IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v285y2023ics0378377423002305.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Improving water use efficiency in vertical farming: Effects of growing systems, far-red radiation and planting density on lettuce cultivation

Author

Listed:
  • Carotti, Laura
  • Pistillo, Alessandro
  • Zauli, Ilaria
  • Meneghello, Davide
  • Martin, Michael
  • Pennisi, Giuseppina
  • Gianquinto, Giorgio
  • Orsini, Francesco

Abstract

Vertical farms (VFs) are innovative urban production facilities consisting of multi-level indoor systems equipped with artificial lighting in which all the environmental conditions are controlled independently from the external climate. VFs are generally provided with a closed loop fertigation system to optimize the use of water and nutrients. The objective of this study, performed within an experimental VF at the University of Bologna, was to quantify the water use efficiency (WUE, ratio between plant fresh weight and the volume of water used) for a lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth cycle obtained in two different growing systems: an ebb-and-flow substrate culture and a high pressure aeroponic system. Considering the total water consumed (water used for irrigation and climate management), WUE of ebb-and-flow and aeroponics was 28.1 and 52.9 g L−1 H2O, respectively. During the growing cycle, the contribution generated by the recovery of internal air moisture from the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, was quantified. Indeed, by recovering water from the dehumidifier, water use decreases dramatically (by 67 %), while WUE increased by 206 %. Further improvement of WUE in the ebb-and-flow system was obtained through ameliorated crop management strategies, in particular, by increasing planting densities (e.g., 153, 270 and 733 plants m−2) and by optimizing the light spectrum used for plant growth (e.g., adjusting the amount of far-red radiation in the spectrum). Strategies for efficient use of water in high-tech urban indoor growing systems are therefore proposed.

