UCDOPP503 - Invitation to Tender for the Supply, Installation & Commissioning of Walk-In Plant Growth Chambers

The Programme for Experimental Atmospheres and Climate (PÉAC) facility at UCD Rosemount was opened in September 2011. Currently PÉAC consists of eight walk-in plant growth rooms will full climate, light and atmospheric control. UCD staff and students use the facility to undertake a wide range of rigorously controlled plant growth experiments in order to address numerous global challenges including the response of plant species (including crops) and ecosystem function/services to future climate change. Experimental research to date includes investigation of (1) native Irish and Mediterranean species to projected atmospheric change by the year 2050 and beyond, (2) wheat species and fungal pathogen interactions in a future high CO2 world and (3) evolution of agriculture and the role of elevated carbon dioxide on crop plant low temperature tolerance, to name a few. The facility has grown from strength to strength in terms of the number of researchers from UCD and other international and national collaborators using the facility. Currently however demand to use this internationally unique facility far outstrips current capacity. Furthermore, major new multi- million euro projects funded by Science Foundation Ireland, PRTLI5 and European Research Council require the development of additional environmental control capabilities beyond the scope of control currently available in PÉAC. In order to address both of these critical issues we propose to expand the PÉAC facility to include eight additional reach-in plant growth rooms, each measuring approximately 2m2 in area with the capability to (a) control and monitor atmospheric CO2 from sub-ambient levels to super elevated levels (simulating atmospheric composition of a full glaciation to greenhouse world of the past and future), (b) control and monitor atmospheric oxygen from modern ambient to super elevated levels of 25% (simulating the atmospheric composition of the Carboniferous era ~ 300 million y

Supplies

13/06/2013 22:00:00

38000000-5  Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
38500000-0  Checking and testing apparatus
38920000-0  Seed and feed equipment
38930000-3  Humidity and moisture measuring instruments
38970000-5  Research, testing and scientific technical simulator