Abstract
Lettuce is one of the vegetables that are often found and consumed by the people of Indonesia, but the demand for lettuce is always not fulfilled because the low production. Aeroponic system ...is one of the alternatives to solve this problem, because the aeroponic system has many advantages and does not require a large area of land. The purpose of this study was to observe differences in the timing of nutrition in lettuce plants with an aeroponic system. The study used a randomized block design (RBD) with a single factor, consisting of 6 treatments with 5 replications, so there were 60 experimental units. t1= 30 seconds (on) : 10 minutes (off); t2= 30 seconds (on) : 15 minutes (off); t3= 30 seconds (on) : 20 minutes (off); t4= 30 seconds (on) : 25 minutes (off); t5= 30 seconds (on) : 30 minutes (off); t6= (Non-Stop). The results showed that the difference in time of giving nutrition to lettuce in the aeroponic system affected the growth of lettuce and resulted in differences in plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, leaf area and fresh weight for each lettuce plant. Treatment t6 (continuous nutrition / Non Stop) was known to be the optimum treatment which produced lettuce with a fresh weight of 207.5 g.
This paper discusses the emerging need for vertical farms by examining issues related to food security, urban population growth, farmland shortages, “food miles”, and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) ...emissions. Urban planners and agricultural leaders have argued that cities will need to produce food internally to respond to demand by increasing population and to avoid paralyzing congestion, harmful pollution, and unaffordable food prices. The paper examines urban agriculture as a solution to these problems by merging food production and consumption in one place, with the vertical farm being suitable for urban areas where available land is limited and expensive. Luckily, recent advances in greenhouse technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics have provided a promising future to the vertical farm concept. These high-tech systems represent a paradigm shift in farming and food production and offer suitable and efficient methods for city farming by minimizing maintenance and maximizing yield. Upon reviewing these technologies and examining project prototypes, we find that these efforts may plant the seeds for the realization of the vertical farm. The paper, however, closes by speculating about the consequences, advantages, and disadvantages of the vertical farm’s implementation. Economic feasibility, codes, regulations, and a lack of expertise remain major obstacles in the path to implementing the vertical farm.
Digital twins are considered the next step in IoT-based cyber-physical systems; they allow for the real-time monitoring of assets, and they provide a comprehensive understanding of a system behavior, ...allowing for data-driven insights and informed choices. However, no comprehensive framework exists for the development of IoT-based digital twins. Moreover, the existing frameworks do not consider the aspects introduced by the Industry 5.0 paradigm, such as sustainability, human-centricity, and resilience. This paper proposes a framework based on the one defined as the outcome of a project funded by the European Union between 2010 and 2013 called the IoT Architectural Reference Model (IoT-A or IoT-ARM), with the aim of the development and implementation of a standard IoT framework that includes digital twins. This framework establishes and implements a standardized collection of architectural instruments for modeling IoT systems in the 5.0 era, serving as a benchmark for the design and implementation of an IoT architecture focused on digital twins and enabling the sustainability, resilience, and human-centricity of the information system. Furthermore, a proof of concept of a monitoring digital twin for a vertical farming system has been developed to test the validity of the framework, and a discussion of applications in the manufacturing and service sectors is presented.
IntroductionThe aeroponic system is a promising technique for the future of agriculture, growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or an aggregate medium. In aeroponic, ...plants are suspended in a closed or semi-closed environment by spraying the plant's dangling roots and lower stem with an atomized or sprayed, nutrient-rich water solution (30). Increased aeration of nutrient solution delivers more oxygen to plant roots in aeroponic in compare to conventional hydroponic systems, stimulating growth and helping to prevent pathogen formation (1). Cultivation of medicinal plants under controlled conditions of aeroponic and hydroponic systems commercially provides a better result in terms of quality improvement, bioactivity and biomass production (5, 4).Mint (Mentha) is one of the most important genus of Lamiaceae family. Different species of the genus have high economic value, due to their active and aromatic substances and are used as raw materials in food, cosmetics, health, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. M. piperita, M. spicata and M. suaveolens are the most common and popular species of the genus for cultivation. M. aquatica is also a perennial plant of the genus that is cultivated in Europe, North and Northwest Africa and Southwest Asia (2). Aeroponic system is more cost effective than other systems. Because of the reduced volume of solution throughput, less water and fewer nutrients are needed in the system at any given time compared to other nutrient delivery systems. However, due to lack of research and sufficient technical information, the use of aeroponic system is not common among farmers and greenhouse owners. In addition, many tips are not yet scientifically known about the cultivation of different plant species in this system (4). Despite the benefits of aeroponics, no research has been previously conducted on the cultivation of different species of mint in this system. