A Purdue study has revealed corn-growing techniques which could be used to grow corn in controlled-environment in caves and former mines.
The study shows that lowering temperatures for two hours a day reduced the height of corn, without affecting its seed yield, phys.org reports.
This would allow genetically modified corn crops to be raised in isolated and enclosed environments, preventing pollen and seed from escaping into the ecosystem and crossing with wild plants.
Cary Mitchell, professor of horticulture, said the technique could be used to grow transgenic crops to produce medicinal products such as antibodies for the budding plant-derived industrial and pharmaceutical compounds industry.
"Grains of corn could be engineered to produce proteins that could be extracted and processed into medicine, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals such as essential vitamins," Mitchell said. "This is a young industry, but what we've done is show that you can successfully grow these high-value crops in contained environments."
Mitchell said that former mines could be prime locations to grow transgenic plants because their natural coolness lessens the need to ventilate the heat produced by lamps. The high levels of carbon dioxide in mines also promote plant growth.
"Productivity in a controlled environment is superior to that in the field, and you can raise more than one crop per year," Mitchell said.