Plant Production Systems Research Articles

Optimization of Liquid Digestate Fertigation and Light Intensity for Lettuce Cultivation in Closed Plant Production System

Optimization of Liquid Digestate Fertigation and Light Intensity for Lettuce Cultivation in Closed Plant Production System

Biostimulant and Elicitor Responses to Cricket Frass (Acheta domesticus) in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under Protected Conditions.

Agriculture in the current century is seeking sustainable tools in order to generate plant production systems with minimal negative environmental impact. In recent years it has been shown that the use of insect frass is an option to be used for this purpose. The present work studied the effect of low doses (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0% w/w) of cricket frass (Acheta domesticus) in the substrate during the cultivation of tomatos under greenhouse conditions. Plant performance and antioxidant enzymatic activities were measured in the study as explicative variables related to plant stress responses in order to determine possible biostimulant or elicitor effects of cricket frass treatments during tomato cultivation under greenhouse conditions. The main findings of this study indicated that tomato plants responded in a dose dependent manner to cricket frass treatments, recalling the hormesis phenomenon. On the one hand, a 0.1% (w/w) cricket frass treatment showed typical biostimulant features, while on the other hand, 0.5 and 1.0% treatments displayed elicitor effects in tomato plants under evaluated conditions in the present study. These results support the possibility that low doses of cricket frass might be used in tomato cultivation (and perhaps in other crops) for biostimulant/elicitor input into sustainable production systems.

Potential of Brackish Groundwater for Different Biosaline Agriculture Systems in the Brazilian Semi-Arid Region

The objective of this research was to define the potential of brackish groundwater for 15 systems of biosaline agriculture in a representative area of the Brazilian semi-arid region. The study was conducted using a database of the State of Ceará, with 6284 wells having brackish water (EC ≥ 0.8 dS m−1 and discharge rate ≥ 0.5 m3 h−1). Our results show that the potential of brackish groundwater resources depends on the set of data: (i) production system (crop salt tolerance and water demand) and (ii) water source (salinity and well discharge rate). The joint analysis of these data shows that plant production systems with lesser water requirements, even with moderate tolerance levels to salt stress, present better results than more tolerant species, including halophytes and coconut orchards. About 41, 43, 58, 69, and 82% of wells have enough discharge rates to irrigate forage cactus (1.0 ha), sorghum (1.0 ha with supplemental irrigation), hydroponic cultivation, cashew seedlings, and coconut seedlings, respectively, without restrictions in terms of salinity. Otherwise, 65.8 and 71.2% of wells do not have enough water yield to irrigate an area of 1.0 ha with halophytes and coconut palm trees, respectively, butmore than 98.3 and 90.7% do not reach the water salinity threshold for these crops. Our study also indicates the need for diversification and use of multiple systems on farms (intercropping, association of fish/shrimp with plants), to reach the sustainability of biosaline agriculture in tropical drylands, especially for family farming.

The Effect of Tomato Cultivar on Pythium Root Rot and Efficacy of Biopesticides

Barriers to broad commercial use of biopesticides include inconsistent efficacy, which can be influenced by plant species, soil type, and production system. Few studies have evaluated the effect of plant cultivar on the efficacy of commercial biopesticides to suppress disease under greenhouse production conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of tomato cultivar on Pythium root rot and the efficacy of commercially available microbial biopesticides (Rootshield WP and Cease). Under low to moderate disease, plants treated with Rootshield had lower Pythium root rot severity compared with the control, and this efficacy was influenced by cultivar. The tomato cultivars ‘Ailsa Craig’, ‘Glamour’, and ‘Maxifort’ had up to 75% less disease when treated with Rootshield compared with the water control. This effect was not observed on cultivar ‘Trust’, a scion cultivar used in greenhouse vegetable production. Cease had no effect on Pythium root rot severity. The aboveground dried biomass of plants treated with Rootshield was lower for tomato cultivars Trust and Glamour. This research suggests that cultivar can explain some of the variability of biopesticide efficacy in reducing root rot disease. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

A Systematic Review and Quantitative Synthesis of the Efficacy of Quaternary Ammonium Disinfestants Against Fungal Plant Pathogens.

