创新和提高生产力方面面临巨大压力。垂直农业（VF）是作物在发育优化条件（环境）下生长的简单过程，包括光照（强度和成分），营养物质，水，温度和湿度。以3D形式复制，以最大限度地提高每平方米的产量，这使得作物可以在任何地方种植。考虑到气候变化（及相关极端事件）和地缘政治不稳定问题对粮食安全/供应链的严重影响，这是及时的。值得注意的是，在英国，我们在水果和蔬菜（F&V）方面有60亿英镑的进口赤字，这使英国（家庭）F&V生产相形见绌，价值26亿英镑（DEFRA 2021），其中，对于适合VF的作物，英国产值为17亿英镑（DEFRA 2021）。这意味着仅在英国，VF的潜力就非常巨大。随着全球范围内商业VF构建的颁布，这一点正在实现，尤其是在英国，例如，Vertegrow和OneFarm，都使用合作伙伴的系统;智能增长解决方案有限公司（IGS）。在这里，我们的目标是掌握VF的潜力，使用罗勒作为范例，但有价值的（60-75%的欧盟草药市场份额和目前的全球市场价值15亿美元），作物，并探索一种新的途径，既作物的发展，经济价值和减少作物生产系统中使用的能源（以及因此产生的排放）。在这里，我们将探讨VF嵌入式发光二极管（LED）光脉冲提供的机会，在微秒级对光持续时间/频率的操纵，这看起来提供了重要的机会，以保持/提高作物生产力，操纵新陈代谢，生物化学，发育，减少能源使用和相关排放。这方面的科学研究很少，初步数据表明，总组分，如鲜/干重（生物量）和叶面积。然而，在光脉冲-植物相互作用和对植物代谢的相关后果、质量影响或通过不同种质开发的变化范围方面，几乎没有基础科学和知识。为了解决这个问题，我们将采取深入的科学方法，并与合作伙伴，智能增长解决方案，一个领先的VF国家的最先进的技术提供商，“照亮”的光-生理-分子-生物化学机制的相互作用和影响。为了做到这一点，我们将梳理出遗传多样性对光脉冲的影响，最终目标（超越本项目）是创造光优化的新作物。除了这项机械植物生物学工作，我们还将提供生命周期评估，以确定潜在的能源（和温室气体）减排效益。这里的工作有许多潜在的成果，尤其是降低成本和提高新鲜农产品生产的可持续性的能力。如果成功，该方法最终将应用于其他适合VF的作物，以验证广泛的效用，从而在F&V生产的更多机会方面产生影响，相关减少上述国家F&V进口赤字，以及从长远来看，通过随时可用，可持续和营养的新鲜农产品改善英国健康指数。

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.