Role of Spectrum-Light on Productivity, and Plant Quality over Vertical Farming Systems: Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

The growing demands for food with high quality standards and high nutritional value have caused agriculture to evolve towards agricultural innovation go hand in hand with technological development, as is the case of vertical farming (VF) development. VF is a competitive system for sustainable food production, reducing space, and natural and human resources for agricultural production, and it is a system that can be developed anywhere in the world and at any time, without seasonality being a factor that influences production. Light is the most important factor to consider when it comes to vertical farming, replacing sunlight with artificial light has had great advances in improving productivity, especially when using LED lighting. Despite the exponential growth of the system, there is a paucity of analysis on the research that has been carried out to date using a VF system, and on information on the most relevant parameters to be considered for optimum production. This review is a bibliometric analysis of 318 scientific articles taken from the SCOPUS database, where information from 109 papers published in relevant journals was used. During the last 10 years, the number of publications that have been carried out in a VF system has increased by 195%, with China standing out as the geographical location where field experiments are carried out. Lettuce crop predominates in the investigations, with a light intensity of 200 μmol∙m−2∙s−1 and with a photoperiod of 16 h·day−1, using spectra between 450 and 495 nm, and a combination of blue and red (450–495 and 620–750 nm). The use of the research in the VF system for fresh, quality, local produce has increased in recent years, and has proven to be highly effective in productivity and quality. Conditions and management have been generalized, with more than 50% of researchers deciding to perform this cultivation method with similar photoperiod, spectrum, and intensity. Among the conclusions obtained by each researcher, it is also agreed that it is a potentially sustainable and controllable system that can be developed in urban locations, benefiting the social economy, food security, and the environment, while the conclusions on the cent per cent utilization of natural resources (such as energy from sunlight) in the system remain open and improving.

Analysis of global research on vegetable seedlings and transplants and their impacts on product quality

“…Moreover, we created a thesaurus file to enhance the consistency of the prominent research topics. 16,17 At the same time, an overlay visualisation map was generated to identify the evolution of keywords used in the articles analysed in the present study and the research trends. Finally, these data were processed and analysed using the clustering algorithm of the VOSviewer, version 1.6.18 (Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands).…”

Wind Aerodynamics and Related Energy Potential of Urban High-Rise Vertical Farms

“…According to past studies [2][3][4], multi-layered cropgrowing platforms are used in the innovative agricultural practice known as vertical farming. This has drawn interest, due to its potential to boost crop yields per unit amount of land [5,6], especially compared to conventional agriculture and greenhouses. Urbanisation and population growth are driving the global vertical farming market, which, in one case study, reached $5.6 billion in 2022 and is expected to exceed $35 billion by 2032 [7].…”

Effects of Blue and Green Light-Emitting Diode (LED) on the Vegetative and Reproductive Growth of Black Jelly Mushroom (Auricularia auricula-judae)

“…Growers normally use fertilizers and pesticides to control the mushroom's growth and reduce the risk of contamination in mushroom house, respectively. From the aspect of bio-ethics, the use of artificial stimulation of light is an alternative way considered a safer approach in regulating the growth development and morphogenesis of the mushrooms [3].…”