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The Assessment of Growth Performance of Different Crops using Controlled Environment Agriculture
Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org
Citation: 2023 ASABE Annual International Meeting 2300190.(doi:10.13031/aim.202300190)
Authors: George Paul Buss, Mya Alexandria Catherine Griffith, Paige Ann Carroll, Xiusheng Yang, John L Griffis, Jr., Galen Papkov, Sarah Bauer, Kathryn Jackson, Ankit Kumar Singh
Keywords: Controlled Environment Agriculture, food insecurity, GREENBOX, hydroponics, lettuce
Abstract. Obtaining nutritious food is becoming increasingly difficult due to the growing urban population and the degradation of soil, water, and air from mechanized and industrialized agricultural techniques. More than half the global population resides in urban areas, with not enough surrounding agricultural land to meet food requirements. Food traveling long distances, an average of 1,020 miles, has resulted in increased food miles for the average food item in the United States, representing wasted resources. The novel GREENBOX technology was invented in response to increasing pressures on food security. Previous studies conducted on GREENBOX technology assessed technical feasibility utilizing ‘Rex Butterhead‘ Lettuce (Lactuca sativa). We at the APS Laboratory for Sustainable Food assessed the technical feasibility of growing different leafy green vegetable crops. GREENBOX technology consists of climate-controlled containers, an artificial lighting source, a soilless cultivation method (hydroponics), and environmental control modules. We assembled two GREENBOX units to assess the environmental conditions and growth performance of ‘Li Ren Choi‘ (Brassica rapa var. chinensis), ‘Auroch‘ Spinach (Spinacia oleracea), ‘Astro‘ Arugula (Eruca sativa), and Mizuna Brassica (Brassica rapa var. japonica). Plugs were cultivated and then transplanted in a randomized manner to the nutrient film technique (NFT) channels, subsequently grown for 30 days to full bloom and ready for harvest. Fertigation was carried out using the standard concentration nutrient solution. Crops were arranged in twelve blocks of four species each. We collected environmental data including daily light integral (DLI, mol/m2.d), temperature (°C), relative humidity (%), and vapor pressure deficit (VPD, kPa). Collected biomass data included wet weight (g), dry weight (g), leaf area (cm2), and chlorophyll concentration (mg/cm2). We then derived the Specific Leaf Area (SLA, cm2/g). Descriptive statistics were utilized to understand the differences in biomass parameters between the four crops grown. We also compared the performance parameters of our crops with existing peer-reviewed literature and found it superior, if not comparable to commonly found industrial output. We determined that all crops grew to full bloom, demonstrating that GREENBOX technology may be used to grow a variety of different leafy green vegetable crops.
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