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) have been used as disinfestants in plant production systems since the late 20th century. In studies on the control of fungal pathogens in agricultural and horticultural crop production systems, the efficacy of QAC disinfestants is variable, ranging from very high to ineffective. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to establish and understand how pathogen- and application-related factors influenced product efficacy. The meta-analysis was based on 124 studies involving 14 fungal plant pathogen genera, eight target materials, and four generations of QAC products that contained different mixtures of active ingredients. A significant (P < 0.0001) reduction in either disease intensity or propagule viability resulted following disinfestation using QAC products. Hedges' g standardized mean difference (g̅+) across the studies was 2.16, indicating that QACs, on average, were highly effective against fungal pathogens. Heterogeneity was significant (P < 0.0001), indicating that effect sizes (g) were not representative of a common mean effect size and supported selection of a random effects model. In all, 78.5% of the observed variance consisted of variance in true effects with a high estimate of between-study variability (τ2 = 2.15). For fungal genus, subgroup g̅+ for genera Pseudonectria and Calonectria was significantly (P < 0.0038) higher than for all other genus subgroups, except Fusarium. For target materials, subgroup g̅+ for solution, cloth, plant, and metal were significantly (P > 0.0071) higher than for inorganic material or wood. For product generation, subgroup g̅+ for fifth-generation products was significantly (P > 0.0071) higher than for fourth-, third-, and second-generation products. Dose and time accounted for only 8 and 4%, respectively, of the true variance in effect sizes in the regression model dose, time, and dose-time (P = 0.0004). Genus accounted for 40 and 51% of the true variance in effect sizes in the regression models dose and genus (P = 0.0008) and time and genus (P = 0.0007), respectively. Target material accounted for 18 and 19% of the true variance in effect sizes in the regression models dose and target (P = 0.0001) and time and target (P = 0.0001), respectively. QAC product generation accounted for 24 and 21% of the true variance in effect sizes in the regression models dose and QAC generation (P = 0.0034) and time and QAC generation (P = 0.0189), respectively. These results show that the current recommended rates for dose and contact time are generally expected to result in effective disinfestation for commercial QAC products. However, the efficacy against fungal plant pathogens is likely to be influenced by the fungal genus and target being treated and the generation of the QAC product that is used for disinfestation.

Direct Reduction Plant Alternator Synchronization Using DC Motor and Synchronous Generator with Complete Reduced Machines Transient

Direct Reduction Plant alternator synchronization using D.C. motor and synchronous generator with complete reduced machines transient is presented. This is very significance in the industrial world. Direct Reduction plant is an iron making process plant for the new era which utilizes natural gas to reduce iron ore to produce Direct Reduced Iron used in steel industry. An alternator is an electrical generator that converts mechanical energy into AC electrical energy. Synchronization is connection of an alternator into the grid in parallel with many other alternators that is live of constant voltage and frequency. Transient stability is one of the major factors for proper operation of the Direct Reduction plant production systems that lead to major system collapses. The stress on Direct Reduction plant machines systems is increasing day by day, due to faults, economic and environmental pressures, sudden load change, deviation of active power and frequency. This phenomenon constitutes negative threat to Direct Reduction plant stability. The study was carried out to examine the capacity and transient stability on the Direct Reduction plant machines to withstand disturbance while quality of service is maintained. The effect of improper phase condition upon the synchronizing process, phase sequence of three phase power line, direct current excitation effect upon the power deliver by alternator, power delivered by an alternator upon the torque delivered by the prime mover. The challenges were solved and analyzed using individual machine with the help of accurate step by step integration and Electrical Transient Analyzer Program MatLab software. Swing equation was solved using advanced Runge-Kutta’s method. An experiment was conducted in Electrical Engineering laboratory and machines transient stability of the plant was improved by 64 percent averagely. The results were depicted graphically for machines dynamic behavior studies and recommended for Technician and Engineers in steel and related industries

Trans-sectorial approaches sustainable disease control across agribusiness districts

Trans-sectorial approaches sustainable disease control across agribusiness districts Here, Professor Laura Grenville-Briggs shares her stance on working together to counter the threat of oomycete diseases, focussing on trans-sectoral approaches to support sustainable plant and fish production systems in Europe. Oomycetes-microbes that superficially resemble fungi- are devastating pathogens affecting many plants and animals. Oomycete diseases in our agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture production systems, as well as natural or managed ecosystems constitute a significant threat to food security, environmental sustainability and economic stability. Moreover, under current climate change predictions, oomycete diseases are predicted to spread polewards (1) and, with more unpredictable weather patterns, are likely to be more disruptive in the future.

