Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PlantSenseKit (Plants as sensors for standardization and calibration of controlled environment chambers)
Reporting period: 2017-09-01 to 2019-02-28
Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project
The overarching aim of PlantSenseKit, an ERC Proof of Concept (POC) funded project, was to develop and validate a user-friendly plant-based-Sensor Kit whose function is to calibrate and standardise Controlled Environments Chambers (CECs). CECs include any controlled environment such as glasshouses and plant growth chambers or rooms, all of which are used in research or for controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and horticulture. CEA plays a pivotal role in future climate and sustainability; urban farming or indoor precision farming as it ensures maximum yield per square meter of growth through the precise control of optimal growth conditions. CEA have other benefits such as greatly reduced wastewater and nutriend agricultural run-off, reduced water use (by 70-80%) and protection of crops from insects, microbes and severe weather conditions. The later are predicted to increase in severity and frequency as a consequence of anthropogenic global climate change. The move from traditional farming to CEA also allows the return of farmland back to its original ecological function (e.g. forests and native grassland), which sequesters more carbon per meter squared than agricultural land. Similarly, CECs are an essential tool for climate based research, as future climate conditions can be simulated in CECs to examine plant/crop survival, growth, pests, diseases and resistance or the effect on whole ecosystem function.
The problem with CECs that both research and CEA share is the issue of chamber effect. Chamber effect is defined as inconspicuous differences between or within supposedly identical chambers, that result in an observed statistical difference in plant/crop health and productivities. These can be caused by malfunctions or non-uniform environmental conditions. In research this poses a high risk to the reliability of data results. If chamber effect is identified it requires repeat experiments which costs time and resources (costing thousands of euros) and therefore hinders progress in climate research. In CAE or the biopharmaceutical industry (for medicinal crop production), chamber effect could result is loss of or unpredictable crop yield and/or quality as these sectors utilise precision farming approaches.
There are currently no commercially available products that are capable of detecting a chamber effect, with heterogeneity only detectable using an expensive network of artificial sensors, which would cost the user anywhere from €400 to €35,000 for a single sensor. Plants, however, have been proven to be capable of detecting and deciphering the causes of chamber effect, therefore the PlantSenseKit (a plant-based sensor implemented with an Internet of Things sensor technology) would not only swiftly identify chambers in need to repair, but will be the first product offering a means for CECs to be calibrated and standardised globally.
The PoC consisted of four work packages with nine milestones:
WP1 Customer analysis: The purpose of this work package was to determine the desirability of the PlantSenseKit. To achieve this there were two milestones:
M1) Detailed interview feedback from 47 individuals to inform the design and content of the questionnaire:
One to one interviews with 1 representative from industry and 4 users of plant growth chambers were carried out and deemed sufficient for the development of the survey.
M2) Questionnaire feedback from ~100 individuals (industry, academia):
Three surveys were generated targeting users of plant growth chambers, glasshouses and manufacturers. In total, 86 responses were collected over a 2 month period (17th September – 17th November 2018). The survey contained several questions regarding the users’ experience working with chambers/glasshouses but also asked for feedback in relation to improvement of the standardisation and calibration of chambers/glasshouses. The questions also referred to the familiarity of the chamber effect and the ways users deal with it. The survey was sent out widely to international institutions and received a total of 86 responses. It highlighted the problems users have with controlled environments and confirmed that ~80% of users are aware of chamber effect and ~ 75% of those who wished their chambers met an international standard or calibration (~ 90%), would consider using an external calibration kit. The full results of the survey and final outcome of the survey, will be published on the researchgate.com (https://www.researchgate.net/project/Bio-sensors-for-standardization-and-calibration-of-controlled-environment-chambers(opens in new window)).
WP2 Developing a PlantSenseKit prototype and finalizing the ‘plants as sensors’ protocol
M3 Successful completion of Exp. 1 indicating best growing media for PlantSenseKit:
Experiment 1 aimed at establishing the best growing media for the plants used in the kit. Growth media that were either sterile or inorganic were tested for 1 month in BDW40 CONVIRON controlled environment chambers at PÉAC (Program for Experimental Atmospheres and Climate), University College Dublin. The following media were tested for rates of germination, plant growth rate and health, risk of contamination, ease of transport and use:
a)Control (potting soil)
b)Rockwool cubes
c)Rooting cubes
d)Peat pellets
e)Coco coir plugs
f) MS Agar
g)Felts and mats (PUREgrown hemp and BioStrate)
h)Hydroponic system
The three most successful growth medium, coco coir, peat plugs and MS Agar which were used in further experiments (see details in M5).
