Optimising the light recipe for maximum photosynthesis, yield and quality in strawberry

This project addresses maximising fruit yield and through optimising the light recipe quality, focusing on strawberry. It aligns closely with the following pillars of the industrial strategy: (1) investing in science, research and innovation, and (2) developing skills. If successful, the wider insights on LED crop light responses could be generalised to other crops grown in greenhouse or vertically-farmed farm crops, however by focussing on strawberry we are addressing one of most valuable fruit crops in the UK.

The strawberry market within the UK continues to grow but we are importing an increasing volume (£120M) of fruit during the winter months. The UK has an opportunity to produce greater volumes of fruit during the winter, but this requires glasshouse technology combined with modern supplementary lighting systems. There is an on-going interest in the application of LED lighting systems in modern glasshouse as these provide an energy efficiency gain of ca. 30% over conventional high-pressure sodium systems. They also offer opportunities to provide highly defined spectral outputs to maximise productivity. However, as yet these opportunities have yet to be realised. We do not understand the optimal spectral qualities for any crop let alone strawberries, how this change through production and how they impact the key drivers (photosynthesis / radiation capture / partitioning etc) of yield and quality. This PhD will examine these issues and develop optimal strategies for the use of LED lighting in soft fruit production.