Optimising Genetics by Management (GxM) Interactions to Enhance Productivity and Quality in Indoor Lettuce Cultivation

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Total controlled environment agriculture (TCEA; indoor or vertical farming) offers significant advantages over field agriculture that could contribute to UK food security whilst minimising environmental impacts of production. These include the capacity to match supply to demand by accelerating or slowing production cycles; the ability to produce food at high density close to population centres replacing agricultural land use and reducing emissions associated with complex supply chains; the ability to reduce inputs by precision supply of nutrients and water, and the physical exclusion of pests; and the capacity to produce consistent desirable products independent of season reducing waste associated with retailer and consumer rejection.Conversely, TCEA is dependent on electrical energy to generate light for photosynthesis and maintenance of growth environments where >90% of CO2 emissions from TCEA result from electricity use and energy usage for hydroponic lettuce production is up to 80 times greater than for field production. This highlights a need to improve the efficiency of indoor production.A key factor limiting efficiency in TCEA is conversion of light energy to biomass where plants evolved in an environment where light is often present in excess and breeding for low light environments encountered in TCEA has not been undertaken. Conversion efficiency in the field can be as little as 0.03% and while narrow band LED's can raise efficiency indoors it remains at 1-3%. However, significant intra and interspecific variation exists in light use efficiency (LUE) that can be exploited to identify mechanisms and markers for enhanced performance in TCEA. Furthermore, appropriate light and environmental management can improve the efficiency of edible biomass accumulation and offers the opportunity to modulate crop quality to meet postharvest expectations. In the proposed work we will exploit diverse lettuce populations to identify mechanisms and markers underpinning light use efficiency and harvest index. We will use knowledge gained to design experiments to optimise light and environmental management for enhanced production efficiency.The aims of the project are to:Identify the molecular determinants and markers of light use efficiency under TCEA conditions in lettuce populations.Optimise lettuce production efficiency in TCEA environments taking advantage of understanding G x M interactions.Use the flexibility of TCEA environments to optimise lettuce post-harvest quality and shelf life.Provide academia and industry with a toolkit comprising breeding markers and targets, and crop management approaches and protocols to improve the short- and long-term efficiency of TCEA.The project represents an important step towards breeding for TCEA. As crops have not previously been selected for such environments, high genetic gain is anticipated. We will deliver markers for key traits for TCEA production efficiency directly to a leading UK seed company accelerating the production of crops adapted for the indoor environment. Work to optimise production environments will provide immediate efficiency gains initially for our partners IGS and more widely through dissemination activities. Work undertaken in this proposal will reduce the environmental footprint of TCEA, drive profitability and support the UK at the forefront of this emerging technology.