A reference for beginning to experienced growers, this book contains information needed to grow plugs and transplants. It covers such topics as selecting structures, production systems, understanding seed physiology, and scheduling plugs.
As biotechnology produces an unprecedented number of new plantvarieties, automated transplant production systems offer the means for their large-scale introduction via a rapid, efficient and economic method. As labour costs increase, so will automated systems assume even greater importance. Reforestation and afforestation projects, anti-des-ertification plantings and an increasing demand for urban greenery also create enormous demands for the mass production of high quality transplants, in addition to the commercial needs of the agriculture industry. The application of engineering techniques to modern micropropagation techniques and plant production means that many tasks can be automated, especially physical manipulation and close control of the microenvironment. This volume provides overviews of the main con-cepts -- plug seedling production, micropropagation, robotization, model development, measurement and environmental control -- with an emphasis on practical considerations. Examples are drawn from flower, vegetable and forest tree species to show how disciplines such as robotics and image analysis have a part to play in plant production.
Plant Factory: An Indoor Vertical Farming System for Efficient Quality Food Production, Second Edition presents a comprehensive look at the implementation of plant factory (PF) practices to yield food crops for both improved food security and environmental sustainability. Edited and authored by leading experts in PF and controlled environment agriculture (CEA), the book is divided into five sections, including an Overview and the Concept of Closed Plant Production Systems (CPPS), the Basics of Physics and Physiology – Environments and Their Effects, System Design, Construction, Cultivation and Management and Plant Factories in Operation. In addition to new coverage on the rapid advancement of LED technology and its application in indoor vertical farming, other revisions to the new edition include updated information on the status of business R&D and selected commercial PFALs (plant factory with artificial lighting). Additional updates include those focused on micro and mini-PFALs for improving the quality of life in urban areas, the physics and physiology of light, the impact of PFAL on the medicinal components of plants, and the system design, construction, cultivation and management issues related to transplant production within closed systems, photoautotrophic micro-propagation and education, training and intensive business forums on PFs. - Includes coverage of LED technology - Presents case-studies for real-world insights and application - Addresses PF from economics and planning, to operation and lifecycle assessment
We are facing global issues concerning environmental pollution and shortages of food, feed, phytomass (plant biomass) and natural resources, which will become more serious in the forthcoming decades. To solve these issues, immeasurable numbers of various plants and huge amounts of phytomass are required every year for food, feed and for the improvement of amenities, the environment and our quality of life. Increased phytomass is also required as alternative raw material for producing bio-energy, biodegradable plastics and many other plant-originated industrial products. Only by using phytomass as a reproducible energy source and raw material, instead of fossil fuels and atomic power, we can save natural resources and minimize environmental pollution. To increase phytomass globally, we need billions of quality transplants (small plants) to be grown yearly, in the field or in the greenhouse, under various environmental conditions. However, these high quality transplants can be produced only under carefully controlled, rather than variable environment al conditions. Recent research has shown that the closed transplant production system requires considerably small amounts of electricity, water, fertilizer, CO) and pesticide to produce value-added transplants as scheduled with minimum release of environmental pollutants and minimum loss of transplants. The closed or closed-type transplant production system is defined as a transplant production system covered with opaque walls with minimized or controlled ventilation rates, using artificial lighting. With this system, photoperiod, light intensity and quality, air temperature, humidity, CO) concentration and air current speed can be controlled as desired.
This book provides two basic concepts on plant propagation and value-added transplant production in a closed structure with artificial lighting: 1) photoautotrophic (sugar-free medium, photosynthetic or inorganic nutrition) micropropagation systems, and 2) closed transplant production systems with minimum resource consumption and environmental pollution. This book also describes the methodology, technology and practical techniques employed in both systems, which have been commercialized recently in some Asian countries such as China and Japan. We often use a closed structure such as a tissue culture vessel, a culture room, a growth chamber, a plant factory with lamps, and a greenhouse to propagate plants and produce transplants. Main reasons why we use such a closed structure is: 1) higher controllability of the environment for desired plant growth, 2) easier protection of plants from damage by harsh physical environment, pathogens, insects, animals, etc, 3) easier reduction in resource consumption for environmental control and protection, and 4) higher quality and productivity of plants at a lower cost, compared with the plant propagation and transplant production under rain, wind and sunlight shelters and in the open fields. Thus, there should be some knowledge, discipline, methodology, technology and problems to be solved on plant propagation and transplant production common to those closed structures, regardless of the types and sizes of the closed structure.
It is my privilege to contribute the foreword for this unique volume entitled: “Plant Tissue Culture Engineering,” edited by S. Dutta Gupta and Y. Ibaraki. While there have been a number of volumes published regarding the basic methods and applications of plant tissue and cell culture technologies, and even considerable attention provided to bioreactor design, relatively little attention has been afforded to the engineering principles that have emerged as critical contributions to the commercial applications of plant biotechnologies. This volume, “Plant Tissue Culture Engineering,” signals a turning point: the recognition that this specialized field of plant science must be integrated with engineering principles in order to develop efficient, cost effective, and large scale applications of these technologies. I am most impressed with the organization of this volume, and the extensive list of chapters contributed by expert authors from around the world who are leading the emergence of this interdisciplinary enterprise. The editors are to be commended for their skilful crafting of this important volume. The first two parts provide the basic information that is relevant to the field as a whole, the following two parts elaborate on these principles, and the last part elaborates on specific technologies or applications.
Growing for 100 - the complete year-round guide for the small-scale market grower. Across North America, an agricultural renaissance is unfolding. A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres. Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide provides: Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storage Information about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varieties Farm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterprise Whether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.
Plant Production in Closed Ecosystems provides overviews of the current trends and concepts in plant production in closed or semi-closed environments. The overviews reflect both the present and future challenges that face the agricultural industry and the methods and tools which will meet these challenges. Plant Production in Closed Ecosystems contains the full texts of the Special Lectures from the International Symposium on Plant Production in Closed Ecosystems, plus several contributed papers. The challenges which await the agricultural industry are diverse. This diversity is reflected in the topics that were covered in the special lectures given by experts in the field. These topics included: greenhouse horticulture, hydroponics, micropropagation, food production in space, environmental control, co-generation, controlled ecological life support systems (CELSS), and resource conservation.
Growers who use greenhouse transplants can target early-season markets and often produce multiple crops in a single growing season. In addition, they reduce pest and disease losses, and help ensure a more uniform stand.