Plant Factory


Book Description

Plant Factory: An Indoor Vertical Farming System for Efficient Quality Food Production, Second Edition presents a comprehensive look at the implementation of plant factory (PF) practices to yield food crops for both improved food security and environmental sustainability. Edited and authored by leading experts in PF and controlled environment agriculture (CEA), the book is divided into five sections, including an Overview and the Concept of Closed Plant Production Systems (CPPS), the Basics of Physics and Physiology – Environments and Their Effects, System Design, Construction, Cultivation and Management and Plant Factories in Operation. In addition to new coverage on the rapid advancement of LED technology and its application in indoor vertical farming, other revisions to the new edition include updated information on the status of business R&D and selected commercial PFALs (plant factory with artificial lighting). Additional updates include those focused on micro and mini-PFALs for improving the quality of life in urban areas, the physics and physiology of light, the impact of PFAL on the medicinal components of plants, and the system design, construction, cultivation and management issues related to transplant production within closed systems, photoautotrophic micro-propagation and education, training and intensive business forums on PFs. - Includes coverage of LED technology - Presents case-studies for real-world insights and application - Addresses PF from economics and planning, to operation and lifecycle assessment




Plant Production Systems


Book Description




The Solar Corridor Crop System


Book Description

The Solar Corridor Crop System: Implementation and Impacts presents a case-study format on the planning and implementation of alternative cropping systems designed to maximize incident sunlight and bio-support of all crops in a rotation system. The book describes the basic component of the system, an increased access point of incident sunlight between each row or pairs of rows that enables a more uniform vertical distribution of incident sunlight to chloroplasts within the entire corn leaf canopy. While the production environment and environment specific genetics determine the performance potential of this principle, by maximizing the principles that light is basic to crop yield, a solar corridor ultimately contributes to increased grain yield. Written by experts who were integral in the development of solar corridor systems, and providing real-world examples of the methods, challenges and future prospects, this book will be valuable for those seeking to increase yield-per-acre through both primary and cover-crops. - Introduces readers to the concept of alternative row-cropping and its implementation - Presents real-world experience, including challenges and solutions - Encourages research in maximizing photosynthesis impact on crop yield




Systems Research for Agriculture


Book Description




Precision Agriculture for Grain Production Systems


Book Description

Precision Agriculture (PA) is an approach to managing the variability in production agriculture in a more economic and environmentally efficient manner. It has been pioneered as a management tool in the grains industry, and while its development and uptake continues to grow amongst grain farmers worldwide, a broad range of other cropping industries have embraced the concept. This book explains general PA theory, identifies and describes essential tools and techniques, and includes practical examples from the grains industry. Readers will gain an understanding of the magnitude, spatial scale and seasonality of measurable variability in soil attributes, plant growth and environmental conditions. They will be introduced to the role of sensing systems in measuring crop, soil and environment variability, and discover how this variability may have a significant impact on crop production systems. Precision Agriculture for Grain Production Systems will empower crop and soil science students, agronomy and agricultural engineering students, as well as agronomic advisors and farmers to critically analyse the impact of observed variation in resources on crop production and management decisions.




Potato Production Systems


Book Description

This comprehensive guide to potato production systems management contains 20 chapters and more than 350 color photographs. Beginning with the history of potato culture, it spans all aspects of potato production, pest and planting management, storage, and marketing. Written by a team of over 35 scientists from North America, this book offers updated research-based information and serves as a unique, valuable tool for researchers, extension specialists, students, and farm managers. More than a description of principles, it contains practical analytical tools, charts, and methods to create guidelines for best production practices and cost estimates. Some key areas include: Potato Growth and Development, Potato Variety Selection and Management, Seed and Planting Management, Seed Production and Certification, Field Selection, Crop Rotation, and Soil Management, Integrated Pest Management for Potatoes, Potato Nutrient Management, Irrigation Management, Tuber Quality, Economics and Marketing, Production Costs, among others. Potato Production Systems should be a valuable reference for successful culture of the "noble tuber."




Aquaculture Production Systems


Book Description

Aquaculture is an increasingly diverse industry with an ever-growing number of species cultured and production systems available to professionals. A basic understanding of production systems is vital to the successful practice of aquaculture. Published with the World Aquaculture Society, Aquaculture Production Systems captures the huge diversity of production systems used in the production of shellfish and finfish in one concise volume that allows the reader to better understand how aquaculture depends upon and interacts with its environment. The systems examined range from low input methods to super-intensive systems. Divided into five sections that each focus on a distinct family of systems, Aquaculture Production Systems serves as an excellent text to those just being introduced to aquaculture as well as being a valuable reference to well-established professionals seeking information on production methods.




Tissue culture as a plant production system for horticultural crops


Book Description

In 1980, a conference on tissue culture of fruit crops was held at Beltsville to summarize the current status of this technology and to stimulate interest in it among research scientists, students, and commercial producers in the U. S. Interest in that conference and the proceedings from it far exceeded the expectations of the organizing committee. Since that time, micropropagation of fruit crops in the U. S. has increased significantly, but still lags far behind applications to production of ornamental plants. Within the past two years, a number of new laboratories have been established and some of the existing laboratories have expanded to a size far larger than any previously anticipated. Creation of new laboratories capable of producing more than 400,000 plants per week will test the ingenuity of laboratory managers and the skills of marketing departments. In recent years, numerous symposia have been held on various aspects of biotechnology and genetic engineering. Although micro propagation is the key to providing large numbers of genetically engineered plants, it is a topic that has been relegated to a minor position, or ignored completely, at such meetings. Accordingly, the time seemed propitious for a conference devoted solely to all aspects of micropropagation as applicable to horticultural crops.




Aquaponics Food Production Systems


Book Description

This open access book, written by world experts in aquaponics and related technologies, provides the authoritative and comprehensive overview of the key aquaculture and hydroponic and other integrated systems, socio-economic and environmental aspects. Aquaponic systems, which combine aquaculture and vegetable food production offer alternative technology solutions for a world that is increasingly under stress through population growth, urbanisation, water shortages, land and soil degradation, environmental pollution, world hunger and climate change.




Transgenic Plants


Book Description

Transgenic Plants: A Production System for Industrial andPharmaceutical Proteins provides a detailed guide to the principlesand practice of using transgenic plants as a system for theproduction of heterologous proteins. It is unique in that it coversthe complete process of heterologous protein production in plants,from the initial transformation of the plant, through totranscription, transgene stability and finally the downstreamingprocessing events for protein purification. Written by aninternational team of industrialists and academics, this bookdescribes: * the fundamental issues associated with expressing heterologousproteins in plants; * a number of detailed examples of the successful small-andlarge-scale production of proteins; * the essentials of patenting; and * the commercial exploitation. Transgenic Plants: A Production System for Industrial andPharmaceutical Proteins will be of interest to plantbiotechnologists, molecular biologists and protein biochemists inthe biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.