On Wednesday, March 26, the Earth and Life Institute welcomed His Excellency Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore. During his visit, the President toured the greenhouses of the Plant Cultivation Technology Platform (SEFY), which is dedicated to agronomic research and adaptation to climate change.
Professor Xavier Draye provided an overview of the experiment being conducted in one of the greenhouses. This facility is designed for research purposes, featuring multiple compartments each with its own climate regulation system. It has been constructed to minimize its carbon footprint through the use of double glass, insulation, cogeneration heating, natural cooling, and LED lighting.
A unique technology housed in this greenhouse is a robot specifically designed to monitor plant roots. The aim of the experiment is to study how plants exhibit resilience to challenging climatic conditions. "Plants don't go to the river when it's dry; they don't go under the umbrella when it's too sunny; they don't hide when a pathogen is around. They have no other choice but to cope or manage," explains Xavier Draye.
© UC Louvain
While animals have developed learning based on lifetime experiences, plants adapt through natural selection across generations. If a plant species is consistently exposed to dry conditions over hundreds of generations, it is likely to adapt and develop strategies to cope with drought. However, unlike learning, this adaptation process is very slow, especially in comparison to the rapid pace of climate change, which is already affecting our food systems.
One potential solution is to accelerate innovation in agriculture and upstream processes, a common theme in most of the research conducted in this greenhouse. Marc Migon and Thomas Dagbert were also present to showcase the greenhouses and discuss the experiment.
Minister, Rector and media present
Also present during the visit were the Minister-President of the Walloon Government Adrien Dolimont, the Governor of the Province of Walloon Brabant Gilles Mahieu, the Mayor of the City of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve Nicolas Van der Maren, and the Rector of UCLouvain Françoise Smets.
The President and visitors showed great interest in the experiment presented and its potential for the agriculture of the future.
A number of Belgian and Singaporean media were also on hand to cover the President's visit and to talk about the scientific work of the Earth and Life Institute's researchers.
Source: UC Louvain