The centrepiece of the new facility is a fully-controlled growth environment that brings together the latest technologies and innovations in smart farming and plant science. Rather than depending on favourable weather, fertile soil, abundant water or high running costs, the centre allows scientists to assess how nutritious and fast-growing fresh food can be produced independently of these traditional constraints. Customised combinations of LED lighting and nutrients create optimum growth conditions tailored to the needs of a wide range of crops, from microgreens to larger leafy greens and fruiting plants. This level of environmental control means that experiments which would take an entire growing season in the field can be run, adjusted and repeated far more rapidly under laboratory conditions.

The facility incorporates both hydroponic and aeroponic growing systems, two soilless cultivation methods that sit at the heart of modern controlled environment agriculture. In these systems, different recipes of nutrient-rich solutions are delivered directly to plant roots, which in the aeroponic configuration are suspended mid-air. By decoupling plant growth from soil quality entirely, researchers can isolate the effects of individual nutrients, light spectra, humidity levels and temperature regimes with a precision that open-field agriculture simply cannot offer. The result is a platform capable of generating highly reproducible data on how specific crops respond to specific inputs, knowledge that can then be translated into commercial growing practices.

Artificial intelligence plays a central role in the centre’s research strategy. Environmental and growth data collected continuously from the growing spaces will be processed by AI systems designed to extract the key features driving individual crop performance. This goes beyond simple monitoring: the goal is to build a deeper understanding of the specific requirements of particular plants and crops, allowing researchers to identify the combinations of conditions that maximise yield, nutritional quality and resource efficiency. As machine learning models accumulate data across experiments, they are expected to reveal patterns and relationships in plant behaviour that would be difficult or impossible for human observers to detect.

Beyond the three large growing spaces and individual environmental chambers built for contained experiments, the facility includes a dedicated biochemical analysis suite for molecular plant science. This analysis area enables researchers to understand crop variations at molecular detail, linking what happens inside the plant at the biochemical level to the growth outcomes observed in the growing rooms. Molecular profiling technology supplied by Waters Corporation provides a range of equipment supporting various discovery and targeted quantitation analysis workflows, allowing the team to move seamlessly between observing a phenotype and probing its underlying molecular mechanisms.

Complementing the molecular work, advanced imaging techniques will allow researchers to measure and monitor plant morphology, growth rates and health metrics under varying environmental conditions. Non-destructive imaging means that the same plant can be tracked throughout its life cycle, generating time-series data on how it responds to changes in light, nutrition or climate. Combined with the molecular profiling capability, this creates a powerful multi-scale picture of plant performance, from genome-informed biochemistry up to whole-plant architecture, all captured under tightly defined experimental conditions.

The facility is led from Nottingham Trent University’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences and is designed to support a diverse portfolio of interdisciplinary research projects. Its remit extends beyond academic inquiry: the centre is intended to help drive commercial research and partnerships across the agri-tech sector, providing companies with a testbed for developing and validating new products and processes. The £1.5 million facility was made possible through a capital funding grant from the Office for Students, a signal of the growing recognition that controlled environment agriculture has a strategic role to play in the nation’s research infrastructure.

University leadership has been explicit about the strategic ambitions behind the investment. Professor Andy Gill, Associate Dean for Research in the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, said the facility will enable NTU to consolidate its position as a national centre of excellence in controlled environment agriculture. He noted that it will address key questions and challenges around global food security and climate resilience while helping the university expand its research into crop optimisation, plant physiology and agri-tech innovation, and that it will also serve as an important platform for industry collaboration and student engagement.

Professor Richard Emes, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and International at the university, described the funding as further recognition of the expertise and exceptional collaborative research happening at NTU. He emphasised that the facilities will accelerate discovery and serve as a testbed for the university and industrial partners to work together and develop solutions that improve food production and security. UK company Light Science Technologies was awarded the contract for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of the facility, along with continued maintenance, underscoring the close relationship between the academic centre and the commercial technology providers shaping the sector.

The centre will also play a direct role in educating the next generation of agricultural scientists, supporting the teaching and delivery of the university’s postgraduate course in smart agriculture. Students will gain hands-on experience with the same hydroponic, aeroponic, imaging, molecular and AI-driven systems being used in active research programmes, a combination that reflects how modern agriculture increasingly blends plant science, engineering and data analytics. Industry partners interested in learning more about the facilities and exploring collaboration opportunities have been invited to contact the research team directly. As pressures on the global food system intensify, facilities of this kind offer a glimpse of how agriculture may evolve: data-rich, resource-efficient and increasingly independent of the weather outside.

