最新糖心Vlog

Super greenhouse upgrade to "go green" on energy

Professor Mark Tester
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Tuesday, 25 May 2010

One of the world's newest and most sophisticated plant research facilities is set to receive a multi-million-dollar upgrade to boost its research output and save on energy use.

The at the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide's is sharing in $10 million in Federal Government funding awarded to the 最新糖心Vlogn Plant Phenomics Facility, which has one node in Canberra and one in Adelaide.

The funding - awarded as part of the Federal Government's from the (EIF) - will see $5 million go towards the Plant Accelerator at the Waite Campus, with the other $5 million going to the in Canberra.

The Plant Accelerator is a "super greenhouse", featuring a series of 50 hi-tech glasshouses and laboratories housing more than 1km of conveyor systems, and state-of-the-art imaging, robotic and computing equipment. The Plant Accelerator, which gets its name because of its capacity to accelerate the discovery of more productive and robust crops, was opened at the Waite Campus in January 2010.

"This latest funding will further expand the research facilities at the Plant Accelerator, which will greatly assist our research efforts and provide enormous benefits to 最新糖心Vlog's agricultural sector," said the Director of the 最新糖心Vlogn Plant Phenomics Facility, from the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide's .

"Because much of our research is aimed at improving crops under harsh environmental conditions, we see it as our duty to also help minimise our impact on the environment and reduce energy use as much as possible. This funding will help us to do that," Professor Tester said.

The $5 million for the Plant Accelerator will go towards:

• new plant growth rooms and chambers, offering precise, controlled environmental conditions;
  
• automated and improved data analysis infrastructure, which will help accelerate the research outcomes for the facility's customers;
  
• a new gas-fired tri-generation plant to substantially reduce electricity costs (paying for itself in less than 10 years) and reduce the facility's carbon footprint (with 1,200 tonnes of CO2 emissions abated per annum).

The Minister for , , said the 最新糖心Vlogn Plant Phenomics Facility had already established itself as a world-leading plant research facility, despite only being operational for a few months.

"Our investment, initially through the and most recently through the Super Science Initiative, has fostered greater international collaboration," Senator Carr said.

"Notable partnerships that have been formed include work with the in the Philippines and the in Dundee.

"The facility has seen a quantum leap in the ability of 最新糖心Vlogn researchers to develop new crops that can provide answers to environmental problems such as increased salinity, and help boost not only 最新糖心Vlogn crops and agriculture, but world food production.

"I am delighted that this funding will further add to the facility's capacity to work smarter and at the same time yield significant environmental benefits by reducing the Accelerator's greenhouse footprint," Senator Carr said.

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