Special Issue "Transformation toward Sustainability in Controlled Environment Agriculture"

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Protected Culture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021).

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Hye-Ji Kim
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Interests: sustainable crop production; plant propagation; plant physiology; plant nutrition; nitrogen; phosphorus; water use; supplemental lighting; hydroponics; aquaponics; soilless substrates; crop yield and quality; system efficiency
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Rapid population growth and urbanization have increased the demand for food production with less water, nutrients, and energy use. More sustainable and efficient food crop production systems are needed in urban areas to provide fresh and healthy produce to those in need.

Controlled-environment production systems (i.e., hydroponics, aquaponics, soilless substrates) are known to be most efficient, taking on an increasingly important role in food production systems. The current practices involving high resource inputs such as chemical fertilizer and energy will need to take an evolutionary leap forward to make the controlled environment agriculture more efficient.

The purpose of this Special Issue on “Transformation toward Sustainability in Controlled Environment Agriculture” is to explore innovative approaches in improving efficiency for controlled environment production systems. Topics could include sustainable approaches to increase crop yield and quality:

  • New production methods
  • New propagation methods
  • Resource use efficiency (Water, nutrients, and energy)
  • Water reuse
  • Organic fertilizers
  • Light source and quality
  • Alternative substrates

Your contribution to this topic through a literature review or original research paper is welcome. I look forward to receiving your manuscript.

Dr. Hye-Ji Kim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Sustainability
  • Food security
  • Plant physiology
  • Water recycling
  • Greenhouse
  • Vertical farming

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Article
The Growth of Leaf Lettuce and Bacterial Communities in a Closed Aquaponics System with Catfish
Horticulturae 2021, 7(8), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7080222 - 04 Aug 2021
Viewed by 294
Abstract
Aquaponics is a circulating and sustainable system that combines aquaculture and hydroponics and forms a symbiotic relationship between fish, plants, and microorganisms. We hypothesized that feed alone could support plant growth, but the symbiosis with fish adds some beneficial effects on plant growth [...] Read more.
Aquaponics is a circulating and sustainable system that combines aquaculture and hydroponics and forms a symbiotic relationship between fish, plants, and microorganisms. We hypothesized that feed alone could support plant growth, but the symbiosis with fish adds some beneficial effects on plant growth in aquaponics. In this study, we created three closed culture systems, namely, aquaponics, hydroponics without nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and aquaculture, and added the same amount of feed containing N and P to all the treatments in order to test the hypothesis. Accumulation of NO3 and PO43− was alleviated in aquaponics and hydroponics as a result of plant uptake. Lettuce plants grown in aquaponics grew vigorously until 2 weeks and contained a constant level of N in plants throughout the production period, whereas those in hydroponics grew slowly in the early stage and then vigorously after 2 weeks with a late increment of N concentration. These results suggest that catfish help with the faster decomposition of the feed, but, in hydroponics, feed can be slowly dissolved and decomposed owing to the absence of the fish. The bacterial community structures of the culture solution were investigated using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. At the class level, Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria were the major microbial groups in the solutions. Aquaponics prevented the pollution of tank solution and maintained a higher water quality compared with hydroponics and aquaculture, suggesting that aquaponics is a more sustainable cultivation system even in a small-scale system. Full article
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Article
Effects of Plant Age and Root Damage on Internalization of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Leafy Vegetables and Herbs
Horticulturae 2021, 7(4), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7040068 - 02 Apr 2021
Viewed by 647
Abstract
Our previous study reported that fresh produce grown in aquaponic and hydroponic systems can pose potential food safety hazards due to an accidental introduction of contaminated fish and cross-contamination between the systems. In this study, we examined the effects of plant species and [...] Read more.
Our previous study reported that fresh produce grown in aquaponic and hydroponic systems can pose potential food safety hazards due to an accidental introduction of contaminated fish and cross-contamination between the systems. In this study, we examined the effects of plant species and age on the likelihood and level of internalization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in aquaponic and hydroponic systems. Four plant species, basil (Ocimum basilicum L. cv. Genovese), cilantro (Coriandrum Sativum L.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. Cherokee), and kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica), received root damage treatment as seedlings before transplanting or mature plants at three weeks after transplanting by cutting off 1-cm tips of one-third of the roots. Enrichments and selective media were used for the isolation, and presumptive positive colonies were confirmed by PCR for the presence of stx1 gene in plant tissues, recirculating water, and fish feces collected at four weeks after transplanting. In hydroponic systems, STEC was found neither in the solution nor in the roots and leaves of all four plant species, possibly through improved sanitation and hygiene practices. However, consistent with our previous findings, STEC was found in the water, on the plant roots, and in the fish feces in aquaponic systems, even after thorough sanitation prior to the study. Regardless of plant age, STEC was internalized in the roots of all plant species when the roots were damaged, but there was no difference in the degree of internalization with STEC among plant species. STEC was present in the leaves only when seedlings received root damage treatment and were grown to maturity, indicating that root damage allows STEC to internalize in the roots within a week, but a longer period is required for STEC to internalize into the leaves. We concluded that root damage on seedlings can cause the internalization of E. coli O157:H7 in the edible parts of leafy vegetables and herbs in soilless production systems. Full article
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Article
Implementation of the Circular Economy Concept in Greenhouse Hydroponics for Ultimate Use of Water and Nutrients
Horticulturae 2020, 6(4), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae6040083 - 13 Nov 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1443
Abstract
The circular economy in agriculture aims to reduce waste while also making best use of residues by using economically viable processes and procedures to increase their value. In this study a two-level cascade cultivation system was set up under greenhouse conditions. The research [...] Read more.
The circular economy in agriculture aims to reduce waste while also making best use of residues by using economically viable processes and procedures to increase their value. In this study a two-level cascade cultivation system was set up under greenhouse conditions. The research was focused on the identification of crop species as secondary crops and the development/iterative optimization of cultivation practices. For this purpose, different crop-combinations with a primary and different secondary crops were investigated using different system-layouts. Measurements were carried out during two cultivation periods. During the 1st Period a combination of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) as primary crop, with rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), basil (Ocimum basilicum), and peppermint (Mentha piperita) as secondary crops, was evaluated. In the 2nd Period the drainage of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants was re-used to irrigate spearmint (Mentha spicata), dill (Anethum graveolens), celery (Apium graveolens) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum) plants. In both periods, different fertigation management strategies based on the drainage solution of the primary crop were employed. The use of the cascade hydroponic system improved both crop water and nutrient use efficiency. Notably, the NO3 disposal was about 40% less as compared to a monoculture. Average fresh water consumption of secondary crop plants irrigated with diluted drainage solution was reduced by 30% in comparison to plants irrigated with fresh water. Full article
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