Subject of Research: Smart agriculture and controlled environment agriculture for sustainable food production and food security

Article Title: Smart agriculture research center seeks to address food security challenges

Article References: Smart agriculture research center seeks to address food security challenges. (n.d.). Original publication

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: smart agriculture, food security, controlled environment agriculture, hydroponics, aeroponics, artificial intelligence, LED lighting, plant science, molecular profiling, sustainable food production, agri-tech, Nottingham Trent University

The research, led by Lena Merten and Felix Roosen-Runge of Lund University together with Gudrun Lotze of Malmö University and Marianne Ahmad, also of Malmö University, focused on yellow pea seeds, a crop of growing importance for sustainable food manufacturing. Peas are prized as a plant-based protein source, but the way their internal structure varies between species, cultivars, developmental stages and processing treatments remains poorly understood. Because seeds are multi-component biological materials, their characterization must stretch across length scales, from the arrangement of macromolecules to the architecture of cells. The team set out to build a workflow capable of spanning that entire hierarchy in a single, coherent analysis.

At the heart of the method is scanning Small- and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering, or SWAXS, performed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble on beamline ID13. In a scanning experiment, a finely focused X-ray beam is stepped across the sample point by point. At each position, the scattered intensity records how molecules and nanostructures are organized locally: wide-angle patterns speak to packing at near-atomic distances, while small-angle patterns reveal features on the scale of tens to hundreds of nanometers. Rastered across an entire seed section, these measurements assemble into a map in which every pixel carries a full scattering fingerprint of its neighborhood, effectively turning the seed into a mosaic of nanoscale structural signatures.

Scattering alone, however, says nothing about which chemical elements reside where. To add that dimension, the researchers paired the scattering scan with X-ray fluorescence, or XRF, a technique in which the excited sample emits element-specific radiation. By recording fluorescence signals alongside the diffraction patterns, the team could overlay maps of elemental composition onto maps of molecular organization. This multi-modal integration is what elevates the approach: regions of the seed with similar scattering behavior can be compared against their elemental makeup, exposing relationships between structure and composition that neither measurement could reveal on its own.

The real bottleneck in such experiments is not data collection but data interpretation. A scanning SWAXS run on a seed produces thousands of scattering patterns, each a complex curve of intensity versus angle, and traditional analysis would require fitting each one with a predefined structural model. That approach is slow, subjective and biased toward structures the analyst already expects. The Swedish team instead implemented a fitting-free, data-driven segmentation workflow built on machine learning. Rather than asking what each pattern should look like, the algorithms group patterns by similarity, letting distinct structural domains emerge from the data itself.

This unsupervised strategy allowed the researchers to identify and characterize heterogeneous regions within the pea seeds and to classify structurally distinct domains without relying on predefined models. The payoff is quantitative comparability: because the classification is generated by the same data-driven procedure for every sample, domains can be compared systematically across different seeds, cultivars, developmental stages or processing conditions. A seed that has been stored for months, germinated, or exposed to industrial treatment can be mapped with the same yardstick, turning what was once a descriptive picture into a measurable, reproducible analysis.

The implications reach well beyond one legume. Seed structure underpins germination, aging, storage stability and the response of seeds to treatment during food processing, and structural variation is written into the genetic setup of each species and cultivar. A method that captures molecular organization, cellular architecture and elemental composition in one pass gives plant scientists a new lens on early growth stages and gives food scientists a way to connect processing steps to structural consequences. The authors emphasize that the approach is broadly applicable to other hierarchically organized biological materials, positioning it as a versatile tool for both plant science and plant-based food science.

Technically, the study demonstrates how synchrotron facilities and modern data science have become inseparable partners. Beamline ID13 provided the brilliant, focused X-rays needed to interrogate the seed at high spatial resolution, and the resulting datasets, recorded under a documented experimental DOI, were rich enough to sustain a fully data-driven analysis. The workflow sidesteps the model-fitting stage entirely, which not only accelerates analysis but also guards against circular reasoning, since the segmentation is derived from the measurements rather than from assumptions about what the seed contains. Combined with the complementary XRF channel, the pipeline delivers a layered portrait of the seed: where the elements are, how the molecules are arranged, and which structural territories dominate the tissue.

For the growing plant-based food industry, the timing is significant. As manufacturers reformulate products around pea protein and other legume ingredients, understanding how seed microstructure governs texture, nutrition and processing behavior becomes a competitive necessity. The multi-scale, multi-modal framework described by Merten and colleagues opens the possibility of screening varieties for desirable structural traits, monitoring how storage and treatment alter internal architecture, and ultimately breeding or engineering seeds whose structure is optimized from molecule to tissue. What was once invisible, the quiet hierarchy inside a humble pea, is now legible, pixel by pixel, pattern by pattern.

