Agrotechnology

Advanced Technologies and Approaches in Smart Vertical Farming

Susanne Tasevska^* Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
^*Correspondence: Susanne Tasevska, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, Email:

Received: 03-Jun-2022, Manuscript No. AGT-22-17176; Editor assigned: 06-Jun-2022, Pre QC No. AGT-22-17176 (PQ); Reviewed: 20-Jun-2022, QC No. AGT-22-17176; Revised: 27-Jun-2022, Manuscript No. AGT-22-17176 (R); Published: 04-Jul-2022, DOI: 10.35248/2168-9881.22.11.265

Description

Vertical farming is a popular way to grow vegetables inside under carefully regulated weather and light conditions. The goal behind the concept is to deploy automated facilities that, with the help of technology, strive to have the least possible environmental effect while significantly increasing agricultural product production. The independence of this form of agricultural operation from big horizontal flat regions is a significant benefit. Because this manufacturing can be done on floors, or piled on many planes, the word "vertical" is employed. Sustainable energy sources, artificial light management, and intentional use of water (and other precious natural resources) for the planting process are among the agricultural practices used on vertical farms. On vertical farms, environmental parameters such as temperature and humidity can and should be managed using environmentally controlled farming systems.

The need for goods and solutions that assist enhance yields and uniformity is growing as more vertical farming and indoor horticulture enterprises open. Innovative off-the-shelf and bespoke options, including as light fixtures and sensor systems, are helping manufacturers satisfy this need. There are various factors to consider in order guaranteeing that a design can be built or integrated as efficiently as feasible. Indoor farm lighting and sensors have unique requirements that necessitate knowledge beyond that of commercial and industrial lighting intended for people. Arrow's extensive variety of components including LEDs power supply, and sensors, provide horticultural equipment design and specification knowledge.

Types of vertical farming

Vertical Farming (VF) is a viable method that allows for the production of vast amounts of food crops and medicinal plants in a very little space using just modern technology. In the present world, VF is done in roughly 13 distinct methods, each of which is technically sophisticated enough to transform agriculture. The following section highlights a few different types of VF used in smart UF that are quickly growing, diversifying, and improving in the agricultural future.

1. The first, hydroponics, involves growing plants on a neutral and inert substrate (such as sand, clay, or rock material) that is watered on a regular basis with a liquid supplemented with minerals and nutrients required for plant growth. Traditional outdoor agriculture uses 60-70 percent more water than hydroponic systems. Hundreds of thousands of commercial greenhouses and vertical farms across the world make use of them.

2. Aeroponics is the second method of vertical farming, in which plants are grown without the need of soil (or soil replacement): their roots, suspended in the air inside a closed container, are exposed to a fine mist of nutrient-rich water sprayed through a nozzle on a regular basis. While this is a relatively recent technology for producing food plants (it was originally conceived in 1983), commercial vertical farms such as Aerofarms and Tower Garden in the United States are increasingly using it.

3. Finally, aquaponics is a hybrid technology that incorporates fish production into a hydroponic growth system. It operates as a closed loop ecosystem for indoor farming, using fish excrement as a fertilizer supply for the plants after treatment. However, due to its complexity and expensive cost, this technology is not widely used. CEA is most commonly performed using the first two procedures.

Plants are grown vertically in a fully regulated, enclosed environment using blue and pink LED lights to replicate sunshine and speed up photosynthesis. Pesticides are not utilized in this method, and water and fertilizer are delivered in precise amounts. The vertical farm complex has a significant variety of digital technologies that may be deployed. As a result, the terms "vertical farms" and "digital farms" are nearly interchangeable. Because they are mostly found in cities, they are significantly more likely to have high-speed network access than conventional agricultural regions.

Vertical farms effectively protect crops from weather variations, which are becoming more important as a result of global warming. Other factors, such as potential impacts on cities and even some inconveniences that planting in urban areas may cause such as noise pollution at different times or problems arising from the use of cities' water treatment systems may certainly have a negative impact on the design of vertical farms. Another aspect of vertical farms that should be considered is their economic feasibility. Because the cost of assembling the frame is so high, productivity in these contexts must be substantially greater than in typical situations.