August 2021 - 37

PRODUCTION
MSU's CELL laboratory has large
indoor windows allowing students
and visitors to look in from a
corridor - potentially sparking
their curiosity about the emerging
vertical farming industry.
While growers often focus on increasing yields and
decreasing inputs, energy costs remain unavoidable
for indoor growers. Geography can affect the cost of
energy, and climate influences the amount of energy
needed to control the plants' indoor environment
relative to the weather outdoors, Lopez said.
To remain relevant to growers, the team is limiting its
research to main crops grown indoors: red and green
lettuce, kale, arugula, and microgreens.
A GROWTH INDUSTRY
The number of indoor farms across the country
growing leafy greens has increased in recent years
with the opening of some
large, warehouse-type
vertical farms, in addition
to other smaller, modular
units set up in shipping
containers.
" The overarching goal of our SCRI grant is to make
the industry more profitable and sustainable, " Lopez
says. " Right now, you see a lot of indoor farms, but you
know, there's also been many that have not survived. "
While growers
Research
TEAM
Principal investigators on the grant
include:
● Erik Runkle of Michigan State
University (MSU) will research
the impacts of different light
qualities, picking combinations
of different wavelengths of light
from UV to far-red.
● Roberto Lopez (pictured
above), MSU, will research
light intensity, carbon dioxide
and temperature - how
they impact flavor and other
postharvest qualities.
● Simone Valle de Souza, MSU,
will research the economics
of managing an indoor leafy
greens farm operation,
answering questions such as
" What are the costs? " and
" How can they add value? "
● Chieri Kubota of Ohio State
University will research issues
relating to tip burn and nutrition.
● Cary Mitchell of Purdue
University will research " phasic
lighting " - tailoring light to
the plant's growth stages.
● Murat Kacira of the University
of Arizona will research airflow
and engineering aspects of
indoor farms.
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GREENHOUSE PRODUCT NEWS 37
" Indoor farming, which
is also known as vertical
farming, using LEDs has a
lot of advantages, " MSU's
Erik Runkle said in a news
release. " It takes much
less space, there is a 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. "
The research will support this young and
growing sector of agriculture with public, unbiased
information.
often focus on increasing
yields and decreasing
inputs, energy costs
remain unavoidable for
indoor growers.
EASY ACCESS
Small indoor greens growers often don't have
access to production information. " Most research
that's conducted for indoor farms is in-house, " Lopez
says. " And so, for a new, small venture, it's pretty
difficult, because there's not a lot of unbiased researchbased
information out there to get started. And
information that is out there is primarily from people
wanting to sell products, right?
Our goal is science-based,
unbiased research. "
Updates on the research,
including YouTube videos,
research highlights, frequently
asked questions, trade
articles and scientific papers,
are being posted to www.
scri-optimia.org as research
proceeds.
" We're also developing
an online course on indoor
production that will be
available on the website within the next year, " Lopez
adds. " We're also going to have annual stakeholder
meetings and open houses. "
Stephen Kloosterman is managing editor of GPN's
sister publication Organic Grower. He can be reached
at skloosterman@gretamericanpublish.com.
small details
... big difference
Postharvest processing
For weighing, blending, washing and drying your leafy vegetables.
THE
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August 2021

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