About the Project
Vertical farming is an indoor agricultural method for growing fresh food year-round in protected environments using advanced technologies. It does not require soil, saves space and multiplies crop yield. However, to increase efficiency and sustainability, vertical farming requires the highest possible degree of precision over plant resource capture and growth, quality of the product. Also, the cost of energy (especially artificial light) is the biggest problem for glasshouses and indoor growing systems. To reduce costs of energy and increase efficiency and sustainability, LED light has been introduced to vertical farming system (Kozai, 2015).
LEDs now offer cheap, cool, controllable sources of light that can selectively and quantitatively provide different wavelengths. We can also provide photons that can activate discrete developmental pathways to change leaf area, thickness, stem length. Such photoreceptors include phytochrome and cryptochrome. This provides us with a new opportunity to manipulate (by natural means) the quality and quantity of produce for markets and meet the demands of retailers. The combination of possibilities is large, for example Far Red (FR) light drives phytochrome activity which regulates leaf area and stem internode length while blue light can drive photosynthesis but is also required for efficient stomatal opening and regulation of some leaf features such as thickness. This gives us the chance to raise the resource use efficiency (light, water and nutrients) much closer to the theoretical maximum than that measured for plants growing in natural environments. An intricate photosensory system controls development through co-ordinately regulating gene expression in response to spectral quality, intensity, duration and direction (Weller et al, 2000). However, downstream signalling components controlling these phenotypes have not been identified.
Our aim is therefore to undertake research into the optimised set of wavelengths needed to maximise yield with suitable trade-offs on energy input. We expect to be able to (1) enhance yield and resource use efficiency (thus reduce cost to grower); (2) improve quality (calorific value, colour, disease resistance) and ensuring standard size of product.
We therefore will aim to:
1. Design an LED system that could independently adjust blue, red, green, far red and UV.
2. Set up strategic scenarios for optimal growth, development and resource use efficiency of these plants. This will create light ‘recipes’ that can be used to produce software for each species/variety.
3. Identify genes associated with higher photosynthesis efficiency and nutrient metabolism related to different LED light spectrum.
4. Validate specific LED light responded key genes by phenotypic analysis of transgenic (knock-down and overexpression) lines.
To achieve these, 1) we will measure light distribution, spectral quality, leaf area, canopy structure and photosynthesis efficiency using the expertise in instrumentation in the School of Architecture Design and the Built Environment (Prof. Su) and the new imaging techniques being developed in the ARES (Prof. LU). This will allow us to optimise the LED arrays and control electronics that will be supplied by the collaborating industrial partners (LiEov Ltd); 2) in order to identify target genes, we will use RNA-Seq data generated by current MePhol project (TS/L004178/1) to identify the both differentially expressed genes and novel genes in the wild varieties that are associated with LED light. These genes are potentially extremely valuable molecular markers of LED light; 3) To map regulatory components conferring LED light response, we will use the set of differentially expressed genes inferring them onto known interaction networks, such as IPA, Pathway Studio and inferred LED light-specific networks from Biogrid, and 4) make miRNA and overexpression constructs for target genes in tomato and generate transgenic lines by using tomato transformation for further phenotypic analysis.
Specific qualifications/subject areas required of the applicants for this project (e.g. First degree in specific subject area):
UK 1st Class/2:1 Bachelor’s degree (or UK equivalent according to NARIC) (essential); MSc (desirable) in Plant physiology or Bioinformatics or plant molecular biology.
Funding Notes
This studentship competition is open to applicants who wish to study for a PhD on a full-time basis only. The studentship will pay UK/EU fees (currently set at £4,121 for 2016/17 and are revised annually) and provide a maintenance stipend linked to the RCUK rate (this is revised annually and is currently £14,296 for academic year 2016/17) for up to three years*.
*Applications from non-EU students are welcome, but a successful non-EU candidate would be responsible for paying the difference between non-EU and UK/EU fees. (Fees for 2016/17 are £12,600 for non-EU students and £4,121 for UK/EU students)