A state-of-the-art glasshouse has been opened at Harper Adams University for students at the Crops and Environment Research Centre (CERC).
The facility, constructed by Bridge Greenhouses, was funded by a generous donation from The Jean Jackson Charitable Trust, and will provide modern, future-proof facilities for commercial and academic crop growing trials.
Grace Smith, CERC manager, said: “We are exceptionally grateful to the trustees for their support for the glasshouse. While the former structure was no longer up to commercial standards, the new Jean Jackson Glasshouse is representative of the modern, commercial environment and has been designed such that it can be retrofitted as new technology emerges, which will allow us to adapt alongside industry.”
The glasshouse is made from polycarbonate rather than glass, which allows for better thermal dynamics, making it more energy efficient. The height of the structure results in better heat dissipation, Smith explained, and electronically-controlled shade screens on the south-facing side allow better control of the growing environment.
“The glasshouse has been in use for three months ahead of the formal opening, and we are delighted with the additional specialist facilities that it is already providing to support our work” said Grace,
“We have already started to trial new LED lighting systems, to determine how plants grow differently under different lighting conditions. We hope that this work will prepare us well, if in the future, industry starts to move in this same direction and older lighting technology becomes obsolete.'
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