Demand and Supply Situation for Medicinal Plants

From 2020 to 2015, it was predicted that the demand for medicinal plants in India will increase at an annual pace of between 17 and 23 percent to meet the needs of both domestic and international consumers. Small-scale farmers stand to gain financially and economically from a well-organized medicinal plant production and administration system. Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha are the three main Indian medical traditions, and together they are expected to bring in more than $500 million annually. In 2015, the gap between demand and supply of MAPs was predicted to be between 50,000 and 250,000 tons. In 2020, this hole was predicted to grow from 250,000 to 500,000 metric tons. Modified accelerated production (MAP) industries provide labor opportunities in economically depressed states, raising the standard of living and tax base of the area.

Comparison of Energy-use Efficiency for Lettuce Plantation under Nutrient Film Technique and Deep-Water Culture Hydroponic Systems

Energy conservation opportunities in closed plant production systems have been widely discussed, however, a comparison of energy-use efficiency (EUE) for different types of hydroponic systems is lacking. This paper compares the EUE of two different hydroponic systems, namely nutrient film technique (NFT) and deep-water culture (DWC), within an aquaponics facility. The energy is monitored in a controlled environment using artificial lighting and its impact on the growth dynamics of the crops is measured, in this case, on a leafy green crop (Lactuca Sativa L. ‘Little Gem’). Offering better efficiency and reliability, light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation is used with a photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) of 140 µmol·s−1 and a photoperiod of 12-hours. The seeds are then placed in growth chambers, kept at an ambient temperature of 18°C for 21 days. These seedlings are then transplanted in rockwool cubes, followed by placement in NFT or DWC systems in equal numbers. Both systems are illuminated with LED irradiation having a PPF of 200 µmol·s−1. Continuous irradiation with a photoperiod of 16-hours is provided to both systems for 5 weeks. Crop growth parameters, such as leaf count and plant height, are measured in both systems resulting in similar numbers obtained, however, shoot fresh weight, leaf area, and root length are significantly different. Furthermore, the NFT system exhibited an EUE of 31.3 g. kWh−1 and outperformed the DWC system with an EUE of 24.53 g. kWh−1; indicating higher growth and better energy savings associated with NFT systems. These results suggest that NFT systems has a higher potential to offer better energy-use efficiency for producing crops in plant factories and aquaponics facilities.

In vitro direct and indirect regeneration of plants from nodal and petiole explants in Pelargonium odoratissimum (L.) Herit.

Nodal and petiole explants were employed to study the direct and indirect regeneration from Pelargonium odoratissimum in vitro. Direct shoots regeneration of nodal segments was tried in MS medium containing 1 and 2 mg l-1 BAP and 0.5 mg l-1 IBA. The highest mean shoots number and the greatest shoots per explant number were obtained in the medium containing 2 mg l-1 BAP. Nodal segments were the source of petiole explants and the resulting petioles were cultured in ½ MS medium supplemented by 1, 1.5, 2 and 4.5 mg l-1 BAP enriched with 0.1, 1 and 1.5 mg l-1 NAA. With the petiole explants, the lowest browning percentage, the highest callus induction and also, the top number of shoots per explant were recorded in 2 mg l-1 BAP + 0.1 mg l-1 NAA medium. The medium supplemented with 0.2 mg l-1 NAA exhibited the desired effect on rooting percentage and mean root number and length. The rooted young plants were transferred to the pots containing peat-moss and perlite (1:1) and the acclimatization was successful since, more than 90 % of plants adapted-well in the greenhouse conditions. This in-vitro propagation methodology would be advisable to the plant production systems and to whom wish to produce the clonal homogenous plants for the commercial ideas and for the detailed molecular studies.

De-novo transcriptome assembly and analysis of lettuce plants grown under red, blue or white light

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is grown in various parts of the world for use as a leafy vegetable. Although the use of light-emitting diode (LED) in controlled plant production systems has been successfully used to enhance nutritional quality and plant growth efficiently, the molecular basis of lettuce’s response to varying light spectra is not studied. Using next-generation sequencing, we have analyzed the transcriptomes of leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. ‘New Red Fire’) grown hydroponically in a modular agricultural production system under three different types of LED lighting: red, blue, and white light. Illumina HiSeq sequencing platform was used to generate paired-end sequence reads (58 Gb raw and 54 Gb clean data) of the transcriptome of lettuce leaves exposed to varying light spectra. The de novo assembled final transcriptome contained 74,096 transcripts. Around 53% and 39% of the assembled transcripts matched to the UniProt and RefSeq RNA sequences, respectively. The validation of the differentially expressed transcripts using RT-qPCR showed complete agreement with RNA-Seq data for 27 transcripts. A comparison of the blue versus red light treatments showed the highest number of significantly differentially expressed transcripts. Among the transcripts significantly up-regulated in blue-light-exposed leaves compared to white-light-exposed leaves, ~ 26% were involved in the ‘response to stress’. Among the transcripts significantly upregulated under red light compared to white light, ~ 6% were associated with ‘nucleosome assembly’ and other processes, such as ‘oxidation–reduction process’ and ‘response to water deprivation’ were significantly enriched. Thus, the result from the current study provides deeper insights into differential gene expression patterns and associated functional aspects under varying light qualities.