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigation of growth, yield and morpho-physiological characteristics of five mint species in the aeroponic system.Methods and MethodsThis study was conducted in greenhouses of faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Lorestan University in 2020. The experiment was performed as a split plot design. Mentha species (including M. aquatica, M. pulegium, M. spicata, M. suaveolens and M. piperita) were considered as the main plot and harvest time (first and second harvests) was used as sub-plot. In each experimental block, one row (with ten plants) of five mint species was planted. In the early stages of growth, plants were fed with half Hoagland nutrient solution and then with complete Hoagland solution. Finally, morphological and physiological traits and some biochemical characteristics of plants were measured. After harvesting the first batch of plants and in order to better evaluation of species in the aeroponics system, all studied traits were measured about two months after the first harvest. Analysis of variance was performed based on the experimental design using SAS software. The comparison of means was also done with the least significant difference (LSD) test at the level of 5%.Results and DiscussionThe results showed that M. spicata and M. suaveolens had the highest leaf to stem ratio. The highest stem dry weight and plant height were related to M. pulegium. While, the highest leaf area, leaf fresh and dry weight, stem fresh and dry weight, stolon fresh and dry weight, shoot fresh and dry weight, total plant dry weight and relative water content were related to M. aquatic, followed by M. piperita. In addition, M. piperita had shown the highest fresh root weight. The highest amount of carotenoid and chlorophyll, photosynthesis rate and CO2 under the stomata was obtained in M. piperita. In this experiment, most of the yield-attributes traits including leaf area, leaf fresh and dry weight, root fresh weight, shoot fresh weight and total plant dry weight, as well as relative water content and photosynthesis rate were higher in the second harvest than the first one.ConclusionAll studied species in this experiment were successfully growth in the aeroponic system. Due to high water use efficiency, no need for soil and high crop production, mint cultivation in the aeroponic system can be a healthy and profitable alternative to in soil cultivation approach. According to the results of the present study, M. aquatica has shown higher performance than other species in terms of the yield attributes traits (including leaf number, leaf area, fresh and dry weight of plant, fresh and dry weight of shoots and fresh and dry weight of leaves). Among the other species, the highest shoot dry weight and plant dry weight was obtained by M. piperita. Finally, the high potential of M. aquatica and M. piperita for cultivation in the aeroponic system can be concluded.
Although plant characterization under the International Potato Center’s (CIP’s) aeroponic system requires many morpho-physiological parameters to evaluate a cultivar, there is no method to evaluate ...the best parameters or the most suitable cultivation time. Thus, several morpho-physiological parameters were compared under a modified aeroponic system, using different statistical tools, to determine the best parameters and most efficient time to characterize seed-potato plants. We evaluated 21 parameters for cv. Agata under a randomized complete block design with weekly harvests for 9 weeks. The best parameters for growth characterization were selected based on multivariate statistical approaches involving correlation plots, similarity clusters (dendrograms), and principal component analysis. The best parameters for seed potato characterization were as follows, in order of importance: main stem diameter, leaf number, the length of the fourth leaf, leaf area, number of mini-tubers, mini-tuber fresh weight, root dry weight, and total dry weight. The days after transplanting (DAT) significantly affected the morpho-physiological parameters, with 45 DAT being the best cultivation time to estimate mini-tuber yield, and the data for bi-weekly harvests were as reliable as for weekly harvests. Our results, applied to either the CIP or to our modified aeroponics method, will be valuable in streamlining the characterization of other seed potato cultivars used by certified producers.
Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) sprouts are grown to whole plants in 20 to 25 days in a soil-less cultivation system and then used as a medicinal vegetable. As a nitrogen (N) source, plasma-treated ...water (PTW) has been used to enhance the seed germination and seedling growth of many crops but has not been investigated for its effects on ginseng sprouts. This study established an in-situ system for N-containing water production using plasma technology and evaluated the effects of the PTW on ginseng growth and its bioactive phytochemicals compared with those of an untreated control. The PTW became weakly acidic 30 min after the air discharge at the electrodes because of the formation of nitrate (NO
) and nitrite (NO
) in the water. The NO
and NO
in the PTW, together with potassium ions (K
), enhanced the shoot biomass of the ginseng sprout by 26.5% compared to the untreated control. The ginseng sprout grown in the PTW had accumulated more free amino acids and ginsenosides in the sprout at 25 days after planting. Therefore, PTW can be used as a liquid N fertilizer for P. ginseng growth and phytochemical accumulation during sprouting under aeroponic conditions.
