IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN PROTECTED CROPPING BY EXPLOITING PLANT RESPONSES TO SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION

园艺，新鲜水果、蔬菜、沙拉等的生产，在粮食安全的讨论中经常被忽视，但对于避免由于微量营养素短缺而导致的隐性饥饿至关重要。为欧洲北部提供全年的新鲜农产品，包括在加热的温室中生产的当地作物，或从地中海盆地及其他地区进口的作物。在任何一种情况下，能源都是一个主要的商业限制（成本和碳足迹），任何减少能源使用的技术在商业和环境方面都立即具有吸引力。该项目通过对新认识的作物对阳光紫外线辐射的反应提供基本见解，解决了保护作物的能源挑战。兰开斯特以前的研究有助于开发用于受保护作物的新型紫外线透明（UV-T）作物覆盖物。使用UV-T覆盖层的种植者报告说，作物比传统覆盖层成熟得早，他们将这归因于UV-T覆盖下的作物更温暖。我们对此进行了测试，并首次表明，在生理相关范围内的额外紫外线照射会导致叶片温度小幅但显着升高（0.5-1.7℃）。这是由于紫外线降低气孔导度和蒸腾冷却，从而使叶片变暖造成的。这个CASE学生将研究紫外线对一系列商业保护作物作物温度的影响，包括水果作物（如草莓、番茄、辣椒、黄瓜）和叶类作物（如罗勒、香菜、生菜、火箭）。该学生将继续在选定的作物中调查白天的紫外线是否也会影响作物夜间的温度，以及这种影响是否仅限于叶片，还是也会发生在其他组织中。Arid的商业评估是，客观的科学证据表明UV-T覆盖导致作物温度升高，这对种植者非常有吸引力，特别是对地中海沿岸的早、晚作物。通过该项目获得的新认识也将为新型节能覆层的设计提供信息。从长远来看，这种理解也可以改善led照明作物的能源使用。该项目将从兰开斯特大学（1年级和2年级）开始，研究一系列作物的温度和生理反应（如上所述）。在第三或第四年级，学生将在Arid位于土耳其安塔利亚的基地度过至少六个月的实习时间。我们认为，国际层面对于理解现代商业保护作物管理的复杂性至关重要。此外，该项目的影响很可能在土耳其等环境中得到最快的应用，在土耳其，任何温度效益都将成为英国制造的紫外线透明塑料的主要商业优势。Arid Agritec和LEC之间的合作提供了在商业油田现场测试学术成果的直接机会。合作还为学生提供了一个独特的机会，可以在不同的规模（实验室，温室，现场）和不同的研究环境中进行研究，并有一个明显的，直接的开发途径。学生将接触到一系列的农业专业人士，包括种植者、技术人员、顾问和供应链人员。这样的互动将确保学生了解行业的需求，并提供商业策略方面的培训。在兰开斯特大学，这种理解将通过与Vitae开发的研究人员发展声明相一致的正式技能培训得到巩固。该学生还将受益于一个管理团队（兰开斯特大学的Nigel Paul教授和Ian Dodd博士，Arid大学的Jason Moore博士），他们在学术和商业领域的植物科学领域拥有60年的研究经验。这些都是发展学生更广泛的技能基础以及将他们的研究成功商业化的重要背景。

Horticulture, the production of fresh fruit, vegetables, salads etc, is often overlooked in discussions of food security yet is vital to avoid hidden hunger due to shortage of micro-nutrients. Delivering a year-round supply of fresh produce for N Europe involves local crops produced in heated glasshouses, or crops imported from the Mediterranean basin and beyond. In either case, energy is a major commercial constraint (costs and C footprint) and any technology that reduces energy use is immediately attractive, commercially and environmentally. This project addresses this energy challenge in protected cropping by delivering fundamental insights into a newly recognized crop response to the ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight.Previous research at Lancaster contributed to the development of new UV-transparent (UV-T) crop-covers used in protected crops. Growers using UV-T cladding report that crops mature earlier than under conventional cladding, and they attribute this to the crop being warmer under UV-T covers. We have tested this and shown for the first time that additional UV exposure within a physiologically relevant range results in small but significant increases (0.5-1.7C) in leaf temperature. This is caused by UV decreasing stomatal conductance and transpirational cooling, thereby warming the leaves. This CASE studentship will investigate this effect of UV on crop temperature in a range of commercial protected crops, both fruit crops (e.g. strawberry, tomato, pepper, cucumber) and leafy crops (e.g. basil, coriander, lettuce, rocket). The student will go on to investigate in selected crops whether UV during the day also affects crop temperature at night, and whether effects are confined to leaves, or also occur in other tissues.Arid's commercial assessment is that objective scientific evidence that UV-T covers leads to increased crop temperature would be highly attractive to growers, especially for early and late crops in the Mediterranean rim. The new understanding obtained through the project will also inform the design of new energy saving claddings. In the longer term, this understanding may also allow improved energy use in crops lit by LEDs.The project will start at Lancaster (Years 1 & 2) studying temperature and physiological responses in a range of crops (as above). During Years 3 or 4 the student will spend at least six months placement at Arid's base in Antalya, Turkey. We believe an international dimension is essential for understanding the complexities of modern commercial protected crop management. Also, the impact from this project will most likely be applied most quickly in the environments like Turkey, where any temperature benefit would be a major commercial advantage for UK-manufactured UV-transparent plastics.This collaboration between Arid Agritec and LEC provides an immediate opportunity to field test academic findings at commercial field sites. The collaboration also provide the student with a unique opportunity to undertaken research across the range of scales (laboratory, glasshouse, field) and different research environments, and with an obvious, immediate route to exploitation.The student will have contact with a range of agri-business professionals, including growers, technicians, consultants and supply chain personnel. Such interactions will ensure the student understands the needs of the industry, and provide training in business strategy. That understanding will be underpinned at Lancaster by formal skills training consistent with the Researcher Development Statement developed by Vitae. The student will also benefit from a supervisory team (Prof Nigel Paul and Dr Ian Dodd at Lancaster, Dr Jason Moore at Arid) with a total of 60 years research experience in plant science across the academic-commercial spectrum. These are important contexts for the development of the student's wider skills base as well as for the successful commercialization of their research.