S08 International symposium on Avances in vertical farming

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Jung Eek Son, S. Korea ; Eiji Goto, Japan ; Dongxian He, China ; Kristian Holst Laursen, Denmark ; Yoshiaki Kitaya, Japan ; Oliver Körner, Germany ; Titta Kotilainen, Finland ; Toyoki Kozai, Japan ; Chieri Kubota, United States ; Lu Na, Japan ; Silvana Nicola, Italy ; Genhua Niu, United States ; Francesco Orsini, Italy ; Erik Runkle, United States ; Graeme Smith, Australia ; Yuxin Tong, China ; Sissel Torre, Norway ; Marie-Christine Van Labeke, Belgium ; Akvile Virsile, Lithuania ; Emiel Wubben, The Netherlands ; Qichang Yang, China ; Christine Zimmermann-Lössl, Germany ; Murat Kacira, United States

INTRODUCTION

This symposium focuses on current and future developments in vertical farming. Vertical farm is also called plant factory with artificial lighting (PFAL) or indoor farm. Here we characterise vertical farms as a high-tech system for plant production in buildings, in which environmental variables are precisely controlled, allowing for year-round high quantity and quality produce, independent of solar light and other outdoor conditions. Vertical farming is a next level production system, which allows production of plants at any place including the most urbanised regions of the world, regions with a harsh climate (e.g. hot, cold, or dry) or poor soils, and even in space (e.g. Moon, Mars).

This symposium welcomes high quality scientific presentations on vertical farming. This is a multidisciplinary symposium, welcoming presentations from many different disciplines, as long as there is a clear focus on vertical farming.

The following topics will be developed during the symposium:

• Photobiology of plants and optimization of LED lighting in vertical farms

• Rooting media, hydroponics, aeroponics, and fertigation in vertical farms

• Quality of food products from vertical farms

• Diversification of crops beyond leafy greens, including pharmaceutical and nutraceutical crops

• Plant health and food safety in vertical farms

• Sensors, models, climate control and energy saving in vertical farms

• Design of vertical farm

• Circularity and integration in urban environment

• Sustainability of vertical farming

• Autonomous plant control, automation and robotics in vertical farms

• Plant phenotyping in vertical farms

• Productivity in vertical farms

• Economics and business models of vertical farming

• Consumer acceptance of products from vertical farms

• Governmental regulations and policies related to vertical farming