Technology:
Associate professor Takashi Ikeda of Meiji University developed a plant factory that allows for stable year-round harvesting
of strawberries in alliance with Hibiya Engineering. Because strawberries are hard to grow at a
high temperature, summer production usually decreases to less than hundredth of
the season production. However, strawberries are in great demand for shortcakes
in summer. Orec, a manufacturer of farm machinery, is constructing the new plant
factory to start growing strawberries coming March. Shipment will start in
summer.
Strawberries can produce berries once a year in the
conventional plant factory. The new plant factory, however, makes it possible
to produce berries several times by tweaking temperature and lighting duration depending
on the situation of the plant. The research team adopted fluorescent tubes that
are inexpensive and energy-saving than LEDs to reduce equipment and utility
cost. A plant factory with a 440-square-meter growth space needs an initial
investment of 60 million yen and produces 8 tons of strawberries per year. The
research team reckons it is possible to get profit beginning in the initial
year.
An introduction of a plant factory
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