Emergent molecular traits of lettuce and tomato grown under wavelength-selective solar cells

The integration of semi-transparent organic solar cells (ST-OSCs) in greenhouses offers new agrivoltaic opportunities to meet the growing demands for sustainable food production. The tailored absorption/transmission spectra of ST-OSCs impacts the power generated as well as crop growth, development and responses to the biotic and abiotic environments. To characterize crop responses to ST-OSCs, we grew lettuce and tomato, traditional greenhouse crops, under three ST-OSC filters that create different light spectra. Lettuce yield and early tomato development are not negatively affected by the modified light environment. Our genomic analysis reveals that lettuce production exhibits beneficial traits involving nutrient content and nitrogen utilization while select ST-OSCs impact regulation of flowering initiation in tomato. These results suggest that ST-OSCs integrated into greenhouses are not only a promising technology for energy-neutral, sustainable and climate-change protected crop production, but can deliver benefits beyond energy considerations.

Automated summary

The integration of semi-transparent organic solar cells (ST-OSCs) in greenhouses provides new opportunities for sustainable food production. The absorption/transmission spectra of ST-OSCs impact power generation and crop growth, development, and responses to the environment. Lettuce and tomato grown under different ST-OSC filters showed that lettuce yield and early tomato development were not negatively affected by the modified light environment. Genomic analysis revealed beneficial traits in lettuce production and impact on flowering initiation in tomato. This suggests that ST-OSCs in greenhouses are a promising technology for sustainable crop production with benefits beyond energy considerations.