High-tech horticulture

Horticulture faces major challenges: energy-neutral by 2050, the Green Deal with a 50% reduction in chemical crop protection and a society that attaches importance to a local production. In addition, this horticulture is to be practised in a changing climate where new extreme temperatures and precipitation figures are achieved each year. High-tech horticulture is therefore the way to make horticulture more resilient to these future challenges. Within this project, we are thinking of a horticultural production without daylight, with LED lighting. But also the control by light of endogenous plant components with industrial added value, local soilless production of alternative crops or alternative production schemes are aspects of this high-tech horticulture. What is certain is that this horticulture is forced to produce with less primary sources. This requires technological developments to follow up plant production and deliver plants that are more resilient to abiotic stresses. Here, the use of alternative in vitro breeding techniques or plant physiological screening can offer possible solutions.