M4 Successful completion of Experiment 2, indicating range of climatic tolerance under which PlantSenseKit will operate:
The validation experiment (experiment 2) was conducted using three plant growth chambers and treatments at Trinity College Dublin.
Chamber 1: Control
Chamber 2: Light treatment
Chamber 3: Temperature treatment
Plants were grown in three different types of media: coco coir, hydroponic system and MS agar. Two traits were measured: weight and number of leaves. Results revealed that’s plants could detect changes in light and temperature while media selection was found to be an important factor for the kits sensitivity to chamber effect.
M5 Successful completion of Experiment 1, 3 and 4, calibrating sensitivity of PlantSenseKit to small increments in temp, humidity & light compared with existing sensors on market:
Preliminary validation of a) plant and b) wireless sensor (4 months). a) This experiment tested the sensitivity of A. thaliana under (i) varying light (100µmol, 200µmol, 300µmol) and temperature (17°C and 20°C), (ii) the minimum required growth (days to weeks) required to detect said differences, and (iii) three suitable media from experiment 1 were compared for optimal growth under varying environmental growth conditions. b) Reliability of 4 pervasive nation IOT sensors that can emit signal through plant growth chamber walls, these were tested in 3 Conviron chambers at TCD. This experiment was replicated twice to establish repeatability.
WP3 Prototype Testing
M6 Successful completion of prototype design workshop:
The initial working prototype involves a modular design to accommodate the variability in chamber size and shape on the market (from reach-in cabinets to walk-in rooms and commercial glasshouses), an artificial IoT sensor device, sterile or inorganic growth media and plant sensors.
The initial design changed after obtaining results from the Experiment 1, on the suitable growth medium. The working prototype design, made in Tinkercad, was also influenced by feedback obtained from industry partners interested in licensing the product.
M7 Development of product prototype with questionnaire & user guide:
The prototype of the product was presented to Conviron, during a meeting held on the 9th of October 2018 in Dublin. The industry feedback will help to improve the initial prototype design and generate the questionnaire and guide for the future users. Because the IP protection of the product will include the legal protection of the device’s appearance and function, at this stage of innovation, it was deemed too early to implement the questionnaire for potential users.
WP4 Commercialization (Market Research, Competitor Analysis, IRP, Industry Engagement)
M8 Completion of market research:
The initial market research was subcontracted to IP Pragmatics (Rupert Osborn and Kyriakos Tzafestas. The content of the final report was agreed on the 17th of December 2018.
M9 Successful engagement with an Irish based or International company interested in licensing the product:
The initial meeting with representative of CONVIRON, Matthew Gilroy was held on the 17th of April 2018. One-way NDA was signed and between Conviron and TCD, to allow for free flow of information regarding the product development. The subsequent meeting with Conviron was held on the 9th of October 2018. People attending the meeting – Matthew Gilroy (UK Manager), John Proven (CCO), Jennifer McElwain, Kamila Kwasniewska and Amanda Porter, Juan Valverde and Aoife Tierney (TCD). The team received feedback on the prototype and discussed further relations and engagement.
The problem with CECs that both research and CEA share is the issue of chamber effect. Chamber effect is defined as inconspicuous differences between or within supposedly identical chambers, that result in an observed statistical difference in plant/crop health and productivities. These can be caused by malfunctions or non-uniform environmental conditions. In research this poses a high risk to the reliability of data results. If chamber effect is identified it requires repeat experiments which costs time and resources (costing thousands of euros) and therefore hinders progress in climate research. In CAE or the biopharmaceutical industry (for medicinal crop production), chamber effect could result is loss of or unpredictable crop yield and/or quality as these sectors utilise precision farming approaches.
There are currently no commercially available products that are capable of detecting a chamber effect, with heterogeneity only detectable using an expensive network of artificial sensors, which would cost the user anywhere from €400 to €35,000 for a single sensor. Plants, however, have been proven to be capable of detecting and deciphering the causes of chamber effect, therefore the PlantSenseKit (a plant-based sensor implemented with an Internet of Things sensor technology) would not only swiftly identify chambers in need to repair, but will be the first product offering a means for CECs to be calibrated and standardised globally.
The PoC consisted of four work packages with nine milestones:
WP1 Customer analysis: The purpose of this work package was to determine the desirability of the PlantSenseKit. To achieve this there were two milestones:
M1) Detailed interview feedback from 47 individuals to inform the design and content of the questionnaire:
One to one interviews with 1 representative from industry and 4 users of plant growth chambers were carried out and deemed sufficient for the development of the survey.
