Controlled Environment Cultivation Increases Yield, Uniformity and Quality of Botanicals

Controlled environment production provides a means of producing a consistent and reliable supply of pharmaceutical grade botanical material for long term clinical trials. Production in a controlled environment eliminates variation associated with climate, soil, and nutrition; standardizes production and harvest protocols; minimizes contamination of samples by weeds, insects and foreign matter; and is conducive to rigorous quality control criteria. Controlled environment production experiments were conducted to determine whether the concentration of bioactive compounds as well. Carbon dioxide enrichment to 1200µmol mol^-1 in a controlled environment with 17.3 Mol photosynthetically active radiation per m² per day from triphosphor fluorescent lamps increased the concentration of bioactive flavonoids in Scutellaria barbata by 50% and S. lateriflora 2.5 times. Enrichment to 3000µmol mol^-1 CO₂ resulted in additional increases of total flavonoid concentration of both Scutellaria species. Similarly the concentration of bioprotective antioxidants in red leaf cultivars of Lactuca sativa can be doubled through optimization of light, temperature and CO₂ condition. A threshold level of blue light (440nm) has been identified that is necessary to sustain production of anthocyanins in the leaves. These results indicate that controlled environment production can increase the value of the botanical product by reducing the time to harvest, increasing the yield per unit area and enriching the concentration of bioactive compounds per gram dry mass.

Acknowledgements: Funding for this research was provided though the Life Sciences Service Contract (NAS10–02001) and NASA CTC grant (LSS6–16F) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Support for Tony Skerritt was provided through a Graduate Training Internship from FÁS (Foras Áiseanna Saothair), Irelands Training and Employment Authority.