Prime Minister Sunak recently identified that the UK food and drink and horticultural sectors are worth £24Bn and £5Bn, respectively, but are under significant pressure to innovate and increase productivity. Vertical farming (VF) is a simple process of crops in developmentally optimised conditions (environments) for growth including light (intensity and composition), nutrients, water, temperature, and humidity. Replicated in 3-D to maximise production/m2, this allows for crops to be grown anywhere. This is timely given the issues of climate change (and associated extremes) and geopolitical instability both impacting heavily on food security/supply chains. Notably, in the UK we have a £6Bn import deficit in fruit and vegetables (F&V) which dwarfs UK (home) F&V production, valued at £2.6Bn (DEFRA 2021), within which, for VF-appropriate crops, UK production value is £1.7Bn (DEFRA 2021). This means the potential for VF in the UK alone is enormous. This is now being realised with the promulgation of commercial VF-builds globally and importantly in the UK, e.g., Vertegrow and OneFarm, both using systems from the collaborative partner here; Intelligent Growth Solutions Ltd (IGS). Here we aim to grasp the potential of VF using basil as an exemplar, but valuable (60-75% of EU herb market share and current global market value of $1.5Bn), crop, and to also explore a novel route to both crop development, economic value and a reduction in the energy used (and therefore emissions created) in the crop production system. Here we will explore the opportunities offered by VF-embedded light emitting diode (LED) light pulsing, the manipulation of light duration/frequency at the microsecond level that looks to offers significant opportunities to maintain/improve crop productivity, manipulate metabolism, biochemistry, development, and reduce energy use and associated emissions. The science in this area is sparse and the preliminary data has demonstrated that light pulsing increases gross components such as fresh/dry weight (biomass) and leaf areas. However, little underpinning science and knowledge exists in terms of the light pulse-plant interaction and associated consequences for plant metabolism, quality impacts or scope for change via diverse germplasm exploitation. To solve this, we will take a deep-dive scientific approach and, with the collaborative partners, Intelligent Growth Solutions, a leading VF state-of-the-art technology provider, "shine a light" on the light-physiological-molecular-biochemical mechanisms of interplay and impact. To do this we will tease out the impact of genetic diversity in response to light pulsing towards with the ultimate aims (beyond this project) of creating light optimised new crops. Alongside this mechanistic plant biology work we will deliver a life cycle assessment to identify potential energy (and GHG) reduction benefits. The work here has many potential outcomes not least of which is the ability to reduce the costs and improve the sustainability of fresh produce production. Success here would see the approach ultimately applied to other VF-amenable crops to validate broad the utility thereby creating impacts in terms of greater opportunities for on-shoring of F&V production, associated reductions in the aforementioned national F&V import deficit and, longer term, an improvement in the UK health indices via readily available, sustainable and nutritious fresh produce.

Total controlled environment agriculture (TCEA; indoor or vertical farming) offers significant advantages over field agriculture that could contribute to UK food security whilst minimising environmental impacts of production. These include the capacity to match supply to demand by accelerating or slowing production cycles; the ability to produce food at high density close to population centres replacing agricultural land use and reducing emissions associated with complex supply chains; the ability to reduce inputs by precision supply of nutrients and water, and the physical exclusion of pests; and the capacity to produce consistent desirable products independent of season reducing waste associated with retailer and consumer rejection. Conversely, TCEA is dependent on electrical energy to generate light for photosynthesis and maintenance of growth environments where >90% of CO2 emissions from TCEA result from electricity use and energy usage for hydroponic lettuce production is up to 80 times greater than for field production. This highlights a need to improve the efficiency of indoor production. A key factor limiting efficiency in TCEA is conversion of light energy to biomass where plants evolved in an environment where light is often present in excess and breeding for low light environments encountered in TCEA has not been undertaken. Conversion efficiency in the field can be as little as 0.03% and while narrow band LED's can raise efficiency indoors it remains at 1-3%. However, significant intra and interspecific variation exists in light use efficiency (LUE) that can be exploited to identify mechanisms and markers for enhanced performance in TCEA. Furthermore, appropriate light and environmental management can improve the efficiency of edible biomass accumulation and offers the opportunity to modulate crop quality to meet postharvest expectations. In the proposed work we will exploit diverse lettuce populations to identify mechanisms and markers underpinning light use efficiency and harvest index. We will use knowledge gained to design experiments to optimise light and environmental management for enhanced production efficiency. The aims of the project are to: Identify the molecular determinants and markers of light use efficiency under TCEA conditions in lettuce populations. Optimise lettuce production efficiency in TCEA environments taking advantage of understanding G x M interactions. Use the flexibility of TCEA environments to optimise lettuce post-harvest quality and shelf life. Provide academia and industry with a toolkit comprising breeding markers and targets, and crop management approaches and protocols to improve the short- and long-term efficiency of TCEA. The project represents an important step towards breeding for TCEA. As crops have not previously been selected for such environments, high genetic gain is anticipated. We will deliver markers for key traits for TCEA production efficiency directly to a leading UK seed company accelerating the production of crops adapted for the indoor environment. Work to optimise production environments will provide immediate efficiency gains initially for our partners IGS and more widely through dissemination activities. Work undertaken in this proposal will reduce the environmental footprint of TCEA, drive profitability and support the UK at the forefront of this emerging technology.