Conservation Biological Control as an Important Tool in the Neotropical Region.

The history and recent developments of conservation biological control (CBC) in the context of industrialized and small-scale agriculture are discussed from theoretical framework available in the Neotropical region. A historical perspective is presented in terms of the transition of the way pests have been controlled since ancestral times, while some of these techniques persist in some areas cultivated on a small-scale agriculture. The context of industrialized agriculture sets the stage for the transition from chemical pesticides promoted in the green revolution to the more modern concept of IPM and finds in conservation biological an important strategy in relation to more sustainable pest management options meeting new consumer demands for cleaner products and services. However, it also noted that conservation, considered within a more integrative approach, establishes its foundations on an overall increase in floral biodiversity, that is, transversal to both small-scale and industrialized areas. In the latter case, we present examples where industrialized agriculture is implementing valuable efforts in the direction of conservation and new technologies are envisioned within more sustainable plant production systems and organizational commitment having that conservation biological control has become instrumental to environmental management plans. In addition, a metanalysis on the principal organisms associated with conservation efforts is presented. Here, we found that hymenopteran parasitoids resulted in the most studied group, followed by predators, where arachnids constitute a well-represented group, while predatory vertebrates are neglected in terms of reports on CBC. Our final remarks describe new avenues of research needed and highlight the need of cooperation networks to propose research, public outreach, and adoption as strategic to educate costumers and participants on the importance of conservation as main tool in sustainable pest management.

Using leaf spectroscopy and pigment estimation to monitor indoor grown lettuce dynamic response to spectral light intensity.

Rising urban food demand is being addressed by plant factories, which aim at producing quality food in closed environment with optimised use of resources. The efficiency of these new plant production systems could be further increased by automated control of plant health and nutritious composition during cultivation, allowing for increased produce value and closer match between plant needs and treatment application with potential energy savings. We hypothesise that certain leaf pigments, including chlorophylls, carotenoids and anthocyanins, which are responsive to light, may be good indicator of plant performance and related healthy compounds composition and, that the combination of leaf spectroscopy and mathematical modelling will allow monitoring of plant cultivation through noninvasive estimation of leaf pigments. Plants of two lettuce cultivars (a green- and a red-leaf) were cultivated in hydroponic conditions for 18 days under white light spectrum in climate controlled growth chamber. After that period, plant responses to white light spectrum ('W') with differing blue wavelengths ('B', 420 - 450 nm) percentage (15% 'B15', and 40% 'B40') were investigated for a 14 days period. The two light spectral treatments were applied at photon flux densities (PFDs) of 160 and 240 µmol m-2 s-1, resulting in a total of four light treatments (160WB15, 160WB40, 240WB15, 240WB40). Chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements and assessment of foliar pigments, through destructive (in vitro) and non-destructive (in vivo) spectrophotometry, were performed at 1, 7 and 14 days after treatment initiation. Increase in measured and estimated pigments in response to WB40 and decrease in chlorophyll:carotenoid ratio in response to higher PFD were found in both cultivars. Cultivar specific behavior in terms of specific pigment content stimulation in response to time was observed. Content ranges of modelled and measured pigments were comparable, though the correlation between both needs to be improved. In conclusion, leaf pigment estimation may represent a potential noninvasive and real-time technique to monitor, and control, plant growth and nutritious quality in controlled environment agriculture.

Combining green manure and cattle manure to improve biomass, essential oil, and thymol production in Thymus vulgaris L.

