GreenSTEM spotlights horticultural science at RHS Chelsea Flower Show
As the theme for British Science Week (7–16 March, 2025) is ‘Change and Adapt’ it is a fitting time for RHS Chelsea Flower Show to announce the relaunch of Discovery – the category which showcases horticultural science – as GreenSTEM.
Discover the GreenSTEM exhibits
Advanced Aeroponics: Growing Plants with Sound by LettUs Grow
LettUs Grow’s exhibit offers visitors a glimpse into the future of sustainable farming. The exhibit centres around the theme of innovation in aeroponic irrigation technology, where plants are irrigated with a fine, nutrient-dense mist. Key features include a full-scale aeroponic growing system showcasing the company’s patent-pending advanced aeroponic technology. Also included is a small cut-away version, allowing visitors to see healthy root structures up close. The exhibit’s message emphasises the potential of aeroponics to reduce water and peat consumption in commercial horticulture and food crop production.Innovation and research are driving significant changes in the horticulture industry, leading to increased efficiency, sustainability, and resilience in the face of challenges like climate change and labour shortages.
Agrivoltaics and solar power in horticulture by PolySolar UK
This exhibit explores how Polysolar technology is revolutionising plant-growing both at home and on a commercial scale with a domestic greenhouse, a commercial polytunnel, interactive exhibits, research displays and a variety of plants currently grown commercially. The key features and messages are that by altering the light spectrum, solar technology not only enhances plant production but also generates sustainable energy. Therefore, solar technology enables dual functionality of producing both food and power at the same time using the same land. In an era of climate change, controlled environments in horticulture and agriculture are increasingly essential. Solar greenhouses and polytunnels offer a dual benefit: electrifying agriculture while improving productivity.'The impact of mixing photovoltaic systems with horticulture is yet to be realised and there is a lot to learn and lots to do to ensure that we have sustainable food production in the future.
Colorado Beetle – a threat to our food security by Animal and Plant Health Agency
Inspired by a 2023 outbreak of this pest in the UK, this exhibit is designed to highlight the significant threat of the Colorado beetle to our potato industry. Visitors can engage with information panels, interactive graphics, technically immersive elements, and models. The theme underscores the importance of vigilance against the beetle, detailing how to identify signs of the pest and action if spotted, meeting APHA’s biosecurity objective to protect the UK against such threats. The exhibit includes a graphical representation showing the beetle’s historical origins, spread, and impact. A multimedia experience highlights how the beetle attacks plants, transitioning from healthy potato crops to devastated fields. Learn about traditional and technologically advanced pest-spotting approaches and the beetle’s lifecycle. The journey concludes with practical tips to protect the UK’s potato industry, featuring real examples of the pest, reinforcing the exhibit’s call to action.Colorado beetle could significantly impact our potato food security. Remaining vigilant to this threat and reporting any suspected findings to APHA will help protect the UK’s farmers and our food security.
Blooming Numbers by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge
The exhibit takes visitors on an interactive journey through the latest discoveries in quantitative plant science research beginning with the flower. Flowers are more than just beautiful. Their colours, shapes, and patterns have evolved specifically to ensure pollination and to distribute seed. Dive into the science behind plant life, exploring everything from molecular biology and genetics to advanced imaging, computational modelling, and the role of mathematics in shaping our understanding of plants. Uncover how evolutionary traits help plants thrive, from attracting pollinators to dispersing seeds and ensuring survival. Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge: Blooming Numbers demonstrates how cutting-edge tools like computational modelling, machine learning, biosensors, and experimental design are transforming the way we study plants. Whether through data-driven insights or new imaging technologies, mathematics is helping us unlock the mysteries of the amazing world of plants. Visitors will be able to use a scanning electron microscope to take images of flower structures, view the hidden UV patterns on petals that bees see, discover how plants move without muscles, find out about new research to build a 4D flower, watch how plants dynamically respond to their environments at the cellular level and explore why plants that share the same sets of genes differ so much from each other.A fundamental understanding of how plants grow and develop is paramount for the long-term security of a sustainable supply of food and other plant products, such as fuel, fibres and building materials.