With the explosive growth in protected cultivation, there has been an increased demand for growing media. This trend is expected to continue in the future, with growing media production predicted to grow by 420% by 2050. Despite the expected growth in conventional media production, there is still predicted to be a shortfall in the market, with a gap of 65 million cubic metres per year to be taken up by "new" growing media [1]. Our team have been focused on the use of polyurethane foams (PUF) as a growing media where we have shown plant growth can be modelled based on foam properties and PUF substrates have matched rockwool in terms of yield [2,3,4]. While virgin PUF shows promise as a hydroponic growing medium, it is difficult to reuse after a growing season due to disease concerns, requiring costly and time-consuming steam cleaning between uses (similar to other substrates) [5]. Conventional mixes, on the other hand, often contain a large peat-based component and as the growing media industry looks to "de-peat", alternatives will need to be found. Many components have been suggested and used to some success, including compost, coco coir, wood chips, wood fibre, biochar, and rice hulls. These components, often biowaste products, bring environmental advantages over finite resources such as peat but suffer from variability in terms of physical and chemical properties due to their organic nature and varying sources [6]. This variability leads to variability in growth, a professional grower's nightmare. This is a global challenge that will require a globally viable, science led solution. This project looks to address the challenge of reducing environmental impacts of PACE production, whilst sustainably increasing yields, by synthesising optimised homogeneous growing media using biowaste based fillers from parallel industries to food production (sawdust, wood fibres, spent grain, sheep wool, cotton fabric, etc.) homogenised and bound together using novel biobased and biodegradable polyurethane prepolymers (bPUP) with tunable embedded fertiliser (Figure 1). Our objectives are: Synthesis and characterisation of novel biobased PUP (Our industrial partner, Vita Cellular Foams, will supply bPUP precursors and PUP for testing). Use of bPUP to bond biowaste fillers and generate homogeneous hybrid biobased-biowaste growing media. Use of a design of experiments (DoE) and modelling based approach to optimise these media to increase crop yield by developing crop and system specific "growing media recipes" with optimised embedded nutrient profiles. Material characterisation and initial crop growth trials completed at the University of Sheffield, while our industrial partner, Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS), will conduct industrial trials using their state-of-the-art vertical farm technology. Exploration of end-of-life pathways using targeted biodegradation, composting and mechanical recycling of growing media by incorporating specific sites for biodegradation. This project has the potential to generate significant scientific advancement through the synthesis and characterisation of novel bPUPs, as well the development of crop and system specific "media recipes" for PACE horticulture. There is also likely to be economic development by commercialisation opportunities arising from this research. In addition, the project can help establish a UK-based area of expertise in growing media development and characterisation, addressing the current lack of representation in this field.

