?? AI for Controlled Environment Agriculture: Vegetables & Medicinal Plants??
Today, we are investigating controlled environment agriculture but not focusing on "traditional" leafy greens and fruits such as tomatoes or strawberries . We'll explore the possibilities of growing vegetables and medicinal plants. But first, let's have a quick recap of the basics for those new to this topic. If you're already familiar with controlled environment agriculture, please skip ahead to today's research paper summaries.
What is Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)?
Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is a modern method of growing crops within enclosed settings (greenhouses or vertical farms) where factors like light, temperature, humidity, and nutrients are carefully controlled to optimize plant growth.
This approach allows for consistent, year-round production regardless of outdoor conditions, leading to increased yields and efficient resource use.
The most commonly grown crops in CEA include lettuce, spinach, kale, basil, cilantro, mint, tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, and peppers.
Crops like lettuce, spinach, kale, basil, tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, and peppers are commonly grown in controlled environment agriculture because they have high market demand, short growth cycles, and are relatively easy to cultivate in enclosed settings. Additionally, their compact growth habits make them well-suited for space-efficient CEA systems like vertical farms and greenhouses.
Speed Breeding Revolution: Enhancing Crop Development with Controlled Environment Ecosystems
Country: India ????
Published: 26 June 2024
This study focuses on optimizing speed breeding techniques within controlled environment ecosystems (CEE) to accelerate crop improvement and enhance desirable traits using advanced technologies.
The research employed controlled environment technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, and genoponics in combination with state-of-the-art imaging and machine learning techniques to monitor and optimize plant growth. Key methods include the application of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for controlled photoperiods, nutrient film techniques (NFT), and precise environmental control using sensors and artificial intelligence (AI).
The research analyzed various crops including rice, groundnut, soybean, pea, oat, sorghum, Amaranthus sp., subterranean clover, bread wheat, durum wheat, chickpea, broad bean, lentil, and Arabidopsis thaliana.
The outcomes indicate significant improvements in crop yield and quality, with LED lighting reducing the breeding cycle time by up to 50%, and enhanced nutrient management leading to a 30% increase in biomass production. The integration of AI and machine learning facilitated real-time phenotypic assessments and optimized environmental controls, crucial for high-throughput plant breeding.
Main tools/technologies
Optimizing Growth Conditions for Medicinal Plants in Controlled Environment Systems
Country: Canada ????
Published: 30 May 2024
This study reviews how controlled-environment systems, such as vertical farms, can enhance the production of medicinal plants by precisely managing environmental factors to improve consistency, concentration, and yield of bioactive phytochemicals.
Data were collected using in the mentioned controlled-environment systems. Environmental factors such as light, temperature, humidity, CO2, nutrients, and airflow were carefully regulated. Techniques included manipulating light spectra with LED lights, optimizing photosynthetic carbon assimilation, applying stress elicitation, and implementing chronoculture (alignment of cultivation practices with plant circadian rhythms). Key insights involved the strategic stacking of these methods to maximize phytochemical yields.
The key findings indicate that CES significantly enhance the consistency and concentration of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants compared to conventional methods. The study highlights improvements in phytochemical yields (e.g., a 5-10 times increase in biomass and targeted metabolite concentration for plants like St. John’s Wort) and emphasizes the potential for year-round, pesticide-free production with optimized resource use. These findings are significant for improving the quality and reliability of medicinal plant products.
The integration of non-destructive imaging technologies and machine learning algorithms can address the challenges of applying environmental control strategies in large-scale controlled-environment production by enabling precise real-time monitoring and phenotyping of plant traits, thus optimizing growth conditions and enhancing yield.
Practitioners in agricultural research, pharmaceutical industries, and controlled-environment agriculture can practically apply these findings to optimize medicinal plant production.
Main tools/technologies
领英推荐
Advancing horizons in vegetable cultivation: a journey from ageold practices to high-tech greenhouse cultivation — a review
Country: China ????, Pakistan ????
Published: 15 April 2024
Todays final comprehensive review explores the evolution and advancements in vegetable cultivation practices, highlighting the integration of modern technologies and sustainable methods to enhance productivity and quality.
The study utilizes a wide range of methods, including traditional and modern seed treatments, precision irrigation systems, and advanced environmental control technologies. Techniques such as foliar sprays, seed priming with plant growth regulators (PGRs), and the use of biochar and coir as sustainable substrates are thoroughly examined. Specific examples were examined in the research: concentrations of GA3 and NAA were tested on onions, demonstrating significant improvements in plant height, leaf number, and bulb diameter. In pepper seeds, PGR-rich solutions improved germination and growth characteristics.
