Improving the quality of glasshouse crops via light quality manipulation

尽管UV-B波长(280-315 nm)包含一小部分阳光，但它调节着植物的一系列不同的调控过程，包括生长、代谢物含量以及对病虫害的抗性。UV-B会被玻璃和聚碳酸酯等常见温室材料衰减，因此在许多商业种植环境中会被耗尽。植物的美学质量、健壮性和货架期是温室作物产业的基础。我们之前已经证明，可以UV-B可以降低植株高度，增加香菜叶中抗氧化剂的含量，从而提高这种主要销售草本植物的质量。然而，大规模的UV-B补充在经济和环境上都是不可取的。现在有许多新型的温室材料可以传输UV-B。这些材料对盆栽草本植物质量的影响还没有得到评估。这个项目旨在将拟南芥的基本环境信号与翻译作物科学结合起来。UV-B在提高植物对非生物胁迫的耐受性方面的作用将在模式物种拟南芥中利用一系列生理和分子技术进行研究。与我们的工业合作伙伴Vitacress一起，我们还致力于比较在UV-B衰减和透射性玻璃下生长的香菜和罗勒植物的生长、发育和非生物胁迫耐受性。这个项目需要学生花时间在西苏塞克斯奇切斯特的Vitacress网站上。

Despite comprising a small component of sunlight, UV-B wavelengths (280-315 nm) regulate a diverse array of regulatory processes in plants, including growth, metabolite content and resistance to pests and diseases. UV-B is attenuated by common greenhouse materials such as glass and polycarbonate and is therefore depleted in many commercial growing environments. Plant aesthetic quality, robustness and shelf life are fundamental to the glasshouse crops industry. We have previously shown that can UV-B can reduce plant height and increase leaf antioxidant content in coriander, thereby improving the quality this major selling herb. UV-B supplementation is, however, economically and environmentally undesirable on a large scale. A number of novel glasshouse materials are now available which transmit UV-B. The impact of these materials on potted herb quality has not been assessed.This project aims to combine fundamental environmental signalling in Arabidopsis with translational crop science. The role of UV-B in enhancing plant tolerance to abiotic stress will be investigated in the model species, Arabidopsis thaliana, using a range of physiological and molecular techniques. Together with our industrial partner, Vitacress, we additionally aim to compare the growth, development and abiotic stress tolerance of coriander and basil plants grown under UV-B-attenuating and transmitting glass. This project will require the student to spend time at the Vitacress site, in Chichester, West Sussex.