Why Growing Leafy Greens Indoors is Trending
August 11, 2020 A group of horticulturists, engineers, and agricultural economists have been given the green light to study indoor production of leafy greens, thanks to a four-year, $2.7 million grant from USDA. But wait, there’s more. Industry partners also recognize value in the project and matched that funding, bringing the total to $5.4 million.
The multi-university team led by Michigan State University (MSU) Professor Erik Runkle knows production challenges outdoors with leafy greens, including food safety issues, have led to interest in growing these specialty crops hydroponically in controlled environments. At this point though, there is little information on whether this is economically viable.
Capital and operating costs can be significant for startups, especially as it relates to LEDs and cooling systems, Runkle points out.
“Indoor farming using LEDs has a lot of advantages,” he says. “It takes much less space, there is more efficient use of water and nutrients, production is year-round, and there are virtually no pesticides. But there is little science-based information about best growing practices, and very little economic data around indoor farming.”
To find some answers, Runkle is collaborating on the project with fellow MSU researchers Roberto Lopez and Simone Valle de Souza, as well as Chieri Kubota at The Ohio State University, Cary Mitchell at Purdue University, and Murat Kacira at the University of Arizona.
The team has three major goals:
1. Define optimal profitability based on yield and other high-value attributes of the plants, such as nutrition content
2. Optimize indoor environmental conditions, such as humidity, air movement, temperature, light and carbon dioxide concentration, to increase yield and high-value attributes
3. Encourage indoor farming stakeholders to collaborate with academic and industry groups that are working in controlled-environment agriculture.
“It might not seem obvious, but energy prices are extremely important to growers looking at indoor farming,” Runkle says. “These costs can vary significantly across the country, so it’s something growers need to be aware of. There are other considerations as well, such as proximity to markets.”
According to the team, much of the work will be conducted in Runkle’s Controlled-Environment Lighting Laboratory, which opened in 2017 and is used to study how plants grow under various environmental conditions. The findings will be tested at partner locations.
For more information about the project and its progress, visit scri-optimia.org.
Subscribe to eNewsletter
