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

完全控制环境农业(TCEA；室内或垂直农业)与田间农业相比具有显著的优势，这可能有助于英国的粮食安全，同时将生产对环境的影响降至最低。这些能力包括：通过加快或减缓生产周期实现供需匹配的能力；在人口中心附近高密度生产粮食的能力，以取代农业用地和减少与复杂供应链相关的排放；通过精确供应营养和水以及实际排除害虫来减少投入的能力；以及不受季节影响生产一致理想产品的能力，减少与零售商和消费者拒绝相关的浪费。相反，TCEA依赖电能产生光合作用和维持生长环境的光，其中TCEA 90%的二氧化碳排放是电力使用的结果，水培生菜生产的能源消耗高达田间生产的80倍。这突显了提高室内生产效率的必要性。TCEA中限制效率的一个关键因素是光能到生物质的转换，在这种情况下植物是在光通常过多的环境中进化的，并且TCEA中遇到的弱光环境还没有进行育种。在野外的转换效率可以低至0.03%，虽然窄带LED可以提高室内效率，但它保持在1-3%。然而，在光能利用效率(LUE)方面存在显著的种内和种间差异，可用于识别TCEA中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，并提供机会来调节作物质量，以满足收获后的期望。在拟议的工作中，我们将利用不同的生菜种群来确定支持光能利用效率和收获指数的机制和标记。我们将利用所获得的知识设计实验，以优化光和环境管理，以提高生产效率。该项目的目标是：确定在TCEA条件下生菜种群光能利用效率的分子决定因素和标记。通过了解G×M相互作用，优化TCEA环境中的生菜生产效率。利用TCEA环境的灵活性来优化生菜收获后的品质和货架期。为学术界和工业界提供包含育种标记和目标的工具包，以及作物管理方法和协议，以提高TCEA的短期和长期效率。该项目代表着TCEA育种的重要一步。由于以前没有为这种环境选择作物，因此预计会有很高的遗传收益。我们将直接向一家领先的英国种子公司提供TCEA生产效率的关键性状标记，以加速适应室内环境的作物生产。优化生产环境的工作首先将为我们的合作伙伴IGS带来直接的效率收益，并通过传播活动提供更广泛的收益。该提案中开展的工作将减少TCEA的环境足迹，提高盈利能力，并支持英国走在这一新兴技术的前沿。

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.