Suggested Citation

  • Carotti, Laura & Pistillo, Alessandro & Zauli, Ilaria & Meneghello, Davide & Martin, Michael & Pennisi, Giuseppina & Gianquinto, Giorgio & Orsini, Francesco, 2023. "Improving water use efficiency in vertical farming: Effects of growing systems, far-red radiation and planting density on lettuce cultivation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:285:y:2023:i:c:s0378377423002305
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108365
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377423002305
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108365?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Graamans, Luuk & Baeza, Esteban & van den Dobbelsteen, Andy & Tsafaras, Ilias & Stanghellini, Cecilia, 2018. "Plant factories versus greenhouses: Comparison of resource use efficiency," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 31-43.
    2. Katsoulas, N. & Sapounas, A. & De Zwart, F. & Dieleman, J.A. & Stanghellini, C., 2015. "Reducing ventilation requirements in semi-closed greenhouses increases water use efficiency," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 90-99.
    3. Noah James Langenfeld & Daniel Fernandez Pinto & James E. Faust & Royal Heins & Bruce Bugbee, 2022. "Principles of Nutrient and Water Management for Indoor Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-25, August.
    4. Incrocci, Luca & Thompson, Rodney B. & Fernandez-Fernandez, María Dolores & De Pascale, Stefania & Pardossi, Alberto & Stanghellini, Cecilia & Rouphael, Youssef & Gallardo, Marisa, 2020. "Irrigation management of European greenhouse vegetable crops," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    5. Gurdeep Singh Malhi & Manpreet Kaur & Prashant Kaushik, 2021. "Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Its Mitigation Strategies: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-21, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Iddio, E. & Wang, L. & Thomas, Y. & McMorrow, G. & Denzer, A., 2020. "Energy efficient operation and modeling for greenhouses: A literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    2. Singh, Ajay Kumar & Ashraf, Shah Nawaz & Sharma, Sandeep Kumar, 2023. "Farmer’s Perception on Climatic Factors and Social-economic Characteristics in the Agricultural Sector of Gujarat," Research on World Agricultural Economy, Nan Yang Academy of Sciences Pte Ltd (NASS), vol. 4(1), March.
    3. Yorifuji, Ryota & Obara, Shin'ya, 2022. "Economic design of artificial light plant factories based on the energy conversion efficiency of biomass," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    4. Michael Martin & Elvira Molin, 2019. "Environmental Assessment of an Urban Vertical Hydroponic Farming System in Sweden," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-14, July.
    5. Lea Primožič & Andreja Kutnar, 2022. "Sustainability Communication in Global Consumer Brands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-16, October.
    6. Sanjeev Kumar & Ajay K. Singh, 2023. "Modeling the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity: evidence from Himachal Pradesh, India," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 521-548, June.
    7. Nicole Meinusch & Susanne Kramer & Oliver Körner & Jürgen Wiese & Ingolf Seick & Anita Beblek & Regine Berges & Bernhard Illenberger & Marco Illenberger & Jennifer Uebbing & Maximilian Wolf & Gunter S, 2021. "Integrated Cycles for Urban Biomass as a Strategy to Promote a CO 2 -Neutral Society—A Feasibility Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-22, August.
    8. Gloria Alexandra Ortiz Rocha & Maria Angelica Pichimata & Edwin Villagran, 2021. "Research on the Microclimate of Protected Agriculture Structures Using Numerical Simulation Tools: A Technical and Bibliometric Analysis as a Contribution to the Sustainability of Under-Cover Cropping," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-40, September.
    9. Liu, Haijun & Yin, Congyan & Gao, Zhuangzhuang & Hou, Lizhu, 2021. "Evaluation of cucumber yield, economic benefit and water productivity under different soil matric potentials in solar greenhouses in North China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    10. Dae-Ho Jung & Jung-Eek Son, 2021. "CO 2 Utilization Strategy for Sustainable Cultivation of Mushrooms and Lettuces," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-11, May.
    11. Peres Ofori, 2021. "Mortgage market and climate variability adaptation: evidence from the mortgage market in emerging cities," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(12), pages 1-22, December.
    12. Marius Mihai Micu & Toma Adrian Dinu & Gina Fintineru & Valentina Constanta Tudor & Elena Stoian & Eduard Alexandru Dumitru & Paula Stoicea & Adina Iorga, 2022. "Climate Change—Between “Myth and Truth” in Romanian Farmers’ Perception," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-21, July.
    13. Theodora Karanisa & Yasmine Achour & Ahmed Ouammi & Sami Sayadi, 2022. "Smart greenhouses as the path towards precision agriculture in the food-energy and water nexus: case study of Qatar," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 521-546, December.
    14. Dafni Despoina Avgoustaki & George Xydis, 2020. "Plant factories in the water-food-energy Nexus era: a systematic bibliographical review," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(2), pages 253-268, April.
    15. Talbot, Marie-Hélène & Monfet, Danielle, 2024. "Analysing the influence of growing conditions on both energy load and crop yield of a controlled environment agriculture space," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 368(C).
    16. Ahmed Awad & Wan Luo & Nadhir Al-Ansari & Ahmed Elbeltagi & Mustafa El-Rawy & Hesham N. Farres & Mohamed EL-Sayed Gabr, 2021. "Farmers’ Awareness in the Context of Climate Change: An Underutilized Way for Ensuring Sustainable Farmland Adaptation and Surface Water Quality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-16, October.
    17. Li-Chun Huang, 2019. "Consumer Attitude, Concerns, and Brand Acceptance for the Vegetables Cultivated with Sustainable Plant Factory Production Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-14, September.
    18. Arabzadeh, Vahid & Miettinen, Panu & Kotilainen, Titta & Herranen, Pasi & Karakoc, Alp & Kummu, Matti & Rautkari, Lauri, 2023. "Urban vertical farming with a large wind power share and optimised electricity costs," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).
    19. Jiaxu Ling & Yongji Xue & Chenyujing Yang & Yuanyuan Zhang, 2022. "Effect of Farmers’ Awareness of Climate Change on Their Willingness to Adopt Low-Carbon Production: Based on the TAM-SOR Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-17, December.
    20. Monika Puchlik & Janina Piekutin & Katarzyna Dyczewska, 2021. "Analysis of the Impact of Climate Change on Surface Water Quality in North-Eastern Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:285:y:2023:i:c:s0378377423002305. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.