Subject of Research: Multi-scale structural and compositional analysis of yellow pea seeds using scanning SWAXS, X-ray fluorescence and machine learning segmentation

Article Title: Integrating scanning X-ray scattering and fluorescence for multi-scale analysis of seed structure supported by machine learning tools

Article References: Merten, L., Lotze, G., Ahmad, M., & Roosen-Runge, F. (2026). Integrating scanning X-ray scattering and fluorescence for multi-scale analysis of seed structure supported by machine learning tools. Plant Methods, 22(1), Article 78. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-026-01585-8

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s13007-026-01585-8

Keywords: X-ray scattering, SWAXS, X-ray fluorescence, machine learning, pea seeds, plant science, food science, synchrotron, data-driven analysis, seed structure, hierarchical organization, Plant Methods

The new system, described in the journal Crop Health, is built around commercially available one-liter opaque plastic hydroponic pots with matching lids, each costing approximately 0.30 US dollars. A hole roughly half a centimeter in diameter is drilled in the center of each lid to cradle the seedling stem while the roots descend into the nutrient solution. Smaller auxiliary holes accommodate plastic sticks and clips that prop up plants as they grow, preventing tilting in mature specimens. The pots themselves are opaque, a detail with real practical consequences: by blocking light from reaching the solution, they suppress algal growth, which otherwise fouls hydroponic systems and adds cleaning labor. Because the pots can be cleaned, disinfected, and reused across experiments, the long-term cost of the platform drops even further. Crucially, no pumps, circulating reservoirs, or aeration devices are required at any point in the workflow.

The cultivation protocol begins on germination trays filled with perlite moistened with a half-strength modified Hoagland solution, or MHS, a complete nutrient formulation containing major ions such as nitrate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate together with a full complement of micronutrients including boron, manganese, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and cobalt, buffered at a pH of 5.8 to 6.0. Seeds are surface-sterilized with a sodium dichloroisocyanurate solution containing Tween-20 before sowing, and seedlings germinate under controlled conditions at 24 degrees Celsius with a 16-hour light, 8-hour dark photoperiod and 60 to 70 percent relative humidity. After 15 days on the trays, seedlings are transferred into the hydroponic pots. The perlite clinging to the roots is gently rinsed away in water to minimize transplant damage, and the young plants are kept under low light for their first two days in the system to reduce shock. Early on, the solution fully submerges the roots; as the root system matures, the level is lowered so the liquid occupies only about three-quarters of the pot volume. This seemingly minor adjustment is one of the system’s most important engineering decisions, because it leaves the basal portions of the roots exposed to air and provides enough passive oxygenation to eliminate the need for artificial aeration altogether.

Nutrient management under the system is deliberately minimal. The solution is first replaced one month after transplanting, and thereafter renewed every two weeks, a schedule the authors found sufficient to sustain healthy growth without pH corrections or intermediate top-ups in most cases. The simplicity translates directly into labor savings compared with setups that demand frequent solution changes, continuous pH monitoring, and mechanical aeration. The researchers first optimized the platform with Nicotiana benthamiana, a mainstay of plant molecular biology prized for its amenability to transient transformation, grafting, and virus-induced gene silencing, and then expanded their tests across a striking taxonomic breadth.

To assess species compatibility, the team grew seven representative species side by side in hydroponics and conventional soil: the dicotyledonous cucumber, tomato, soybean, and N. benthamiana, and the monocotyledonous rice, wheat, and maize. Shoot length was tracked at 10, 20, and 35 days after transfer, with dry biomass measured at the final time point. The results favored hydroponics for several of the dicots. Ten days after transfer, cucumber and soybean shoots were 69 percent and 63 percent longer, respectively, than their soil-grown counterparts, an advantage maintained throughout the cultivation period. N. benthamiana nearly doubled its shoot length relative to soil-grown plants by day 35, and the shoot dry weights of hydroponic cucumber, soybean, and N. benthamiana were all significantly greater than those of soil-grown controls. Tomato was the exception among the dicots, with soil-grown plants reaching heights 32 percent greater after 35 days, although shoot dry weights did not differ significantly between the two systems, indicating that total biomass accumulation was comparable even if internodal elongation differed.

