Young Minds Award Winners
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Food production across the globe is threatened by pervasive drivers of food insecurity such as climate change, scarcity of agricultural resources and human population growth. Vertical farming (VF) technologies offer promising contributions within a sustainable food production framework by alleviating the stress posed by these drivers. However, VF encounters some obstacles, in that these systems […]9 June 2024 -
Elisabet Freyja Henriksson is a PhD student at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, working on environmental sustainability and circularity in vertical farming. Her current research is focused on aquaponics and life cycle assessments (LCA). Aquaponics is generating interest in terms of its potential to produce both vegetables and […]9 June 2024 -
Yi Lv is a Ph.D student at the School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, China, under the supervision of Prof. Yike Gao. Cooperating with her co-workers, Yi Lv has conducted distant hybridization breeding between Xanthorrhoeaceae and Amaryllidaceae. Distant hybridization is expected to result in new progenies with traits from genetically different species. This should […]9 June 2024 -
Sara Benchaa is a PhD student at Laval University in Quebec City under the supervision of Prof. Line Lapointe. Sara is focused on optimizing vernalization and cultivation conditions for the greenhouse production of Anemone coronaria and Ranunculus asiaticus. As climatic conditions in the Quebec region do not support a diverse range of early spring cut […]9 June 2024 -
Agrivoltaics is the practice of growing crops underneath solar panels. Using photovoltaic arrays above tree canopies has several potential benefits such as limiting transpiration and water use, and protecting trees and fruit from damage (extreme heat, sunlight, hail). Nevertheless, above-canopy photovoltaic arrays reduce light availability. This study aimed to measure the light availability and crop […]6 January 2024 -
Red-fleshed kiwifruit have recently entered the international market. As their nutraceutical properties have generated significant consumer interest, to establish a quality standard along the supply chain, the internal quality of the fruit must be accurately evaluated. Evaluating the redness of kiwifruit flesh poses a complex challenge due to the inherent variability in color localization and […]6 January 2024 -
Muthianzhele Ravuluma is a PhD candidate at the University of the Free State, South Africa. His research is focused on estimating the current and future use of water in pomegranate orchards in the Western Cape, South Africa. Establishing crops tolerant to water stress is essential to improve food availability. As the climate in South Africa […]6 January 2024 -
Sebastian Dam is a former undergraduate student of Dr. Youbin Zheng (University of Guelph) and is currently a crop consultant at Cultivation Coaches in Canada. Sebastian’s research consists of optimizing cannabis cultivation techniques. Throughout the world, as the cultivation of cannabis is becoming legal for both medicinal and recreational use, documented research for this new […]6 January 2024 -
As a member of Cranfield University’s Plant Science Laboratory, Heather is currently completing a PhD project entitled “Reducing seed loss and waste in umbelliferous crops” as part of the FoodBioSystems DTP program in partnership with Elsoms Seeds Ltd. The project focuses on understanding the genetic background of flower and seed development in parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) […]6 January 2024 -
The Indian jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana L.), a member of the family Rhamnaceae, is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The tree can withstand highly alkaline and slightly waterlogged soils and has potential to prevent soil erosion and desertification. However, the cultivation of Indian jujube may also provide opportunities for smallholder farmers […]6 January 2024