Optimizing year-round production and quality of flowering greenhouse crops through integration of LED technologies

我们的主要目的是测试和开发使用LED(发光二极管)技术进行开花温室作物全年生产的成本效益策略。尽管室内生产在秋冬周期中受到光的限制，但在过去的十年里，计算机化和LED技术取得了重大进展，不仅可以驱动植物的光合作用，还可以在开花作物中引发许多关键的光形态反应。在这项为期两年的研究中，能效和特定波长的LED将在种植地点和UOG进行平行测试，展示如何实现两种模式作物(菊花和藤本花)的产量和质量(例如，货架期)。将特别注意不同季节的光照补充，最大限度地提高生根和移栽活力，加快开花诱导时间(短日照和长日照诱导)，以及生殖器官的产量和质量，包括采后质量。将确定关键的生理参数，如叶片光合作用、输出和呼吸作用。重要的是，我们还将测定整个植物的每日光合作用和呼吸气体交换，并测试不同LED阵列对日常生长和水分损失的效果。我们的综合数据采集方法的一个重要成果将是我们更好地了解作物生产周期中的每日用水量，从而最大限度地提高不同季节营养和开花阶段的每日二氧化碳交换和水分利用效率。辅助照明(LED)与空中和根区管理相结合，可以使许多开花观赏和蔬菜作物的全年生产有利可图。全年更有效地应用LED的一个预期结果是，即使略微加快种植周期，也会增加年产量和利润。该项目对加拿大的苗木和穴盘生产者也有更广泛的应用，因为可以改善根系的一致性，所获得的知识将减少对目前用于调节高度和植物结构的农用化学品的依赖。

Our primary purpose is to test and develop cost effective strategies for using LED (light-emitting-diode) technologies for the year-round the production of flowering, greenhouse crops. Though indoor production is light-limited in fall-winter cycles the last decade has witnessed major improvements in computerization and LED technologies that make it possible to not only drive plant photosynthesis, but also elicit many key photo-morphogenic responses in flowering crops. During this two year study, energy efficient and specific-wavelength LEDs will be tested in parallel, at grower sites and the UoG, demonstrating how yield and quality (e.g., shelf-life) of two model crops (chrysanthemums and lisianthus) can be achieved. Particular attention will be paid to lighting supplementation in different seasons, maximizing rooting and transplant vigor, accelerating the time to flower induction, (short day and long day induction), yield and quality of the reproductive organs including their post-harvest quality. Key physiological parameters such as leaf photosynthesis, export and respiration will be determined. Importantly, we will also determine whole-plant daily photosynthesis and respiratory gas exchanges and test the effectiveness of different LED arrays on daily growth and water losses. An important outcome of our integrated approach to data acquisition will be that we gain a better understanding of daily water use during crop production cycles, thus maximizing daily-CO2-exchanges and water-use-efficiency during vegetative and flowering stages in different seasons. Supplementary lighting (LEDs), integrated with aerial and root-zone management can make year-round production of many flowering ornamental and vegetable crops profitability. An expected outcome of more efficient application of LEDs year-round is that cropping cycles even modestly accelerated will increase annual production and profits. The project also has wider application for seedling and plug producers in Canada since improved root consistency is achievable and the knowledge gained will reduce reliance on agrochemicals currently used to regulate height and plant architecture.