Resilience and green regeneration in climate change and post-pandemic scenarios: bioengineered indoor farming systems for medicinal plants

Catharanthus roseus produces valuable anticancer compounds, vinblastine (VBL) and vincristine (VCR), but in low quantities. To address this, VBL and VCR are semi synthesized from the more abundant precursors, vindoline (VDL) and catharanthine (CAT). This thesis explores bioengineered indoor strategies, including different LED light spectra, plasma-activated water (PAW), and biostimulants (BS), to enhance production of these compounds. Three studies were conducted in an indoor farming system. The first examined the impact of red (R) and white (W) LED light and PAW on VDL and CAT levels. R light moderately increased VDL and CAT, but its impact became significant when combined with PAW. Both VDL and CAT levels rose with plant age and were maximized under prolonged R light + PAW exposure. The second study assessed the total monomeric precursors (MPs: VDL + CAT) concentration and VBL levels. R light significantly enhanced MPs, particularly when combined with PAW. In contrast, white (W) light significantly stimulated VBL biosynthesis. Under W light, PAW increased VBL levels at both early and late growth stages; under R light, it reduced early-stage VBL but boosted it in later stages. Extended W light exposure alone also achieved high VBL levels. The third study evaluated combinations of R, W, blue (B), and red-blue (RB) light with a BS. VDL was found in both roots and leaves, with roots showing higher concentrations. R light combined with BS significantly boosted both mean concentrations and total yields of VDL and CAT. Over time, total yields increased significantly. In conclusion, this research shows that plant age, light quality and other elicitors significantly influence alkaloid production. These bioengineered approaches, along with optimized harvesting times, offer promising strategies for improving pharmaceutical compound production in medicinal plants, such as C. roseus.