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

全控环境农业（TCEA;室内或垂直农业）比大田农业具有显著优势，有助于英国粮食安全，同时最大限度地减少生产对环境的影响。其中包括通过加速或减缓生产周期来匹配供需的能力;在人口中心附近高密度生产粮食的能力，取代农业土地使用并减少与复杂供应链相关的排放;通过精确供应减少投入的能力营养物和水，以及物理排除害虫;以及独立于季节生产一致的期望产品的能力，减少了与零售商和消费者拒绝相关的浪费。相反，TCEA依赖于电能来产生用于光合作用的光，并维持生长环境，其中>90%的TCEA依赖于电能。TCEA的CO2排放量中有50%来自电力使用，水培生菜生产的能源使用量是田间生产的80倍。这突出了提高室内生产效率的需要。限制TCEA效率的关键因素是光能向生物量的转化，其中植物在光通常过量存在的环境中进化，并且尚未进行TCEA中遇到的低光环境的育种。现场的转换效率可以低至0.03%，而窄带LED可以提高室内效率，其保持在1- 3%。然而，光利用效率（LUE）存在显着的种内和种间差异，可以利用它来识别TCEA增强性能的机制和标记。此外，适当的光照和环境管理可以提高可食用生物量积累的效率，并提供调整作物质量以满足收获后期望的机会。在拟议的工作中，我们将利用不同的生菜种群，以确定机制和标记的光利用效率和收获指数。我们将利用所获得的知识设计实验，以优化光线和环境管理，提高生产效率。该项目的目标是：确定TCEA条件下莴苣群体光能利用效率的分子决定因素和标记。利用对G x M相互作用的理解，优化TCEA环境下莴苣的生产效率。利用TCEA环境的灵活性优化莴苣收获后的质量和货架期。为学术界和工业界提供一个包含育种标记和靶标的工具包，以及作物管理方法和协议，以提高TCEA的短期和长期效率。该项目是TCEA育种的重要一步。由于以前没有为这种环境选择过作物，预计会有很高的遗传增益。我们将直接向一家领先的英国种子公司提供TCEA生产效率关键性状的标记，以加快适应室内环境的作物的生产。优化生产环境的工作将首先为我们的合作伙伴IGS提供直接的效率收益，并通过传播活动进行更广泛的推广。该提案中开展的工作将减少TCEA的环境足迹，提高盈利能力，并支持英国处于这一新兴技术的最前沿。

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.