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Innogrowth

Project Description

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The project is implemented by the partnership of three partners, two of which are University Institutions and an Agricultural Cooperative, which constitute the Operational Team for the implementation of the project.
Laboratory of Nanotechnology & Advanced Materials
Lab Physiology & Plant Nutrition
BioNetwork West Hellas

At an international level, modern greenhouse units place particular emphasis on improving the quality of the products produced and increasing production. The Action Plan by the Operational Team, through the utilization of relatively recent research data & cutting-edge technologies, aims to lead to greenhouses that are more environmentally friendly, less energy-intensive, with better yields, both quantitatively and qualitatively

Within the framework of the Innogrowth project, it is proposed to coat the shell of greenhouses (plastic sheets or glass) with innovative materials (radiation concentrators), which enhance the intensity of light at selected wavelengths which the plant uses to photosynthesize by converting for this purpose either ultraviolet light or wavelengths that are not exploited by plants.

This technique seeks to increase production due to an increase in photosynthetically active solar radiation, which will be more evident during the winter months, but also to increase the quality of plants by rejecting harmful ultraviolet radiation.

The study is carried out on a pilot basis in the cultivation of lettuce in a greenhouse of the A.S. Bioproducers of Western Greece, which will have the innovative coating, but also in a conventional greenhouse for comparison purposes, in order to study the effect of the new materials on the growth of the plant and the increase of production per growing season.

Goal of Innogrowth

The main priority of the project is to achieve effective utilization of solar radiation for plant growth through the innovation of the use of solar concentrators. Solar concentrators are coatings that collect part of the solar radiation which they convert into different wavelengths.

In particular, they consist of a transparent plate (glass or plastic sheets) in which fluorescent substances are incorporated, such as pigments, quantum dots or rare earth complexes. The emitted light is guided through total internal reflection at the edges of the plate, where it is collected from photovoltaic cells, increasing their efficiency. Initially, solar concentrators were proposed to amplify light in silicon photovoltaic cells and thus increase its efficiency.

In recent years, solar concentrators have attracted the interest of technology for their application in agri-food. In particular, the ability of some materials to absorb part of the sun's radiation and re-emit it at a different (longer) wavelength that could be useful for plants is of great interest for their application in greenhouse crops, as this increases the photosynthetically active light in plants.

The ultimate goal of this project is the creation of an innovative greenhousethat will incorporate innovative cutting-edge technology and will aim to improve the production of vegetables (lettuce) as an indicative crop of widespread application in Greece.

At the same time, the possibility of transferring the know-how from the project results after their evaluation in widespread application in installed greenhouses according to the requirements of the conditions in Greece is examined.

The project team is working collectively on the application of the innovative technology of spectral concentrators on a greenhouse surface, while the cultivation, development of the plant and the general quality of the product are monitored throughout the period of its cultivation in order to achieve the maximum result compared to the cultivation of the same plant in a conventional greenhouse.

UV ON OFF

In the context of this research project, the application of a new material codenamed BCNO was presented for the first time, for the synthesis of which extremely cheap and environmentally friendly raw materials were used and which has the ability to absorb UV radiation while at the same time increasing the light after emission at the first photosynthetic peak of chlorophyll.

Indeed, BCNO absorbs UV radiation that is harmful and inactive for plant growth, while emitting bright blue light.

The material was applied in the form of coatings to conventional greenhouse cover plastics with promising results in the development of hydroponic lettuce.
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Two greenhouses were built, one of which had the BCNO material as a cover for the plastic shell. The presence of BCNO showed better growth characteristics through the increased fresh weight of shoots and the dry biomass content of lettuce plants compared to those obtained in the typical greenhouse

Of course, this material's ability to enhance photosynthetically active light can be applied to various crops, such as various fruit and vegetables, which are widely grown in greenhouses.