Controlled environment production of high-value medicinal plants and fungi

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In almost 40 years of international novel drug discovery, 65% of new therapeutics have been either naturally derived or are synthetic variations of natural products, and the global herbal medicine market is expected to exceed US$ 411 billion by 2026. Many herbal products and remedies are still relatively unknown in modern medicine and are of limited availability due to small-scale production or natural harvesting to the potential point of extinction. As the technology and efficiency of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) improves, the potential for high-value medicinal crop production under controlled environment condition indoors is promising.Using high fidelity environment control, including LED sourced spectral quality recipes, we are investigating the relationship between the quality of the photosynthetic energy sources and plant nutrient uptake. The results will ultimately be assessed in terms of the secondary metabolite profiling and relative concentrations of medicinal compounds of commercial and medical interest in the selected medicinal plant species selected. Our industry partner has targeted four herbaceous plant species and one fungus (mushroom) for further evaluation to determine suitability towards CEA production under optimized conditions (Anoectochilu formosanus, Dendrobium huoshanense, Crocus sativus, Mentha spp., and Ganoderma lucidum).The overall objective of this project is to assess the suitability of CEA towards enhanced production of the selected candidate plant species, and to investigate their physiological responses to the micro-environment (light quality and intensity, carbon dioxide assimilation and nutrient uptake) throughout the different growth stages. This information will elucidate a better understanding to improve growth consistency and economic productivity leading to a niche filed for Canadian CEA medicinal plant production.