Plant Factory

An Indoor Vertical Farming System for Efficient Quality Food Production

Toyoki Kozai, Genhua Niu, Michiko Takagaki, Toyoki Kozai, Genhua Niu, Michiko Takagaki

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9780128018484
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Agribusiness
• Index: Business

Plant Factory: An Indoor Vertical Farming System for Efficient Quality Food Production provides information on a field that is helping to offset the threats that unusual weather and shortages of land and natural resources bring to the food supply.

As alternative options are needed to ensure adequate and efficient production of food, this book represents the only available resource to take a practical approach to the planning, design, and implementation of plant factory (PF) practices to yield food crops. The PF systems described in this book are based on a plant production system with artificial (electric) lights and include case studies providing lessons learned and best practices from both industrial and crop specific programs.

With insights into the economics as well as the science of PF programs, this book is ideal for those in academic as well as industrial settings.

• Provides full-scope insight on plant farm, from economics and planning to life-cycle assessment
• Presents state-of-the-art plant farm science, written by global leaders in plant farm advancements
• Includes case-study examples to provide real-world insights

Part 1

Overview and Concept of Closed Plant Production System (CPPS)

Chapter 1

Introduction

Toyoki Kozai¹; Genhua Niu^{2 1} Japan Plant Factory Association, c/o Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, Chiba University, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
² Texas AgriLife Research at El Paso, Texas A&M University, El Paso, Texas, USA

Abstract

This chapter briefly states the background information on why a new form of plant production system “Indoor Vertical Farming System -Plant Factory with Artificial Lighting (PFAL)” is needed for efficient production of food crops to solve global issues. The definition, characteristics, basic units, and types of PFAL are introduced. It is emphasized that PFALs are not a replacement for conventional greenhouses or open-field production but rather the creation of new markets and business opportunities. While stating the limitations of conventional agricultural systems, potential advantages, disadvantages and a number of challenges of PFALs are addressed as well. An organizational chart of the book is provided.

Keywords

Indoor vertical farming

Closed plant production system

Controlled environment agriculture

Plant factory with artificial lighting

Introduction

Crop production is increasingly threatened by unusual weather, water shortages, and insufficient available land. The world’s population is expected to grow from 7 billion in 2011 to 9.3 billion in 2050, and the urban population from 3.6 billion to 6.3 billion, a 72% increase. Due to limited natural resources, 90% of the growth in global crop production is expected from higher yields and increased cropping intensity, with the remaining 10% from expansion of productive land (FAO, 2009). Almost all of the land expansion in developing countries will take place in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. The availability of freshwater resources follows a similar trend, i.e., globally more than sufficient but unevenly distributed. In order to feed the world, protect the environment, improve health, and achieve economic growth, a new form of agricultural cultivation is required: indoor vertical farming using a plant factory system with artificial lighting for efficient production of food crops.

The term “plant factory with artificial lighting (PFAL)” refers to a plant production facility with a thermally insulated and nearly airtight warehouse-like structure (Kozai, 2013). Multiple culture shelves with electric lamps on each shelf are vertically stacked inside. Other necessary equipment and devices for a PFAL are air conditioners, air circulation fans, CO₂ and nutrient solution supply units, and an environmental control unit. Stacking more culture shelves vertically increases the efficiency of land use. Fluorescent lamps (FLs) have been mainly used in PFALs due to their compact size, but light-emitting diode (LED) lamps are now attracting great attention in industry and among researchers. LEDs are increasingly being used in recently built PFALs owing to their compact size, low lamp surface temperature, high light use efficiency, and broad light spectra. More information on the light sources and advantages of LEDs is given in Chapter 7.

PFALs are not a replacement for conventional greenhouses or open-field production. Rather, the rapid development of PFALs has created new markets and business opportunities. PFALs are being used in Japan and other Asian countries for commercial production of leafy greens, herbs, and transplants. Indoor vertical farms, which is another term used in North America for concepts similar to PFALs, are also being built in the United States and Canada.

When growing plants in an open field, yield and quality are subject to weather conditions, and so a stable and reliable supply of plant-derived food is always in danger. Greenhouse production is not energy efficient because incident light is not regulated. Solar light intensity is often too low at dawn, sunset, and night, on cloudy and rainy days, and throughout the winter season, while it is too high around noon on sunny days. The temperature and relative humidity inside a greenhouse are considerably affected by solar light intensity, and thus it is difficult to optimize the environment. In order to lower the temperature, greenhouses are often ventilated, but this allows insects and diseases inside the greenhouse. In addition, CO₂ in a greenhouse with ventilators open cannot be kept higher than outside. Furthermore, light quality and lighting direction are not controllable. Excessive agrochemicals are often used in greenhouse and open-field production and fossil fuels are needed for heating and cooling of greenhouses and for transportation of produce from production site to consumers. Fossil fuels are a nonrenewable energy and excessive use results not only in depletion of resources but also in excessive emission of environmental pollutants including CO₂.

On the other hand, the PFAL is an indoor, advanced, and intensive form of hydroponic production system where the growing environment is optimally controlled. PFAL is one form of “closed plant production system” (CPPS), where all inputs supplied to the PFAL are fixed by plants with minimum emission to the outside environment. If designed and managed properly, the PFAL has the following potential advantages over the conventional production system:

a. It can be built anywhere because neither solar light nor soil is needed;

b. The growing environment is not affected by the outside climate and soil fertility;

c. Production can be year-round and productivity is over 10...