In vertical farming, crops are sometimes grown at a height of about twenty meters, which can cause large differences in the climate between those at the bottom and the top. Logiqs, Induct and Luminaid have received a subsidy of € 268,086 for an MIT R&D collaboration project to arrive at an integrated solution for vertical horticulture in which light, climate and internal transport come together. The system will be called Greencube 2.0.
Jeffry van Noord and Ruud Tijs from Logiqs explain in the newsletter of the Top Sector Horticulture & Propagation Materials: “We want to develop a modular system with an adjustable microclimate per cultivation container, whereby light, nutrition, irrigation, carbon dioxide, temperature and humidity can be controlled per cultivation unit, precisely tailored to the growth phase of a crop. ”
Vertical farming also includes fruit crops
The cultivation tables can be moved from top to bottom via an internal transport system. Smart sensors and cameras keep an eye on the plants and ensure optimal growing conditions for each cultivation table.
With this system, vertical horticulture can also be used for fruit-bearing crops, food and ornamental crops, according to Jeffry. “Harvesting is a lot easier with the Greencube 2.0 because of the movable tables. The plants come to you. ”
The Greencube 2.0. More about the system here at Logiqs
Promising tests
The microclimate cultivation unit has now been tested at Botany in Venlo and the results are promising. “The system works: we see that the yield per square meter of cultivation area is increasing. The total energy consumption decreases because the lighting is an integral part of the climate control. We see many more useful applications that we can add to this system, but our first step is to look at the demand in the market.”
Source: Topsector Tuinbouw & Uitgangsmaterialen