The key findings reveal that innovative methods, such as the application of GA3 and NAA at specific growth stages, significantly enhance crop attributes.
For example, onions treated with 150 mg L?1 of NAA at the three-leaf stage and 150 mg L?1 of GA3 at the seven-leaf stage showed marked improvements in growth metrics.
The study also underscores the potential of nanoencapsulation and slow-release pellets in prolonging the efficacy of PGRs, thereby enhancing crop resilience and productivity.
Farmers, agronomists, and agricultural researchers can practically apply the results of this research to optimize vegetable cultivation practices.
Main tools/technologies
?? What's Next in CEA tech?
In the next edition of our newsletter, we will focus on a specific crop, grown in controlled environment agriculture and discover new ways how AI can enhance CEA farming with more accurate real-time data.
?Which crop shall we choose?
If you wish to read about specific crop - let us know in the comments below ??
??Share with relevant people to spread knowledge around.
Thank you for your time ??
Wishes of great harvests in your controlled environment systems,
Maryna Kuzmenko, Ph.D ???? , Chief CEA Insights Officer at Petiole Pro
Photo credit for the cover image: Mo et al., 2024
Read more (Paid access via Journal Publishers)
References
Find more details about Petiole Pro and try our free mobile app for your quality assurance and plant phenotyping needs.
Botanical Engineer, Nursery, Form, Pest and Disease control technician
1 个月Very Interesting ??
?? Investor & Distributor of Cutting-Edge Hydroponic Solutions | ?? Empowering Sustainable Agriculture in UAE & KSA | ?? Reseller of Advanced Vertical Farming Systems | Global HR Manager l Hiring for BDM's UAE
3 个月Revolutionize Your Farm with Hydroponics ?? Grow hundreds of crops—from leafy greens, herbs, and flowers—with 30% higher yield, 50% faster growth, and 90-95% water savings. Our automated hydroponic farming systems can be set up in warehouses, containers, existing farms, or even large homes—no large tracts of land needed! We’re offering a FREE TRIAL—only pay if you’re amazed by the results. This could be a game-changer for your operations. Interested in learning more? DM me! Want to move forward? Share your official email ID along with your mobile number, and my team will reach out with further details.
Chair 'Agential AI AgBio 2025'
4 个月Further to this, an Australian colleague, Mr Rick Donnan, was the President of ISOSC (international society of soilless culture) way back in the 1990’s, who came up with a global definition of hydroponics, that read ‘a hydroponic system is one that is isolated from the ground, in a soilless system, with all it’s nutrients in the feed water’, therefore all these systems are classified as Hydroponic Systems, and as mentioned above, are typically Closed systems. Finally, in typical hydroponic systems, most plants are started from seed in some form of growing media, whether NFT, Aeroponic or substrate systems, etc therefore for me, all systems that meet the original definition above are produced in a hydroponic systems whether ultimately grown in water based or substrate based systems. n.b. so-called ‘Bioponic’ systems can be just another hydroponic or aquaponics system as it simply receives additional additives or aquatic material and does not deserve an additional classification.
Chair 'Agential AI AgBio 2025'
4 个月Classification of different methods of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) I have an issue with these classifications, especially with the definition of Open or Closed systems, whereby Open systems are essentially where the nutrient rich water is not recirculated and is allowed to run to waste or sometimes used on a secondary crop. Closed systems use recycling techniques where the nutrient rich water is collected in a tank system and continuously recycled around the crop that may be treated and/or managed to maintain a target EC, pH and nutritional target. Based of these accepted definitions, hydroponics is rarely an Open system as it would waste an enormous volume of water and fertiliser, therefore the chart should show that Ebb & Flow, Deep Water Culture and Aeroponics are by definition, all Closed systems. Even Wick systems are typically Closed.
Hydroponic Professional on a mission to spread "Health and Happiness" by enabling the urban growers to achieve their goal.......
4 个月Maryna Kuzmenko, Ph.D ???? please refer to image depicting speed breeding, in my opinion that need to be updated. As per this image speed breeding will take around 17 years as compared to traditional breeding 9 years only. Please explain further on this... I must say the article is really full of information, congratulations on such a great information sharing...