Environmental controls of suppressed fall crop productivity in an agrivoltaic solar array
Globally, agrivoltaics (AV) research has revealed how microclimates created by photovoltaic (PV) panels can be leveraged to promote reciprocal benefits for agricultural land use and PV energy generation. Yet, in regions of the United States where emissions reduction laws are likely to lead to greate...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Environmental Research: Food Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2976-601X/adf075 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850075414573088768 |
|---|---|
| author | Matthew A Sturchio Dana F Russell Jasmine Schmidt Caroline Marschner Antonio DiTomasso Jinwook Kim Steven M Grodsky |
| author_facet | Matthew A Sturchio Dana F Russell Jasmine Schmidt Caroline Marschner Antonio DiTomasso Jinwook Kim Steven M Grodsky |
| author_sort | Matthew A Sturchio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Globally, agrivoltaics (AV) research has revealed how microclimates created by photovoltaic (PV) panels can be leveraged to promote reciprocal benefits for agricultural land use and PV energy generation. Yet, in regions of the United States where emissions reduction laws are likely to lead to greater PV development on croplands, empirical evaluation of such co-location remain under explored. Furthermore, the most common approach to AV in the United States is one that maximizes energy generation and secondarily accommodates for agricultural management, and the controls of crop production in facilities that employ such an approach are underrepresented in the AV literature. Here, we assessed the agronomic and physiological response of two vegetable crops (radish and radicchio) with different carbon allocation patterns (belowground and aboveground, respectively) in an energy focused AV facility during a fall growing season, in New York, United States. We found that a reduction in total irradiance (−24%) within the AV array decreased total biomass in both crop types (46% and 49%), with significant alterations to root-shoot ratios in radish. Reductions in total biomass were not a result of physiological acclimation, indicating that AV crops had similar photosynthetic capacity as control crops; however, the environmental constraints imposed by energy focused AV design (i.e. reduced irradiance) limited C uptake overall. Our findings highlight the need for novel management approaches (e.g. earlier planting of AV fall crops) to help overcome yield penalties incurred by energy focused AV designs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5a36e5fb9bbd4f159cab7b57f0fed221 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2976-601X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-5a36e5fb9bbd4f159cab7b57f0fed2212025-08-20T02:46:19ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Food Systems2976-601X2025-01-012303500410.1088/2976-601X/adf075Environmental controls of suppressed fall crop productivity in an agrivoltaic solar arrayMatthew A Sturchio0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5067-3770Dana F Russell1https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9394-891XJasmine Schmidt2Caroline Marschner3Antonio DiTomasso4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8215-2777Jinwook Kim5Steven M Grodsky6Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY, United States of America; Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University , Fort Collins, CO, United States of AmericaDepartment of Soil and Crop Sciences, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY, United States of AmericaDepartment of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY, United States of AmericaDepartment of Soil and Crop Sciences, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY, United States of AmericaDepartment of Soil and Crop Sciences, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY, United States of AmericaDepartment of Soil and Crop Sciences, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY, United States of AmericaU.S. Geological Survey, New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY, United States of AmericaGlobally, agrivoltaics (AV) research has revealed how microclimates created by photovoltaic (PV) panels can be leveraged to promote reciprocal benefits for agricultural land use and PV energy generation. Yet, in regions of the United States where emissions reduction laws are likely to lead to greater PV development on croplands, empirical evaluation of such co-location remain under explored. Furthermore, the most common approach to AV in the United States is one that maximizes energy generation and secondarily accommodates for agricultural management, and the controls of crop production in facilities that employ such an approach are underrepresented in the AV literature. Here, we assessed the agronomic and physiological response of two vegetable crops (radish and radicchio) with different carbon allocation patterns (belowground and aboveground, respectively) in an energy focused AV facility during a fall growing season, in New York, United States. We found that a reduction in total irradiance (−24%) within the AV array decreased total biomass in both crop types (46% and 49%), with significant alterations to root-shoot ratios in radish. Reductions in total biomass were not a result of physiological acclimation, indicating that AV crops had similar photosynthetic capacity as control crops; however, the environmental constraints imposed by energy focused AV design (i.e. reduced irradiance) limited C uptake overall. Our findings highlight the need for novel management approaches (e.g. earlier planting of AV fall crops) to help overcome yield penalties incurred by energy focused AV designs.https://doi.org/10.1088/2976-601X/adf075photovoltaic energycrop physiologysolar energyagroecologysustainability |
| spellingShingle | Matthew A Sturchio Dana F Russell Jasmine Schmidt Caroline Marschner Antonio DiTomasso Jinwook Kim Steven M Grodsky Environmental controls of suppressed fall crop productivity in an agrivoltaic solar array Environmental Research: Food Systems photovoltaic energy crop physiology solar energy agroecology sustainability |
| title | Environmental controls of suppressed fall crop productivity in an agrivoltaic solar array |
| title_full | Environmental controls of suppressed fall crop productivity in an agrivoltaic solar array |
| title_fullStr | Environmental controls of suppressed fall crop productivity in an agrivoltaic solar array |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental controls of suppressed fall crop productivity in an agrivoltaic solar array |
| title_short | Environmental controls of suppressed fall crop productivity in an agrivoltaic solar array |
| title_sort | environmental controls of suppressed fall crop productivity in an agrivoltaic solar array |
| topic | photovoltaic energy crop physiology solar energy agroecology sustainability |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2976-601X/adf075 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT matthewasturchio environmentalcontrolsofsuppressedfallcropproductivityinanagrivoltaicsolararray AT danafrussell environmentalcontrolsofsuppressedfallcropproductivityinanagrivoltaicsolararray AT jasmineschmidt environmentalcontrolsofsuppressedfallcropproductivityinanagrivoltaicsolararray AT carolinemarschner environmentalcontrolsofsuppressedfallcropproductivityinanagrivoltaicsolararray AT antonioditomasso environmentalcontrolsofsuppressedfallcropproductivityinanagrivoltaicsolararray AT jinwookkim environmentalcontrolsofsuppressedfallcropproductivityinanagrivoltaicsolararray AT stevenmgrodsky environmentalcontrolsofsuppressedfallcropproductivityinanagrivoltaicsolararray |