In this project we will demonstrate how coordinating renewable energy availability with energy expenditure enables PACE horticulture facilities to be an asset to the evolving smart energy grid. The lack of fruit and vegetables on supermarket shelves this spring arose from a multitude of factors, including high energy prices discouraging UK growers from planting protected horticultural crops during winter 2021/22. Lighting, heating, and ventilation each contribute to energy bills for growers but lighting can comprise 70% of these costs in indoor farms and light intensity is immediately responsive to energy consumption (in contrast to heating and ventilation which vary over longer time periods). Our ultimate goal is to allow PACE horticulture infrastructure to present itself as a "shiftable load" to the electricity grid. This type of demand flexibility management is often deployed in complex, time-critical industrial processes where power consumption schedules can be varied provided that the final product falls within acceptable tolerances. Demand flexing has significant commercial advantages and will be increasingly important as controllable (fossil fuel) energy generation decreases as a proportion of our electricity supply. Despite the potential advantages of demand flexing for PACE horticulture we still need to determine how crop growth is affected by varied light irradiation. Plants alter their development dependent on prevailing environmental conditions. Varied light regimes consequently produce variation within the crops produced. We can control this 'developmental plasticity' by genetically manipulating the signalling pathways which control plants responses to light. We will assess whether previously generated 'timeless' plants (which we have designed to respond uniformly to light signals) are better able to maintain crop yield, quality, and uniformity when demand flexing is applied. In this project we have three distinct aims; 1) We need to demonstrate that demand flexing is applicable in PACE horticulture so that we can optimise energy usage whilst maximising crop productivity. 2) We need to understand how demand flexing can be integrated with existing flexible light regimes to maximise crop yield and quality. 3) We need to confirm that our genetically engineered 'timeless' plants have uniform performance during demand flexing so that we can maximise crop productivity and achieve Net Zero goals. Objectives We will exploit our understanding of crop photobiology and existing genetic resources to understand how best to apply demand flexing to PACE horticulture. 1) We will assess the growth and biochemical characteristics of crops grown under exemplar demand flexing schemes to demonstrate the utility of this approach. 2) We will assess how demand flexing can be integrated with a varied light regime to maximise crop yield. 3) We will assess the performance of 'timeless' plants in PACE horticulture so that we can maximise crop productivity during the application of demand flexing. Applications and Benefits The positioning of PACE horticulture as flexible assets in the evolving smart electricity grid will have commercial benefits for growers and will enhance the viability of the industry. Increased commercial viability of PACE horticulture will allow the distribution of infrastructure alongside sites of renewable energy generation. This distributed production will have societal benefits beyond those conferred by their produce alone. For instance, a distributed placement of smaller scale indoor farms within communities will reduce food mileage and provide job opportunities within these areas, enabling a Just Transition in energy use.

To secure a continued supply of safe, tasty, affordable and functional/healthy proteins while supporting Net Zero goals and future-proofing UK food security, a phased-transition towards low-emission alternative proteins (APs) with a reduced reliance on animal agriculture is imperative. However, population-level access to and acceptance of APs is hindered by a highly complex marketplace challenged by taste, cost, health and safety concerns for consumers, and the fear of diminished livelihoods by farmers. Furthermore, complex regulatory pathways and limited access to affordable and accessible scale-up infrastructure impose challenges for industry and SMEs in particular. Synergistic bridging of the UK's trailblazing science and innovation strengths in AP with manufacturing power is key to realising the UK's ambitious growth potential in AP of £6.8B annually and could create 25,000 jobs across multiple sectors. The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), a cohesive pan-UK centre, will revolutionise the UK's agri-food sector by harnessing our world-leading science base through a co-created AP strategy across the Discovery?Innovation?Commercialisation pipeline to support the transition to a sustainable, high growth, blended protein bioeconomy using a consumer-driven approach, thereby changing the economics for farmers and other stakeholders throughout the supply chain. Built on four interdisciplinary knowledge pillars, PRODUCE, PROCESS, PERFORM and PEOPLE covering the entire value chain of AP, we will enable an efficacious and safe translation of new transformative technologies unlocking the benefits of APs. Partnering with global industry, regulators, investors, academic partners and policymakers, and engaging in an open dialogue with UK citizens, NAPIC will produce a clear roadmap for the development of a National Protein Strategy for the UK. NAPIC will enable us to PRODUCE tasty, nutritious, safe, and affordable AP foods and feedstocks necessary to safeguard present and future generations, while reducing concerns about ultra-processed foods and assisting a just-transition for producers. Our PROCESS Pillar will catalyse bioprocessing at scale, mainstreaming cultivated meat and precision fermentation, and diversify AP sources across the terrestrial and aquatic kingdoms of life, delivering economies of scale. Delivering a just-transition to an AP-rich future, we will ensure AP PERFORM, both pre-consumption, and post-consumption, safeguarding public health. Finally, NAPIC is all about PEOPLE, guiding a consumers' dietary transition, and identifying new business opportunities for farmers, future-proofing the UK's protein supply against reliance on imports. Working with UK industry, the third sector and academia, NAPIC will create a National Knowledge base for AP addressing the unmet scientific, commercial, technical and regulatory needs of the sector, develop new tools and standards for product quality and safety and simplify knowledge transfer by catalysing collaboration. NAPIC will ease access to existing innovation facilities and hubs, accelerating industrial adoption underpinned by informed regulatory pathways. We will develop the future leaders of this rapidly evolving sector with bespoke technical, entrepreneurial, regulatory and policy training, and promote knowledge exchange through our unrivalled international network of partners across multiple continents including Protein Industries Canada and the UK-Irish Co-Centre, SUREFOOD. NAPIC will provide a robust and sustainable platform of open innovation and responsible data exchange that mitigates risks associated with this emerging sector and addresses concerns of consumers and producers. Our vision is to make "alternative proteins mainstream for a sustainable planet" and our ambition is to deliver a world-leading innovation and knowledge centre to put the UK at the forefront of the fights for population health equity and against climate change.