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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Innovative Technologies and Production Strategies for Sustainable Controlled Environment Horticulture
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Innovative Technologies and Production Strategies for Sustainable Controlled Environment Horticulture

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Protected Culture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 9271

Special Issue Editors

Dr. László Sipos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Postharvest Science, Supply Chain, Commercial and Sensory Evaluation, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 29-43 Villányi út, H-1118 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: horticultural lighting system optimalization; LED technologies; bioactive components; phytochemicals; sensory evaluation; sensometrics; chemometrics
Dr. László Csambalik

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agroecology and Organic Farming, Institute of Rural Development and Sustainable Production, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, H-1118 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: sustainable plant production; organic farming; tomato production; phytochemicals; controlled environment agriculture
Dr. Anna Divéky-Ertsey

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agroecology and Organic Farming, Institute of Rural Development and Sustainable Production, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, H-1118 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: crop production; organic farming; practice of organic farming; seed treatment methods for organic production

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent progress in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) has opened the gate to the integration of smart technological innovations in protected plant cultivation. High investment costs are the main barriers; therefore, the settlement of such facilities is reasonable and profitable only in special situations and locations. With the development of technology, CEAs’ high initial costs are expected to decrease, which could support the more widespread application of such systems.

The role of CEA in world agriculture, its integration, and its contribution to food security is still unclear. The sustainability of CEA systems are believed to be very high; however, there is a limited number of studies available to date. Nowadays, plant production in such systems has several limitations, which can be overcome by changing the common agricultural approach and adapting the technology to new expectations. The application of CEA systems requires fundamental changes in the classical approach to plant production, including species and variety selection, plant nutrition, and plant production. 

Dr. László Sipos
Dr. László Csambalik
Dr. Anna Divéky-Ertsey
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • controlled environment agriculture
  • sustainability
  • light recipes
  • PPFD
  • smart systems
  • hydroponics
  • aeroponics
  • urban agriculture
  • vertical plant production

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 928 KiB  
Article
Precise Management of Hydroponic Nutrient Solution pH: The Effects of Minor pH Changes and MES Buffer Molarity on Lettuce Physiological Properties
by Gediminas Kudirka, Akvilė Viršilė, Rūta Sutulienė, Kristina Laužikė and Giedrė Samuolienė
Horticulturae 2023, 9(7), 837; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9070837 - 22 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2484
Abstract
The precise management of the nutrient solution pH is substantial for optimizing the growth and yield of hydroponically cultivated crops. Nutrient solution pH affects the solubility and availability of essential nutrients; however, during hydroponic cultivation, the pH of nutrient solution fluctuates due to [...] Read more.
The precise management of the nutrient solution pH is substantial for optimizing the growth and yield of hydroponically cultivated crops. Nutrient solution pH affects the solubility and availability of essential nutrients; however, during hydroponic cultivation, the pH of nutrient solution fluctuates due to unbalanced ion absorption by plants. Nutrient solution pH fluctuations might be passively controlled using a supplementary buffering agent. Nutrient solution characteristics such as pH and buffering agent molarity must be addressed simultaneously. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate hydroponically cultivated lettuce’s physiological response to minor nutrient solution pH differences and the impact of supplementary buffering agent molarity on its growth, antioxidant activity, and mineral nutrient uptake. Green lettuce (Lactuca sativa (L.)) ‘Hugin’ was cultivated in deep water culture (DWC) hydroponics in a controlled environment replicating common vertical farming conditions, and nutrient solution pH impact within the range of 5.0–6.5 was evaluated every 0.5 pH unit. Initial nutrient solution buffer capacity was enhanced by adding MES (2-(N-morpholino) ethanesulfonic acid) at 0, 1, 3, and 5 mM concentrations. Results show that even small nutrient pH differences are reflected in plant physiological responses, indicating the significance of precise pH management. Even though dry weight accumulation is not affected by the pH 5.0–5.5 treatment, it increases root antioxidant response according to ABTS (2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical scavenging activity. An initial nutrient solution buffer capacity increment with 3 mM of MES (2-(N-morpholino) ethanesulfonic acid) supplementary buffering agent resulted in a 17% yield increase compared to a nutrient solution without an additional buffering agent. MES buffer can provide adequate, passive, and precise nutrient solution pH control within the pH range of 6.0–6.5. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies and Production Strategies for Sustainable Controlled Environment Horticulture)
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16 pages, 2278 KiB  
Article
Characterizing the Spatial Uniformity of Light Intensity and Spectrum for Indoor Crop Production
by László Balázs, Zoltán Dombi, László Csambalik and László Sipos
Horticulturae 2022, 8(7), 644; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8070644 - 15 Jul 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2129
Abstract
Maintaining uniform photon irradiance distribution above the plant canopy is a fundamental goal in controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Spatial variation in photon irradiance below the light saturation point will drive differences in individual plant development, decreasing the economic value of the crop. Plant [...] Read more.
Maintaining uniform photon irradiance distribution above the plant canopy is a fundamental goal in controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Spatial variation in photon irradiance below the light saturation point will drive differences in individual plant development, decreasing the economic value of the crop. Plant growth is also affected by the spectral composition of light. So far, little attention has been paid to the quantification of the spatial variability in horticultural lighting applications. This work provides a methodology to benchmark and compare lighting installations used in indoor cultivation facilities. We measured the photon irradiance distributions underneath two typical grow light installations using a 10 × 10 measurement grid with 100 mm spacing. We calculated photon irradiance values for each grid point for 100 nm-wide blue, green, red and far-red wavebands covering the 400–800 nm range. We showed that the generally used uniformity metric defined as the minimum to average ratio of PPFD is not appropriate for the characterization of light uniformity in horticultural lighting applications. Instead, we propose to normalize photon irradiance to the maximum, analyze the histograms constructed from relative photon irradiance values and consider the light response of the cultivated crop while comparing the performance of CEA grow systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies and Production Strategies for Sustainable Controlled Environment Horticulture)
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Review

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20 pages, 2165 KiB  
Review
A Status Review on the Importance of Mulberry (Morus spp.) and Prospects towards Its Cultivation in a Controlled Environment
by Ecaterina-Daniela Baciu, Gabriela-Maria Baci, Adela Ramona Moise and Daniel Severus Dezmirean
Horticulturae 2023, 9(4), 444; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9040444 - 28 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3791
Abstract
One of the major challenges that global society is facing nowadays is finding sustainable and safe methods for crop growth and development. Besides the traditional crops cultivated worldwide (tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, strawberries, etc.), there is a general trend in the exploitation of polyvalent [...] Read more.
One of the major challenges that global society is facing nowadays is finding sustainable and safe methods for crop growth and development. Besides the traditional crops cultivated worldwide (tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, strawberries, etc.), there is a general trend in the exploitation of polyvalent plants. Mulberry (Morus spp.) faced no exception; with its undeniable proprieties, it became suitable not only to be used in the sericulture industry, but in the food chain, the pharma industry, and environmental safety. Spare parts of the plants can be used in a very wide range, starting from introducing mulberry leaves in supplements to increase the protein content of a meal to extracting biologically active compounds from fruits and roots to be used in phytotherapy. However, the outstanding proprieties of this plant come with some requirements related to space availability and watering; requirements that can be easily surpassed by using vertical farming methods, such as hydroponic, aeroponic, or aquaponic systems. The present paper aims to evaluate vertical farming techniques’ applicability to mulberry propagation in a controlled environment and their prospects for a more sustainable and safer agricultural practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies and Production Strategies for Sustainable Controlled Environment Horticulture)
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