•A quantified and comparative study of multiple cultivation platforms using functional food wheatgrass plantlets.•Ideal answer for urban population looking at different methods to cultivate superfood ...wheatgrass locally.•Wheatgrass plantlets grown in potting mix has most nutrients than other cultivation platforms.•Soil based systems require less maintenance, skills, costs than hydroponics and aeroponics.
Limitation to cultivable area and increasing food demand has steered development of urban farming. Practice of container gardening, patio gardening and rooftop gardening cause soil erosion while soil-less systems like hydroponics and aeroponics are expensive. Balancing traditional and contemporary methods need to be identified. We assessed the growth and nutrient values of functional food wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivated in different growth media – soil, hydroponics, aeroponics and paper-pulp based potting mix soil. Height, fresh weight, protein, minerals, and vitamins composition of wheatgrass plantlets were estimated. Construction and running costs for six-month period were compared. Plantlets harvested from potting mix soil had highest height & weight gain (at 88.67 cm and 15.13 gm) and all-around nutrient contents over others. Cost analysis shows that working costs for potting mix soil-based systems are most productive for a long duration (17x and 23x cheaper than hydroponics and aeroponics). The current study shows suitability of potting mix soil over other cultivation methods for wheatgrass for urban farming needs. Potting mix does not contribute to soil erosion as in case of natural soil based urban farming. Our results support the idea of utilization of potting mix for urban agricultural needs without indulging in cost- and technology- invested methods.
Sufficient production, consistent food supply, and environmental protection in urban +settings are major global concerns for future sustainable cities. Currently, sustainable food supply is under ...intense pressure due to exponential population growth, expanding urban dwellings, climate change, and limited natural resources. The recent novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic crisis has impacted sustainable fresh food supply, and has disrupted the food supply chain and prices significantly. Under these circumstances, urban horticulture and crop cultivation have emerged as potential ways to expand to new locations through urban green infrastructure. Therefore, the objective of this study is to review the salient features of contemporary urban horticulture, in addition to illustrating traditional and innovative developments occurring in urban environments. Current urban cropping systems, such as home gardening, community gardens, edible landscape, and indoor planting systems, can be enhanced with new techniques, such as vertical gardening, hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, and rooftop gardening. These modern techniques are ecofriendly, energy- saving, and promise food security through steady supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables to urban neighborhoods. There is a need, in this modern era, to integrate information technology tools in urban horticulture, which could help in maintaining consistent food supply during (and after) a pandemic, as well as make agriculture more sustainable.
Accurate detection of cutting diseases in the process of aeroponic rapid propagation is very important for improving the rooting rate and survival rate of cuttings. This paper proposes to use image ...processing, with a dataset of the growth of mulberry cuttings and a backward propagation (BP) neural network, to identify mildew on the roots of mulberry branches in the process of rapid propagation, before extracting texture and color features. An intelligent control aeroponics system was designed to control the ambient temperature and humidity of the entire rapid propagation incubator according to the mildew rate, thereby improving the rapid propagation time of aeroponics, as well as the rooting and survival rates. In order to distinguish the extracted features, they were classified and identified using a constructed BP neural network model. The results indicated that the performance of the neutral network showed the lowest mean square error in the validation set after three rounds of training; therefore, the model of the third round was chosen as the best model. Furthermore, the training effect of the model revealed that the BP neural network model had good stability and could accurately identify diseases in the root zone of mulberry cuttings. After using MATLAB for neural network training, the regression results revealed correlation coefficients R of 0.98 for the fitting curve of the training dataset, 0.98 for the fitting curve of the test set, and 0.99 for the fitting curve of the validation set, indicating that the prediction results aligned well with the actual results. It can be concluded that research method described in this paper had excellent performance in identifying the health status of mulberry cuttings during the aeroponics rapid propagation process, and it was able to quickly and accurately identify mulberry cuttings affected by mildew disease with an accuracy rate of 80%. This research provides a technical reference for aeroponics rapid propagation factories and intelligent nurseries.
Abstract
The paper presents data on the effect of additional top dressing of potato plants with CO2 at a concentration of 2500 ppm cultivated in aeroponic plants. It was found that the increased ...concentration of CO2 provides better development of plant shoots (128.6%) and the root system (120.1%) relative to the control: a larger yield (123.7%) with a larger fraction of minicubes is formed, and the number of plants capable of producing 1100-1600 g of minicubes during the cultivation period increases. Additional feeding of CO2 at a concentration of 2500 ppm leads to an increase in the mass of plants, which occurs not due to increased hydration of tissues, but due to the accumulation of dry substances.
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