A catalyst for adaptation, advancement and innovation within the agriculture and agri-food community.
NEWS RELEASES - 2007
Space age technology explores cooler
options
(Guelph, ON - July 16, 2007) Spiraling energy costs are forcing the greenhouse
industry to see if they can lower the temperatures slightly in the greenhouse
and still maintain product quality and harvest schedules.
Although turning down the thermostat seems like the simple solution, plants
grown at cooler-than-normal temperatures take longer to fully mature. In a
time-sensitive market, this is an issue.
That’s why the Department of Plant Agriculture and Environmental Biology at the
University of Guelph is examining how low temperatures affect the metabolism and
growth of flowering plants.
Researchers are using new technology, which includes growth chambers, a 3D
imaging scanner and a thermal imaging camera system, to watch how plants grow in
real time. This same technology is being used in the space shuttle to capture
images of the space station and inspect the shuttle for damage.
According to lead researcher Dr. Bernard Grodzinski, the project “uses the plant
as a sensor of its growth and as a way to test new growing procedures. Most
greenhouses currently rely on thermometers to regulate the temperature, and
therefore the energy consumption. We’d like to rather use the plant to determine
when it needs more or less light and nutrients and develop programs which allow
feedback control or other environmental systems.”
The thermal imaging camera can determine the plant’s exact rate of growth under
different temperatures by measuring leaf exposure, height, and length between
nodes.
The camera can also monitor the spread of disease in plants. Using this camera,
researchers can “see” the disease start to spread within plant 3-4 hours after
introducing it into the soil, long before plant starts to show symptoms.
Researchers hope this project will help greenhouse growers minimize heating and
lighting costs while maintaining crop growth. Plant breeders will also be able
to use the data to select traits in crops that lend themselves to growing under
cooler temperatures.
Greenhouse production is an important part of the Ontario economy. Production of
floriculture crops alone represents a $1.42 billion industry in Canada and
employs 45,000 people. Ontario represents 66 per cent of Canada’s production.
By reducing greenhouse energy costs, Ontario greenhouses will be able to remain
competitive locally and internationally. It will also promote a more sustainable
use of energy over the long term.
This project is funded in part through contributions by Canada and the Province
of Ontario under the Canada-Ontario Research and Development (CORD) Program, an
initiative of the federal-provincial-territorial Agricultural Policy Framework
designed to position Canada’s agri-food sector as a world leader. The
Agricultural Adaptation Council administers the CORD Program on behalf of the
province.
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For more information:
Nadine Armstrong
Communications Manager
Agricultural Adaptation Council
Ph: 519-822-7554
E-mail: narmstrong@adaptcouncil.org
Website: www.adaptcouncil.org
