USU Researchers Explore Mini Vegetable Plants For Urban Agriculture

As cities grow and farmland becomes increasingly distant from consumers, Utah State University researchers are exploring innovative ways to bring food production closer to home. New research on dwarf vegetable crops suggests that compact plant varieties could play a key role in improving urban food production.

Research by USU graduate student Abigail Lazier focuses on how dwarf and micro-dwarf crops can address challenges in urban agriculture such as limited space and lighting. As urban populations continue to expand, local food production is becoming an important strategy to reduce transportation costs, minimize food waste, and improve food security.

“Urban agriculture offers powerful opportunities,” Lazier said. “But it comes with limitations, especially when it comes to space and light. Our research looks at how plant genetics can help overcome these challenges.”

Dwarf crops are specifically bred to be smaller in size while maintaining productivity. Researchers evaluated 10 dwarf tomato cultivars grown under three different light levels to better understand how plant size and light interact. The results showed clear differences among varieties, with certain plants exhibiting highly compact growth while still producing significant yields.

One key finding is that while larger dwarf plants produced more fruit per plant, smaller cultivars often outperformed them when efficient use of space was considered. When measured by yield per unit area or volume, highly compact varieties, such as “Twiggy” and “Red Velvet,” proved to be highly efficient, making them ideal for container gardening, vertical farms, and indoor growing systems.

Light availability also played a critical role. Researchers found that increasing light levels not only boosted overall yields but also accelerated fruit maturity. Plants grown under higher-intensity light produced more ripe fruit in less time, highlighting the importance of adequate lighting in indoor and greenhouse systems.

Interestingly, higher light levels were also associated with smaller plant sizes in some cultivars. This suggests that plants require less vegetative growth when sufficient light is available for photosynthesis. This combination of higher yield and reduced size further enhances the suitability of dwarf crops for confined spaces.

The research also points to practical considerations for potential growers. For growers with limited space, compact varieties that maximize yield per square foot may be the best choice. Meanwhile, ensuring sufficient light, whether from natural sunlight or supplemental lighting, is essential for achieving optimal results.

Beyond tomatoes, researchers expect similar trends to apply to other dwarf crops, including peppers and peas. The goal is to develop accessible, low-maintenance systems that allow individuals, schools and communities to grow fresh produce year-round.

“This work is about making food production more accessible,” Lazier said. “Even small-scale growers can produce meaningful amounts of food with the right tools and plant varieties.”

For more information about this and related projects, visit the Sustainable Environment Agriculture Laboratory website (https://qanr.usu.edu/psc/research/controlled-environment-agriculture/).

Explore the science behind CIAO:
A New Breeding Technique for F1 Hybrid Production From Self-Incompatible Species (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pbi.70632).

Rowan P. Herridge, Prasanthi Namburi, Shiny Varghese, Richard C. Macknight, Lynette R. Brownfield

Plant Biotechnology Journal

From proof of concept to commercialisation
Recognising the potential of their research to transform hybrid crop breeding made commercialisation the go-to option for the CIAO team.

“We saw potential in our invention to be patentable and valuable to investors and industry,” Rowan says.

The research team’s introduction to the commercialisation process came via the annual Proof of Concept competition, organised by the University of Otago’s technology transfer office, Otago Innovation Limited (OIL).

Proof of Concept is an opportunity for academics, post-docs and PhD candidates to test the commercial application of their ideas in front of an expert panel. This year, the competition celebrates 20 years since it first began.

Graham says the Proof of Concept competition is an exciting first step for researchers to explore commercialisation as a way to create broader impact from academic research.

“It is not just the winner that benefits from the competition. Judges often see more than one idea worth investing in.”

CIAO was one such example, he says.

“CIAO didn’t win in the year it participated, but we saw that it did have potential commercial application.

“We did a detailed commercialisation assessment on the technology, identified that it had very strong commercial possibilities and then went through a process of seeking investment for it.”

The commercialisation experience with OIL was eye-opening, Rowan says.

“Working with Graham Strong at OIL has been very helpful. The depth of knowledge required to attract industry engagement, navigate intellectual property protection, and find pathways to commercialise research was really substantial.

“As well as providing our group with more commercial acumen and strengthening our connection with industry, doing research aligned with commercial outcomes increased the chances of CIAO being taken up.”

Associate Professor Lynette Brownfield says that with commercialisation as the aim for CIAO, it had a large impact on the design and management of the project.

“OIL was involved in the research from an early stage and provided support across multiple areas like funding, IP protection, and making contact with potential partners.”

Partnering with industry has given the team the opportunity to visualise CIAO in action in the field, she says.

“As university scientists, we are often driven by our desire to understand the system that we work on, but seeing the potential for that research to also make real-world impact is very exciting.”

Proof of Concept 2026
Proof of Concept 2026 offers three prizes celebrating people and projects solving real-world problems with big, bold, innovative ideas:

• $100,000 R&D investment to progress an idea toward commercial application
• $100,000 convertible note to kick start formation of a spin-out company
• $6,000 Postgraduate Student Internship opportunity to support planning, market research, customer discovery, competitor analysis, and business case development.

Applications for the Proof of Concept 2026 competition open on 2 June. Find out more about the competition, the judges and register your interest (https://otagoinnovation.com/funding/proof-of-concept-competition/).