Abstract
Plant production in indoor farming systems offers significant advantages compared to open field or greenhouse production systems. Especially in terms of quality and the ability for automation the system is superior to the conventional production systems. Concerning resource consumption indoor farming has considerable advantages in regard to water consumption and the use of pesticides. The main disadvantage is the high consumption of electrical energy. Taking advantage of the specific benefits or eliminating the disadvantages, for example by using renewable energies, different potentials and fields of application for indoor farming arise. The paper outlines the potentials and future fields of application of indoor farming considering the specific differences to conventional production systems related to resource consumption, quality and automation.
Zusammenfassung
Die Pflanzenproduktion in Indoor Farming Systemen bietet in Bezug auf Qualität und der Möglichkeit, Prozesse zu automatisieren, erhebliche Vorteile gegenüber den konventionellen Produktionssystemen im Freiland oder im Gewächshaus. Und auch der Ressourcenverbrauch weist in den Bereichen Wasser, Nährstoffe und Pflanzenschutz erhebliche Vorteile gegenüber den klassischen Produktionssystemen auf. Der wesentliche Nachteil liegt im hohen Verbrauch der elektrischen Energie. Vor dem Hintergrund dieser Unterschiede ergeben sich spezifische Anwendungsfelder für das Thema Indoor Farming, bei denen die Vorteile gezielt genutzt werden können und Nachteile beispielsweise durch die Nutzung regenerativer Energiequellen reduziert werden. Der Beitrag zeigt Potentiale und zukünftige Anwendungsfelder von Indoor Farming auf und gliedert diese nach den spezifischen Unterschieden der Produktionssysteme in die Bereiche Ressourceneinsatz, Qualität und Automatisierung.
About the authors
Prof. Dr. Heike Mempel conducts research on questions focused on crop production strategies, resource consumption, use of different light spectrum to improve plant physiology, productivity and quality aspects as well as methods to measure quality parameters of fruit and vegetables along the supply chain. After studying horticultural science at the Technical University Munich (TUM), Professor Mempel worked as a research assistant at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy and TUM. Before being appointed professor at the University of Applied Sciences, she worked for several years in a leading position in the quality management of several leading food retailer in Germany. Furthermore, she is head of the Applied Science Centre for Smart Indoor Farming at the University of Applied Science Weihenstephan-Triesdorf.
Ivonne Jüttner, B.Sc. is currently studying at the Technical University Munich (TUM) in horticultural management. She is currently working in an indoor farming project financed by STMELF as a research assistant in Prof. Mempel‘s team. Her aim is to reduce the total electrical energy by an optimization of crop cultivation strategies as well as the adjustment of the technological equipment.
Sabine Wittmann, B.Sc. is currently studying at the Technical University Munich (TUM) in horticultural management. She is currently working as a research assistant in the project CUBESCircle in Prof. Mempel‘s team, focusing on plant growth in closed production systems, use of light strategies and issues on plant physiology as well as the evaluation and optimization of resource use.
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