Plant Factories Blossom Production in Japan steadily flowers Eiichi Ono and Hiroyuki Watanabe
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America developed an automated spacing device for growing-area optimization and used water-cooled lamps for removing excess heat from the high-intensity-discharge (HID) lamps. However, such projects have failed commercially. Geniponics was purchased by Control Data Corp. in 1980 and then shut down in 1984. Classification Phytofarms of A plant factory can America was closed be categorized in one in the early 1990s. of two major facility In contrast, curtypes based on the folrent plant production lowing facility characfacilities across the teristics: the degree of Pacific Ocean have closure and the levels been successful thus of natural-lighting far. In Japan, a numusage. The first facility ber of plant factories type is the semi-closed have opened since system, which has limthe late 1980s and ited environmental are still operational. control capabilities. Such projects Such a system often include Secom Herb harnesses natural light Factory (Secom for the purpose of High-Plant Co., reducing lighting costs. Ltd.), which proThe other is a closed duces a variety of facility, which utilizes herbs; TS Farm (Q.P. PASONA O2, an underground facility, showcases current plant production technologies. artificial lighting under Above: a room Corporation), which for tomato production. a highly controlled utilizes aeroponic environment for increased productivity. system, and systems from La Planta Co., LTD., which uses fluorescent lamps for crop production. In addition, most Factory failures and successes of these plant factories are even adding franchised faciliA number of closed-type plant factories have been ties. In 2000, Cosmo Plant Co. LTD. introduced a lightconstructed in the United States since the 1970s decade. emitting-diode- (LED-) based plant factory, Cosmo Farm, Examples include GE’s Geniponics, located in New York which is the world’s first commercially operational LEDand Alaska, and General Mills’ Phytofarms of America up based plant factory. The Cosmo’s system utilizes highand running in Illinois. These U.S. plant factories have intensity red LED, which is the most inexpensive among made highly interesting attempts at plant production. For different colors, for producing lettuce crops. The daily example, Geniponics produced tomatoes and sold them for production capacity of some of Cosmo’s plant factories are higher prices than most other companies. Phytofarms of up to 7,000 heads of lettuce. he concept of a plant factory, which produces crops under a controlled and optimized environment, has been pursued since the 1970s. Potential advantages of such a facility are high productivity, year-round continuous production, pesticide-free harvests, lower water demand, and effective land use.
March 2006
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