New review identifies ornamental plants as viable high-value crop for vertical farming systems

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) has become a key driver of vertical farming (VF), offering innovative solutions for the sustainable production of ornamental plants in urban environments with limited arable land.

This review examines recent advances in VF technologies and their applications in foliage and flowering ornamental plant production. The literature indicates that precise environmental control, including optimized LED lighting spectra, hydroponic and aeroponic nutrient delivery, and automated climate regulation, can significantly enhance plant growth, morphological characteristics, color intensity, and overall market quality of ornamental species. In addition, VF systems demonstrate substantial reductions in water consumption, pesticide use, and land requirements compared with conventional cultivation methods. However, several challenges remain, including high-energy demand, economic feasibility, and the need for crop-specific environmental optimization for different ornamental species. This review synthesizes current research on VF systems, highlights the integration of emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and data-driven management tools, and evaluates their potential to improve production efficiency and sustainability in ornamental horticulture.

Overall, vertical farming represents a promising approach for high-quality ornamental plant production, although further research is required to optimize energy efficiency and cultivation protocols for diverse ornamental crops.

Ali, I.A.A.; Hassan, K.M.; Nasser, M.A.; Abou El-Nasr, M.K.; Salah, S.; Abdul-Hafeez, E.Y.; Hassan, F.A.S. Vertical Farming: A Smart Solution for Ornamental Plant Production—A Review. Sustainability 2026, 18, 2924. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18062924

Source: MDPI