S08 - Session P5 - Influence of different light spectrum on growth and quality of Rosmarinus officinalis varieties in a deep water vertical indoor farming system

Authors: Ivonne Jüttner *, Julian Hecht, Alexander Kunze, Sabine Wittmann, Heike Mempel

Consistent yields and quality are of decisive importance for the industrial processing of plant raw materials. Compared to field cultivation, indoor vertical farming systems offers the advantage of being independent from climatic events such as temperature or rain. Even more the isolated and multilevel system offers the use of controlled environment as well as specific light recipes. Especially high-valued crops which are required in the pharmaceutical, cosmetical or food industry are seen as relevant to increasing the potential, especially the profitability of indoor vertical farming systems. Rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis ) belongs to the family of Lamiaceae and is an important medical plant. The plant is naturally distributed in the Mediterranean region. It`s leavy parts are often used as spice while the industrial processes use the essential oils. In order to ensure consistent plant qualities year-round as well as higher yields due to several harvests indoor grown rosemary could become an interesting opportunity for industrial companies. In an indoor vertical farm at the University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf a comparison test with four varieties of Rosmarinus officinalis was carried out. For the cultivation a multilayer deep-water hydroponic system was established. To see the influence of different light spectrum several spectral compositions ranging from monochromatic blue-red LED to full spectrum with different ratios of red to blue as well as far-red was applied. At the end of cultivation, the varieties were assessed with regard to fresh matter yield, marketable dry matter, and quality. First results indicated clear differences in growth behavior as well as plant health in the selected cultivation system regarding the applied light spectrum.