Guidelines for cultivation in a vertical farm

Designing a cultivation in a vertical farm is not a simple copy-paste of greenhouse settings. Growing conditions in an indoor farm are provided in a different way to the crop compared to a greenhouse. For example, light is solely artificial and provided by LEDs which creates both a different spectral composition as well as a different energy load (no radiative heat) compared to sunlight; air is constantly conditioned (cooled and dehumidified) and circulated at pre-set wind speeds which can affect the ability of the crop to release latent heat and consequently the uptake water and nutrients. Moreover, the independency of a vertical farm from outdoor conditions gives more degrees of freedom on the design of the growing recipes (within system boundaries) compared to a greenhouse. From these and with the support of the Club of 100, all aspects to be considered with relative options are synthesized in these guidelines to support the definition of the indoor growing conditions and the set-up of the cultivation system. Experience from 5 Vertical Farming companies are also reported, in anonymous form, showing that steps from the industry start to be taken toward openness and cooperation.