Maastricht University has built a fresh research greenhouse at Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo ( the Netherlands ) . Starting on September 1 , research will be carry in this in high spirits - tech glasshouse on the agriculture and gardening of the future : from newfangled cultivation techniques and the development of plant life to the optimization of healthy nutrients in crops .
The new research greenhouse is part of the Brightlands Future Farming Institute , a Maastricht University knowledge institute . This institute ’s object glass is to conduce to the technological and societal challenges in the agrifood sphere through inquiry , creation , and knowledge development .
harmonise to Prof. Dr. Wim Vriezen , Professor of Plant Functional Genomics and affiliated with the Brightlands Future Farming Institute , one of the major challenges we confront today is finding solutions that will enable us to feed the world ’s population in 2050 in a level-headed , dependable and sustainable agency . " North Limburg has traditionally been a large and authoritative part when it comes to nutrient production and harvest improvement . This is what make water it the ideal situation to work on the necessary innovation in agriculture and horticulture . The growth of new infrastructure such as this new inquiry greenhouse is essential to achieving this end . "
Customized climateHigh - caliber glasshouse department and clime chambers will be built in the 1,600 m2 social organization to facilitate inquiry using the latest climate , irrigation , and energy technologies . As proficient manager at the Brightlands Future Farming Institute , Peter Keunen is actively necessitate in the development of the new greenhouse . " With a distinctive greenhouse , you build one tumid , open blank space , but the areas in this glasshouse are small-scale and have to be sealed optimally to keep dirt ball or pathogen out , or keep them moving from one space to another . to boot , it has to be potential to create a dissimilar climate in each compartment of the nursery , and you need to be able-bodied to ease as many crops as possible : for erect crops such as tomatoes you involve produce gutters , but other crops such as foliage vegetables do best on grow tables . "
Gas - freeThe greenhouse is completely gas - free and run on heat ticker . This translates to the supply of low - grade heating , but the use of forked glazing and a larger heating system control surface make it potential to achieve sufficient temperature in the greenhouse , consort to Peter . In addition to the ten veritable climate - controlled glasshouse sections , six nursery area will be created where the brightness level and temperature can be to the full controlled by light-emitting diode via air handling units ( AHUs ) . During the hot months , the heat can be maintain out through the installation of an exterior screen above the greenhouse . Peter : " Here , these techniques will be put into practice in a relatively small greenhouse . However , it ’s definitely also interesting for larger growers and cultivation technnology , to see how it works and whether this can be applied on a larger scale . "
UnderpressureIn plus to the climate - controlled glasshouse section , six rooms will be set up up for inquiry using governing - approved forms of genetic limiting ( GM ) of plant . According to Wim , this is necessary to gain a better reason of the functions of cistron : " If you have a go at it which cistron are regard in a sure process , you’re able to look specifically for natural hereditary edition in the genes involve in that process . you may then use this cognition to meliorate craw without the need for genetic qualifying . "
" These room are full insulate and subjected to underpressure . This means the breeze pressure is somewhat lower than outside the compartment , so air is always push inwards . This forestall microorganism from escaping through the atmosphere to the outside . The glasshouse also does n’t have vent ; after all , you do n’t want insect flying in and bringing GM pollen outside either . You need more cooling than heat in these spaces . We can practice the heating plant that ’s pass on over as a residuary merchandise to fire up the rest of the glasshouse , " Peter says .
Research groupWim has spent the retiring few month setting up the inquiry group for the work in the greenhouse . " The development of the glasshouse had already started before our enquiry team was complete . I started on September 1 last year , and this summertime , two assistant professors specializing in gene editing ( CRISPR - Cas ) and bioinformatics will join us , land us to full capacity in terms of inquiry .
The new inquiry mathematical group in Venlo will influence intensively with the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences in Nijmegen . " By combining our expertise in craw biotechnology , flora genomics and applied science , we are able to take full advantage of the knowledge available at both university . We need to launch four doctoral research projects together , starting with a work of leguminous crops such as pea and dome . These protein - rich crops can do as a sustainable option to the soy we now import from South America for fauna provender . We desire to canvass how to express protein from those different crop , learn how much and what kind of protein is in which crop , and whether we can develop seeds with both better output and better protein place through harvest improvement . "
reservoir : brightlands.com
