New advanced plant growth chambers at the University of Exeter will
help scientists recreate climate conditions including wind and rain to
advance research into global food security problems.
The new facility aims to boost plant research to address an urgent
global crisis. More than ten years ago, the United Nations issued the
stark warning that we need to double global food production by 2050 to
meet demands from the world's growing population. Serious obstacles to
achieving this goal include crop pathogens, pests and a global decline
in pollinators.
For the first time, the new facility will enable university
researchers to recreate weather conditions including wind and rain in a
controlled environments, which has so far been challenging. It will also
be available to the global research community who wants to control ever
more variables that impact plant growth, to replicate what really
happens in nature.
The
GMS or "Global Meteorological Simulator" at the University of Exeter
will help scientists recreate climate conditions including wind and
rain. Scientists will use the £1.5 million plant growth chambers to
study plant diseases, investigating how weather conditions affect
plants, and their pollinators, pests and disease-causing microbes.
Known as the Global Meteorological Simulator (GMS), the facility is
one of just a few in the world, and thought to be the only one of its
kind in a university setting. Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the University of Exeter, the new
plant growth chambers will mimic current and future weather simulations
from around the world. The GMS consists of four separate chambers each
containing different plants – so a tropical storm might rage in one,
while cool mist fills another.
Professor Ivana Gudelj, of the University of Exeter, led the
application for the project, and will use the new facility in her
research on plant pathogens. Dr. Gudelj remarked “Environmental
conditions, including wind, rain and humidity, play a key role in plant
health and disease. Field studies allow us to observe plants in their
natural conditions, yet these are hard to control, meaning we can
struggle to replicate our results, which is crucial to robust science.
Other classical controllable growth facilities cannot accurately
replicate such a diverse range of natural environmental conditions."
Our cutting-edge new simulator means we can manipulate and generate all kinds of conditions to get a much clearer idea of how our research will really play out in the natural environment. The Global Meteorological Simulator fills a gap in UK science capacity, enabling researchers working on plant health and disease to undertake truly groundbreaking research.
Professor Ivana Gudelj, University of Exeter
The GMS will be available to researchers and industry experts beyond
the University of Exeter to help enable access to advanced research
equipment and national expertise. Research questions addressed in the
plant growth chambers may include: how plants react to predicted future
global climate; how plant diseases are transmitted by rain splashing
onto leaves; understanding ways to improve our ability to forecast the
spread of disease outbreaks; and how weather and climate affects the
behaviour of pollinators, which are vital for fruit and vegetable
cultivation.
Professor Lisa Roberts, President and Vice Chancellor of the
University of Exeter said: “Our new Global Meteorological Simulator is a
major step forward in the University’s ability to discover how changing
conditions will affect plants, and therefore crop production.
“We pride ourselves on our research impact in this field, and we’re
firmly committed to leading meaningful action against the climate
emergency and ecological crisis. This exciting new facility will allow
our researchers to identify threats and develop vital solutions to
ensure a healthy and sustainable future,” remarked Dr. Roberts.
Conviron and Argus are incredibly proud to serve as the technology partner for the University of Exeter on one of our most innovative and unique plant growth facilities anywhere in the world. At Conviron and Argus Controls, we deeply value the role of plant science in addressing today’s environmental and food security challenges and we are excited that these new chambers will help accelerate the discovery process for years to come.
Ryan Popilchak, President of Conviron & Argus Controls
GMS Research Applications
The effect of weather and climate change on crop disease: By generating wind, rain and fogging conditions, the plant growth
chambers will be vital for progressing understanding of how crop
diseases transmit amongst plants such as wheat, banana, coffee, rice,
potatoes and maize. This can be done by enabling the physical movement
of spores between hosts and mimicking dew formation that induces the
pathogen to initiate infection. This will also allow scientists to test
how long microbes that are used for disease treatment might survive in
the real world, in changing weather conditions.
How multiple environmental factors affect plant growth, development, & risk of disease: The plant growth chambers will allow scientists to rigorously test
the performance of crops modified to better resist pests and pathogens
in realistic fluctuating environmental conditions, including wind and
rain. This approach will greatly improve discovery of genetic traits
which will increase crop productivity in real and future global
environments.
Understanding large-scale dynamics of algae in controlled environments: So far, it has generally only been possible to study swimming algae
in controlled environments on a microscopic scale. The plant growth chambers will
allow stable, large-scale behavioral set-ups to visualise and record
the complex dynamics of algae and how they respond to changing weather
conditions.
The effect of weather on plant-pest interactions: The GMS will allow researchers to systematically assess how genetic
and meteorological factors interact to influence pesticide resistance.
Since atmospheric conditions such as temperature, wind speed and
direction are thought to be particularly important for migrant insects,
the simulator will enable these factors to be investigated in a
controlled, replicated manner.
How does climate change influence pollinator behavior? The plant growth chambers enable an in-depth, repeatable and
controlled examination of the effects of rain, temperature and humidity,
as well as the scale of less studied types of road “pollution”, on
floral resources and bee behaviour. This will allow for better
predictions of foraging efficiency and bee survival under changing
conditions.
Looking Ahead
The grand opening event at the University of Exeter was a celebration
of scientific progress, shared vision, and the power of collaboration.
As global food security continues to face mounting challenges, the GMS
offers a beacon of hope — a place where science meets simulation to
cultivate solutions for a more sustainable future.
Brochures
The Global Meteorological Simulator at the Univeristy of Exeter