Green manure can be used as an alternative to animal manure and organic compounds and can also be part of the management practices for medicinal plant production systems. The objective of this study was to use a combination of sunn hemp ( Crotalaria juncea ) and cattle manure in the fertilization of Thymus vulgaris L. plants to design better production strategies. The effects on vegetative growth , nutrient accumulation, essential oil production and chemical composition, photosynthetic pigments , and antioxidant activity were investigated. On the basis of four rates of cattle manure (0, 3, 6, and 9 kg m −2 ), additional four rates of green manure (0, 3, 6, and 9 kg m −2 sunn hemp) were added to each rate of cattle manure plus a positive control treatment (chemical fertilizer), totaling 17 treatments. The combination of organic manures (green and cattle manure) as well as the chemical fertilizer positively affected the dry weight of thyme leaves, stems, and roots. The combination of the highest doses of cattle and sunn hemp manure (9 kg·m −2 and 9 kg·m −2 , respectively) resulted in an accumulation of total dry weight 10 times greater than that of the treatment without fertilization, which was significantly higher than that of the control treatment (0 kg m −2 cattle manure and 0 kg m −2 sunn hemp). Only application of green manure ( Crotalaria juncea ) has positive affected in dry weight. Significant increases in total and a and b chlorophylls and carotenoids were observed in thyme plants with the use of organic fertilizers . The essential oil production and chemical composition were improved by organic fertilization. The highest percentage of thymol (65.42%) was obtained in the group with 9 kg m −2 cattle manure and 3 kg·m −2 green manure. The application of both cattle manure and green manure increased the antioxidant activity of thyme, and this activity was correlated with high levels of carotenoids. The combined use of green and cattle manures is an inexpensive way to increase the yield of thyme and its essential oil and thymol production, and it can reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and thus is ecologically sound for the cultivation of medicinal plants. • Green manure improves the production and quality of thyme cultivation. • Essential oil and thymol are responsive to combined organic fertilization. • Organic fertilizer combination improves growth and antioxidant response. • Cattle manure in thyme fertilization results in better plant performance. • Nutrients in leaves was high under cultivation at the highest organic fertilization.

Current Situation, Direction, Policy Support, and Challenges of Plant Factories with Artificial lighting (PFAL) in Thailand

One of the greatest challenges in the 21st century is how to sufficiently and sustainably feed the world population with nutritional and safe food. Plant factory with artificial lighting (PFAL) is a closed plant production system. Regardless of environments outside, PFAL is considered as an alternative technology for food and feed production with high efficiency, high quality and low risk to health of customers. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide the basic information on the current situation, direction, government policy and support and challenges of PFAL technology in Thailand.

Efficient fluorescence-based localization technique for real-time tracking endophytes route in host-plants colonization.

Bacterial isolates that enhance plant growth and suppress plant pathogens growth are essential tools for reducing pesticide applications in plant production systems. The objectives of this study were to develop a reliable fluorescence‐based technique for labeling bacterial isolates selected as biological control agents (BCAs) to allow their direct tracking in the host‐plant interactions, understand the BCA localization within their host plants, and the route of plant colonization. Objectives were achieved by developing competent BCAs transformed with two plasmids, pBSU101 and pANIC‐10A, containing reporter genes eGFP and pporRFP, respectively. Our results revealed that the plasmid‐mediated transformation efficiencies of antibiotic‐resistant competent BCAs identified as PSL, IMC8, and PS were up 84%. Fluorescent BCA‐tagged reporter genes were associated with roots and hypocotyls but not with leaves or stems and were confirmed by fluoresence microscopy and PCR analyses in colonized Arabidopsis and sorghum. This fluorescence‐based technique's high resolution and reproducibility make it a platform‐independent system that allows tracking of BCAs spatially within plant tissues, enabling assessment of the movement and niches of BCAs within colonized plants. Steps for producing and transforming competent fluorescent BCAs, as well as the inoculation of plants with transformed BCAs, localization, and confirmation of fluorescent BCAs through fluorescence imaging and PCR, are provided in this manuscript. This study features host‐plant interactions and subsequently biological and physiological mechanisms implicated in these interactions. The maximum time to complete all the steps of this protocol is approximately 3 months.

The potential of bacterial microcompartment architectures for phytonanotechnology.

The application of nanotechnology to plants, termed phytonanotechnology, has the potential to revolutionize plant research and agricultural production. Advancements in phytonanotechnology will allow for the time-controlled and target-specific release of bioactive compounds and agrochemicals to alter and optimize conventional plant production systems. A diverse range of engineered nanoparticles with unique physiochemical properties is currently being investigated to determine their suitability for plants. Improvements in crop yield, disease resistance and nutrient and pesticide management are all possible using designed nanocarriers. However, despite these prospective benefits, research to thoroughly understand the precise activity, localization and potential phytotoxicity of these nanoparticles within plant systems is required. Protein-based bacterial microcompartment shell proteins that self-assemble into spherical shells, nanotubes and sheets could be of immense value for phytonanotechnology due to their ease of manipulation, multifunctionality, rapid and efficient producibility and biodegradability. In this review, we explore bacterial microcompartment-based architectures within the scope of phytonanotechnology.