The monocots told a more cautious story. Rice, wheat, and maize showed no obvious differences in shoot length relative to soil-grown plants during the first 20 days after transfer, but as cultivation continued they progressively developed chlorosis and weak growth. The team attempted to rescue performance by testing half-strength, full-strength, and double-strength nutrient solutions, yet leaf yellowing persisted. The authors therefore conclude that the current system supports early-stage monocot growth but is not yet suitable for long-term monocot cultivation, and they suggest that formulations supplying nitrogen as ammonium or as mixed ammonium and nitrate, along with alternative iron sources and pH adjustments, may be needed to close that gap. The honest recognition of this limitation gives the work practical credibility: the platform is presented as a broadly capable dicot system rather than a universal solution.

Beyond the seven directly compared species, four additional plants, Arabidopsis thaliana, cultivated tobacco, potato, and the medicinal legume Astragalus membranaceus, all grew healthily in the system. In total, eight dicotyledonous species were cultivated successfully, and four of them, N. benthamiana, Arabidopsis, soybean, and tomato, completed their entire life cycles and produced mature seeds entirely within the hydroponic setup. The full-cycle result is particularly notable for Arabidopsis, a species often considered difficult to grow hydroponically, and it means researchers can now carry a plant from germination to seed set without ever touching soil, opening the door to experiments in which root-zone conditions are controlled from cradle to grave.

The functional demonstrations extend well beyond simple cultivation. In transient expression assays, hydroponically grown N. benthamiana leaves expressing the RUBY reporter, which produces a visible red pigment, and the enhanced green fluorescent protein showed transformation efficiency comparable to soil-grown plants. Tomato grafting succeeded in both systems, with all nine graft attempts taking under each condition, supporting the system’s use in studies of systemic signaling and metabolite transport. The parasitic weed dodder, Cuscuta australis, established infections on hydroponic hosts just as readily as on soil-grown plants, providing a clean platform for host–parasitic plant interaction studies. Perhaps most compelling is the system’s performance in root exudate work, a field where soil is a hopeless confound. The researchers collected exudates from phosphorus-starved N. benthamiana and found that the concentrated exudates triggered germination in up to 76 percent of broomrape (Phelipanche aegyptiaca) seeds, a rate closely matching that induced by the synthetic strigolactone analog GR24, confirming that the platform captures biologically meaningful strigolactone signaling under nutrient stress.

Stress physiology experiments further showcased the platform’s precision. Thirty-day treatments of nitrogen deficiency, phosphorus deficiency, and 200 millimolar salt stress produced distinct, quantifiable phenotypes in N. benthamiana: salt stress severely suppressed height and cut chlorophyll content by roughly half, nitrogen starvation drove strong leaf yellowing and a 50 percent reduction in shoot biomass, and phosphorus deficiency reduced biomass by 32 percent while actually stimulating root elongation, a classic foraging response. Quantitative PCR confirmed that the expression of marker genes for nitrogen starvation (NRT1.1, NR, AMT1;1), phosphorus starvation (PHO2, PHR1, SPX1), and oxidative salt stress (SOD1-1, SOD1-2, CAT1) tracked the treatments faithfully. Wounding experiments added another layer: mechanical damage to hydroponically grown leaves and roots rapidly induced the jasmonic acid biosynthesis genes AOC and AOS, and root wounding triggered measurable accumulation of jasmonic acid and its bioactive conjugate JA-isoleucine within 30 minutes, demonstrating that even fast-moving hormonal signaling can be resolved in this system.

The authors argue that the combination of negligible cost, effortless assembly, reusability, and freedom from aeration equipment makes this platform a practical tool for laboratories with limited resources, and the breadth of validated applications, from root physiology and stress assays to grafting, parasitic plant interactions, exudate collection, and transient gene expression, suggests it could become a quiet workhorse across plant biology. For a field in which the price of entry has often been measured in specialized hardware and hours of maintenance, a 30-cent pot that can carry a plant from seed to seed is a refreshingly democratic proposition, and one that many laboratories are likely to adopt within the year.

Subject of Research: A low-cost, reusable hydroponic system for multi-species plant cultivation and root biology research

Article Title: A versatile, low-cost, and reusable hydroponic system for the cultivation of plants of various species

Article References: Zhang, J., Zhang, X., Qian, M., & Wu, J. (2026). A versatile, low-cost, and reusable hydroponic system for the cultivation of plants of various species. Crop Health, 4(1), Article 21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44297-026-00084-5

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s44297-026-00084-5

Keywords: hydroponics, plant science, Nicotiana benthamiana, Arabidopsis thaliana, soybean, tomato, root exudates, abiotic stress, parasitic plants, jasmonic acid, grafting, soilless cultivation