Harnessing controlled environment systems for enhanced production of medicinal plants.

Medicinal plants (MPs) are valued for their contributions to human health. However, the growing demand for MPs and the concerns regarding their quality and sustainability have prompted the reassessment of conventional production practices. Controlled environment cropping systems, such as vertical farms, offer a transformative approach to MP production. By enabling precise control over environment factors, such as light, carbon dioxide, temperature, humidity, nutrients, and airflow, controlled environments can improve the consistency, concentration, and yield of bioactive phytochemicals in MPs. This review explores the potential of controlled environment systems for enhancing MP production. First, we describe how controlled environments can overcome the limitations of conventional production in improving the quality of MP. Next, we propose strategies based on plant physiology to manipulate environment conditions for enhancing the levels of bioactive compounds in plants. These strategies include improving photosynthetic carbon assimilation, light spectrum signalling, purposeful stress elicitation, and chronoculture. We describe the underlying mechanisms and practical applications of these strategies. Finally, we highlight the major knowledge gaps and challenges that limit the application of controlled environments, and discuss future research directions.

Plant responses to hypergravity: a comprehensive review.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Hypergravity is an effective novel stimulus to elucidate plant gravitational and mechanobiological behaviour. Here, we review the current understanding of phenotypic, physio-biochemical, and molecular plant responses to simulated hypergravity. Plants readily respond to altered gravity conditions, such as microgravity or hypergravity. Hypergravity-a gravitational force higher than that on the Earth's surface (> 1g)-can be simulated using centrifuges. Exposing seeds, seedlings, or plant cell cultures to hypergravity elicits characteristic morphological, physio-biochemical, and molecular changes. While several studies have provided insights into plant responses and underlying mechanisms, much is still elusive, including the interplay of hypergravity with gravitropism. Moreover, hypergravity is of great significance for mechano- and space/gravitational biologists to elucidate fundamental plant behaviour. In this review, we provide an overview of the phenotypic, physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of plants to hypergravity. We then discuss the involvement of hypergravity in plant gravitropism-the directional growth along the gravity vector. Finally, we highlight future research directions to expand our understanding of hypergravity in plant biology.