M2) Questionnaire feedback from ~100 individuals (industry, academia):
Three surveys were generated targeting users of plant growth chambers, glasshouses and manufacturers. In total, 86 responses were collected over a 2 month period (17th September – 17th November 2018). The survey contained several questions regarding the users’ experience working with chambers/glasshouses but also asked for feedback in relation to improvement of the standardisation and calibration of chambers/glasshouses. The questions also referred to the familiarity of the chamber effect and the ways users deal with it. The survey was sent out widely to international institutions and received a total of 86 responses. It highlighted the problems users have with controlled environments and confirmed that ~80% of users are aware of chamber effect and ~ 75% of those who wished their chambers met an international standard or calibration (~ 90%), would consider using an external calibration kit. The full results of the survey and final outcome of the survey, will be published on the researchgate.com (https://www.researchgate.net/project/Bio-sensors-for-standardization-and-calibration-of-controlled-environment-chambers(opens in new window)).
WP2 Developing a PlantSenseKit prototype and finalizing the ‘plants as sensors’ protocol
M3 Successful completion of Exp. 1 indicating best growing media for PlantSenseKit:
Experiment 1 aimed at establishing the best growing media for the plants used in the kit. Growth media that were either sterile or inorganic were tested for 1 month in BDW40 CONVIRON controlled environment chambers at PÉAC (Program for Experimental Atmospheres and Climate), University College Dublin. The following media were tested for rates of germination, plant growth rate and health, risk of contamination, ease of transport and use:
a)Control (potting soil)
b)Rockwool cubes
c)Rooting cubes
d)Peat pellets
e)Coco coir plugs
f) MS Agar
g)Felts and mats (PUREgrown hemp and BioStrate)
h)Hydroponic system
The three most successful growth medium, coco coir, peat plugs and MS Agar which were used in further experiments (see details in M5).
M4 Successful completion of Experiment 2, indicating range of climatic tolerance under which PlantSenseKit will operate:
The validation experiment (experiment 2) was conducted using three plant growth chambers and treatments at Trinity College Dublin.
Chamber 1: Control
Chamber 2: Light treatment
Chamber 3: Temperature treatment
Plants were grown in three different types of media: coco coir, hydroponic system and MS agar. Two traits were measured: weight and number of leaves. Results revealed that’s plants could detect changes in light and temperature while media selection was found to be an important factor for the kits sensitivity to chamber effect.
M5 Successful completion of Experiment 1, 3 and 4, calibrating sensitivity of PlantSenseKit to small increments in temp, humidity & light compared with existing sensors on market:
Preliminary validation of a) plant and b) wireless sensor (4 months). a) This experiment tested the sensitivity of A. thaliana under (i) varying light (100µmol, 200µmol, 300µmol) and temperature (17°C and 20°C), (ii) the minimum required growth (days to weeks) required to detect said differences, and (iii) three suitable media from experiment 1 were compared for optimal growth under varying environmental growth conditions. b) Reliability of 4 pervasive nation IOT sensors that can emit signal through plant growth chamber walls, these were tested in 3 Conviron chambers at TCD. This experiment was replicated twice to establish repeatability.
WP3 Prototype Testing
M6 Successful completion of prototype design workshop:
The initial working prototype involves a modular design to accommodate the variability in chamber size and shape on the market (from reach-in cabinets to walk-in rooms and commercial glasshouses), an artificial IoT sensor device, sterile or inorganic growth media and plant sensors.
The initial design changed after obtaining results from the Experiment 1, on the suitable growth medium. The working prototype design, made in Tinkercad, was also influenced by feedback obtained from industry partners interested in licensing the product.
M7 Development of product prototype with questionnaire & user guide:
The prototype of the product was presented to Conviron, during a meeting held on the 9th of October 2018 in Dublin. The industry feedback will help to improve the initial prototype design and generate the questionnaire and guide for the future users. Because the IP protection of the product will include the legal protection of the device’s appearance and function, at this stage of innovation, it was deemed too early to implement the questionnaire for potential users.
WP4 Commercialization (Market Research, Competitor Analysis, IRP, Industry Engagement)
M8 Completion of market research:
The initial market research was subcontracted to IP Pragmatics (Rupert Osborn and Kyriakos Tzafestas. The content of the final report was agreed on the 17th of December 2018.
M9 Successful engagement with an Irish based or International company interested in licensing the product:
The initial meeting with representative of CONVIRON, Matthew Gilroy was held on the 17th of April 2018. One-way NDA was signed and between Conviron and TCD, to allow for free flow of information regarding the product development. The subsequent meeting with Conviron was held on the 9th of October 2018. People attending the meeting – Matthew Gilroy (UK Manager), John Proven (CCO), Jennifer McElwain, Kamila Kwasniewska and Amanda Porter, Juan Valverde and Aoife Tierney (TCD). The team received feedback on the prototype and discussed further relations and engagement.