Protected structures such as greenhouses, polytunnels and indoor farms are used in the production of high-value fruit and vegetable crops. They facilitate increased crop yields and quality by altering and maintaining environmental factors such as light, temperature, humidity and pest pressure. For countries based in northern latitudes these production systems are critical to maintaining longer growing seasons and for local production of many high-value and commercially significant crops including strawberries, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Despite their benefits, considerable risks remain for growers in this industry with high operational costs and economic returns that are sensitive to changes in price and yield.

Technological solutions are required to overcome the challenges of productivity and sustainable production. This project is designed to address these obstacles through a collaborative multi-disciplinary approach. By bringing together farmers, technologists and researchers, we can develop a 'hydrobubble' generation technology that will deliver significant benefits across the sector. This technology promotes plant growth in hydroponic systems by up to 30%, through the injection of oxygen-rich micro and nano-sized bubbles into the irrigation water. The physical properties of these bubbles means they are negatively charged and electrostatically attracted to plant roots, where they cluster to constantly supply oxygen to the plant. This has proven benefits to plant yield and studies have reported marked improvement in both root development, fresh weight and the synthesis of specific plant biocompounds in a number of crop varieties.

This project will evaluate the feasibility of this new technology in three protected crop systems (glasshouse, polytunnel and vertical farming). It will establish whether the application of micro-nanobubbles can:

* Increase plant yield;
* Improve crop quality;
* Boost nutritional content;
* Reduce pathogen load;
* Contribute to the target of net-zero emissions from agriculture through the utilisation of captured CO2 in the bubbling process.

This project will focus on delivering user-driven, effective and low-cost solutions. It will build on previously published work in the area, capabilities in technology development, crop knowledge and data analysis. This technology will enable increased productivity and profitability from protected crop production systems and enable an economic shift, facilitating indoor production from vertical farms to enter mainstream consumer markets. These benefits are highly exportable, with the potential to strengthen the UK agri-technology proposition and move food production towards a sustainable and productive net-zero emissions future.