Space to grow, or grow in space -- how vertical farms could be ready to take-off

Date:
July 14, 2020
Source:
John Innes Centre
Summary:
Vertical farms with their soil-free, computer-controlled
environments may sound like sci-fi. But there is a growing
environmental and economic case for them, according to new research
laying out radical ways of putting food on our plates.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Vertical farms with their soil-free, computer-controlled environments
may sound like sci-fi. But there is a growing environmental and economic
case for them, according to new research laying out radical ways of
putting food on our plates.


==========================================================================
The interdisciplinary study combining biology and engineering sets
down steps towards accelerating the growth of this branch of precision agriculture, including the use of aeroponics which uses nutrient-enriched aerosols in place of soil.

Carried out by the John Innes Centre, the University of Bristol and the aeroponic technology provider LettUs Grow, the study identifies future
research areas needed to accelerate the sustainable growth of vertical
farming using aeroponic systems.

Dr Antony Dodd, a group leader at the John Innes Centre and senior author
of the study, says: "By bringing fundamental biological insights into
the context of the physics of growing plants in an aerosol, we can help
the vertical farming business become more productive more quickly, while producing healthier food with less environmental impact." Jack Farmer,
Chief Scientific Officer at LettUs Grow and one of the authors of
the study, adds: "Climate change is only going to increase the demand
for this technology. Projected changes in regional weather patterns
and water availability are likely to impact agricultural productivity
soon. Vertical farming offers the ability to grow high value nutritious
crops in a climate resilient manner all year round, proving a reliable
income stream for growers." Vertical farming is a type of indoor
agriculture where crops are cultivated in stacked systems with water,
lighting and nutrient sources carefully controlled.



==========================================================================
It is part of a rapidly growing sector supported by artificial
intelligence in which machines are taught to manage day to day
horticultural tasks. The industry is set to grow annually by 21% by 2025 according to one commercial forecast (Grand View Research, 2019).

Green benefits include better use of space because vertical farms can be
sited in urban locations, fewer food miles, isolation from pathogens,
reduction in soil degradation and nutrient and water recapturing and
recycling.

Vertical farms also allow product consistency, price stabilization,
and cultivation at latitudes incompatible with certain crops such as
the desert or arctic.

"Vertical systems allow us to extend the latitude range on which crops
can be grown on the planet, from the deserts of Dubai to the 4-hour winter
days of Iceland. In fact, if you were growing crops on Mars you would need
to use this kind of technology because there is no soil," says Dr Dodd.

The study, which appears in the journal New Phytologist, lays out seven
steps - - strategic areas of future research needed to underpin increased productivity and sustainability of aeroponic vertical farms.



========================================================================== These seek to understand: Why aeroponic cultivation can be more productive
than hydroponic or soil cultivation.

The relationship between aeroponic cultivation and 24-hour circadian
rhythms of plants.

Root development of a range of crops in aeroponic conditions.

The relationship between aerosol droplet size and deposition and plant performance.

How we can establish frameworks for comparing vertical farming
technologies for a range of crops.

How aeroponic methods affect microbial interactions with plant roots.

The nature of recycling of root exudates (fluids secreted by the roots
of plants) within the nutrient solutions of closed aeroponic systems.

The report argues that a driver of technological innovation in vertical
farms is minimizing operation costs whilst maximizing productivity -- and
that investment in fundamental biological research has a significant role.

Dr Dodd's research area covers circadian rhythms -- biological clocks
which align plant physiology and molecular processes to the day to day
cycle of light and dark. He recently completed a year-long Royal Society Industry Fellowship with LettUs Grow.

This involved combining Dr Dodd's expertise in circadian rhythms and
plant physiology with the work of LettUs Grow's team of biologists and engineers to design optimal aeroponic cultivation regimens. This is
a key area of investigation as these molecular internal timers will
perform differently in vertical farms.

Aeroponic platforms are often used to grow high value crops such as
salads, pak choi, herbs, small brassica crops, pea shoots and bean
shoots. LettUs Grow are also working on growth regimens for fruiting
and rooting crops such as strawberries and carrots, as well as aeroponic propagation of trees for both fruit and forestry.

John Innes Centre researchers have bred a line of broccoli adapted to
grow indoors for a major supermarket and one of the aims of research
will be to test how we can genetically tune more crops to grow in the controlled space of vertical farms.

Bethany Eldridge, a researcher at the University of Bristol studying
root- environment interactions and first author of the study adds:
"Given that 80% of agricultural land worldwide is reported to have
moderate or severe erosion, the ability to grow crops in a soilless
system with minimal fertilizers and pesticides is advantageous because
it provides an opportunity to grow crops in areas facing soil erosion or
other environmental issues such as algal blooms in local water bodies
that may have been driven by traditional, soil-based, agriculture."
Lilly Manzoni, Head of Research and Development at LettUs Grow and
one the authors of the study says, "This paper is unique because it is
broader than a typical plant research paper, it combines the expertise of engineers, aerosol scientists, plant biologists and horticulturalists. The wonderful thing about controlled environment agriculture and aeroponics
is that it is truly interdisciplinary." The study Getting to the Roots
of Aeroponic Indoor Farming appears in the New Phytologist journal.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by John_Innes_Centre. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Bethany M. Eldridge, Lillian R. Manzoni, Calum A. Graham, Billy
Rodgers,
Jack R. Farmer, Antony N. Dodd. Getting to the roots of aeroponic
indoor farming. New Phytologist, 2020; DOI: 10.1111/nph.16780 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200714082842.htm

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