Affiliation:
1. Department of Horticulture, University of Georgia, 1111 Miller Plant Sciences, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Abstract
Agriculture in controlled environments has gained popularity over time. Compared to traditional agriculture, controlled environments emerge as an alternative to mitigate the negative impacts of conventional farming methods. However, controlled environment agriculture, particularly plant factories with artificial lighting, incurs higher electricity costs, primarily for supplemental lighting and dehumidification of the cultivation area. Given these high costs, it is crucial to understand how efficiently plants utilize available light to convert it into biomass. This understanding can be used to design lighting strategies to reduce electricity usage. In this study, we cultivated ‘Rex’ lettuce (Lactuca sativa) plants on a soilless substrate and used an ebb-and-flow system for irrigation and fertilization. Plants grew in varying photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) levels ranging from 125 to 375 µmol·m−2·s−1 and were assessed for various physiological responses. Our findings revealed that plants exposed to higher light levels exhibited greater final dry weight, increased photosynthetic activity, higher water use efficiency, and accelerated growth compared to those under lower light conditions. Notably, plants subjected to higher light intensities did not show a significant increase in transpiration, suggesting a potential trade-off between energy expenditure on supplemental lighting and dehumidification. This finding opens the possibility of reducing energy consumption for dehumidification and achieving economic savings by subjecting plants to optimal growing conditions for shorter durations. This depends on whether higher savings on dehumidification are achieved compared to the energy required to maintain high PPFD levels.
Funder
U.S. Department of Agriculture–National Institute of Food and Agriculture–Specialty Crop Research Initiative
Department of Horticulture
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Reference53 articles.
1. How sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture;Horrigan;Environ. Health Perspect.,2022
2. Water contamination through pesticide & their toxic effect on human health;Sankhla;Int. J. Res. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol.,2018
3. Tillage erosion: An overview;Lindstrom;Ann. Dryland Res.,2001
4. Soil compaction impact and modelling. A review;Nawaz;Agron. Sustain. Dev.,2013
5. Soil degradation: A challenge to sustainable agriculture;Alam;Int. J. Sci. Res. Agric. Sci.,2014