In the Roof 2 Fork project, researchers at the Institute of Horticulture in Pūre are growing vegetables in a rural setting. In Rīga, the same plants are being grown on the roof of the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics. This year's harvest is the second, and Linda Ieviņa, a researcher at the Institute's Bioeconomy Department, explained the crops chosen for the study:

"We grow the same things. We have tomatoes, basil, lettuce, peas, and radishes to provide as many different product groups as possible because, for example, if there is some potential contamination, then different plants might also accumulate that contamination in different parts."

Sensors are placed in the soil to send data on soil temperature and moisture. What researchers are most interested in is soil moisture. In this way, the environmental conditions can be as similar as possible in both rural and urban locations.

"Then, if there are any differences in the analyses, these other external factors might not apply. So that we know that these differences are really caused by the fact that there is an urban environment or a rural environment, rather than the fact that in one environment, for example, there was more humidity and therefore it develops some other effect," Ieviņa explained.

Source: Hortidaily