Project Details

Description

The critical role of rice as a staple food in many Asian countries, alongside barley's significance in the UK and European nations, underscores the importance of these crops in sustaining global food security. As the world's population is on course to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, the pressure on agricultural systems to meet the escalating demand for food is unprecedented (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2019). At the heart of addressing this challenge is the enhancement of photosynthesis, the primary process driving yield in carbohydrate-rich plants.
Recent advancements in nanotechnology, particularly the development of quantum dots (QDs) with their unique photoluminescent properties, present a promising avenue for boosting photosynthetic efficiency. The ability of QDs to enhance photosynthesis holds the potential to significantly increase crop yields, a critical factor in the quest to sustain the growing global population. Empirical evidence supports this potential; studies have demonstrated that QDs can increase overall yield by 48.1% in Romaine lettuce (Zheng et al., 2017) and 39.6% in maize (Tan et al., 2021). Such breakthroughs not only highlight the efficacy of QDs in agricultural applications but also point towards a sustainable path to bolstering food production. Even though there have been various success stories on the ability of QD to increase yield of crops, however the mechanism of photosynthesis enhancement remains unclear and thus warrants further investigation. Furthermore, in our previous work, biocompatible QD was successfully prepared using agriculture waste as raw material. It was found that different agriculture wastes will produce QD with different properties and possibly different photosynthesis enhancing capabilities. Therefore, it is imperative that we investigate their performance.
Given the pressing need to augment agricultural output without compromising environmental integrity, the integration of QDs into crop production emerges as a viable strategy to enhance yield efficiencies. This grant application seeks to explore the application of quantum dots in rice and barley cultivation, aiming to leverage their photosynthetic enhancement capabilities to meet the dual objectives of bolstering food security and managing resource sustainability. By addressing the gap in current agricultural practices through the innovative use of QDs, this research endeavors to contribute significantly to alleviating the global food market pressures, marking a step forward in the quest for sustainable agricultural solutions.
Short titleInternational Science Partnerships Fund Research Collaboration
AcronymQUPEC
StatusActive
Effective start/end date5/07/2431/03/27

Funding

  • British Council: £79,905.03

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