Technology Transfer Department

Application sectors

Problem to solve

In the implementation of systems for cultivating plant-based foods with high nutritional quality in urban/domestic or spatial settings, it is important to monitor in real-time and fine-tune/optimize the use of resources involved (fertilizers, light, water, etc.) in order to achieve the best combination between productive yields and nutritional quality through a case-by-case evaluation (species, micro- and environmental conditions) integrating non-destructive diagnostic systems with advanced statistical analyses in a controlled environment (with IoT integration for the management and control of lighting, irrigation/fertilization, and climate processes). Born for research purposes, the support and cultivation systems developed/developable and proposed are characterized by modularity, adaptability, and versatility based on needs, case by case. Moreover, the integration of the cultivation system with advanced diagnostics is not found in any existing platform.

Description

Systems for: •High-level automated precision cultivation equipped with a robotic arm for cultivation, irrigation, and harvesting, and customization of components (Delta Wasp 2040 Pro printer) with sensors for environmental parameters (light intensity and spectrum, CO2, O2, temperature, humidity, air velocity, nutrient concentration, and pH of the irrigation solution). • Induction of physiological stress such as altered gravity stress (2D and 3D clinostats) and harmful non-ionizing light radiation (UV). • Integrated multispectral plant phenotyping for the assessment of biotic and abiotic stress in plants on a platform that allows advanced statistical analysis (Portable UV-vis fluorometer, Hyperspectral camera, Plant Stress Kit for detecting photosynthetic efficiency, Colorimeter, Thermal camera, Phenospex PlantEye F600 multispectral 3D scanner for fully automated high-throughput phenotyping).

Research group involved