Technological Advancements and Economics in Plant Production Systems: How to Retrofit?

Plant production systems such as plant factories and greenhouses can help promote resilience in food production. These systems could be used for plant protection and aid in controlling the micro- and macro- environments needed for optimal plant growth irrespective of natural disasters and changing climate conditions. However, to ensure optimal environmental controls and efficient production, several technologies such as sensors and robots have been developed and are at different stages of implementation. New and improved systems are continuously being investigated and developed with technological advances such as robotics, sensing, and artificial intelligence to mitigate hazards to humans working in these systems from poor ventilation and harsh weather while improving productivity. These technological advances necessitate frequent retrofits considering local contexts such as present and projected labor costs. The type of agricultural products also affects measures to be implemented to maximize returns on investment. Consequently, we formulated the retrofitting problem for plant production systems considering two objectives; minimizing the total cost for retrofitting and maximizing the yearly net profit. Additionally, we considered the following: (a) cost of new technologies; (b) present and projected cost for human labor and robotics; (c) size and service life of the plant production system; (d) productivity before and after retrofit, (e) interest on loans for retrofitting, (f) energy consumption before and after retrofit and, (g) replacement and maintenance cost of systems. We solved this problem using a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm that results in a set of compromised solutions and performed several simulations to demonstrate the applicability and robustness of the method. Results showed up to a 250% increase in annual net profits in an investigated case, indicating that the availability of all the possible retrofitting combinations would improve decision making. A user-friendly system was developed to provide all the feasible retrofitting combinations and total costs with the yearly return on investment in agricultural production systems in a single run.

Zinc loading in urea-formaldehyde nanocomposites increases nitrogen and zinc micronutrient fertilization efficiencies in poor sand substrate

Agricultural output needs significant increases to feed the growing population. Fertilizers are essential for plant production systems, with nitrogen (N) being the most limiting nutrient for plant growth. It is commonly supplied to crops as urea. Still, due to volatilization, up to 50 % of the total N application is lost. Slow or controlled release fertilizers are being developed to reduce these losses. The co-application of zinc (Zn) as a micronutrient can increase N absorption. Thus, we hypothesize that the controlled delivery of both nutrients (N and Zn) in an integrated system can improve uptake efficiency. Here we demonstrate an optimized fertilizer nanocomposite based on urea:urea-formaldehyde matrix loaded with ZnSO4 or ZnO. This nanocomposite effectively stimulates maize development, with consequent adequate N uptake, in an extreme condition – a very nutrient-poor sand substrate. Our results indicate that the Zn co-application is beneficial for plant development. However, there were advantages for ZnO due to its high Zn content. We discuss that the dispersion favors the Zn delivery as the nanoparticulated oxide in the matrix. Concerning maize development, we found that root morphology is altered in the presence of the fertilizer nanocomposite. Increased root length and surface area may improve soil nutrient uptake, potentially accompanied by increased root exudation of essential compounds for N release from the composite structure.

Feature Selection to Predict LED Light Energy Consumption with Specific Light Recipes in Closed Plant Production Systems

The use of closed growth environments, such as greenhouses, plant factories, and vertical farms, represents a sustainable alternative for fresh food production. Closed plant production systems (CPPSs) allow growing of any plant variety, no matter the year’s season. Artificial lighting plays an essential role in CPPSs as it promotes growth by providing optimal conditions for plant development. Nevertheless, it is a model with a high demand for electricity, which is required for artificial radiation systems to enhance the developing plants. A high percentage (40% to 50%) of the costs in CPPSs point to artificial lighting systems. Due to this, lighting strategies are essential to improve sustainability and profitability in closed plant production systems. However, no tools have been applied in the literature to contribute to energy savings in LED-type artificial radiation systems through the configuration of light recipes (wavelengths combination. For CPPS to be cost-effective and sustainable, a pre-evaluation of energy consumption for plant cultivation must consider. Artificial intelligence (AI) methods integrated into the prediction crucial variables such as each input-variable light color or specific wavelengths like red, green, blue, and white along with light intensity (quantity), frequency (pulsed light), and duty cycle. This paper focuses on the feature-selection stage, in which a regression model is trained to predict energy consumption in LED lights with specific light recipes in CPPSs. This stage is critical because it identifies the most representative features for training the model, and the other stages depend on it. These tools can enable further in-depth analysis of the energy savings that can be obtained with light recipes and pulsed and continuous operation light modes in artificial LED lighting systems.