Implementation and Monitoring of Vegetative Propagation in the Context of Vertical Farms

Abstract

Strawberry is known as a valuable crop due to its tasty and healthy fruit. It has been shown that strawberry fruit production is susceptible to pests and diseases, and thus most of the current nurseries use multiple pesticides in strawberry plants. However, the plants stressed by chemicals do not meet the requirements at Futura Gaïa, an indoor vertical farming company producing high-quality crops in a pesticide-free and resource-efficient way. Therefore, the company has a need for strawberry plants that fit the indoor farming system. In this study, we attempt to validate agronomical recipes for strawberry asexual reproduction and develop an indoor vegetative propagation system that can effectively produce strawberry daughter plants. We followed the biomimicry design spiral to define the challenge, learn lessons from nature, and deliver innovative solutions to the problem. The vegetative propagation was monitored and compared under different light sources and nitrogen levels in fertigation. The sun light LED and the white light LED were shown to be appropriate for vegetative multiplication. Also, a fertigation solution with 8 mM nitrogen is suitable for the propagation. Furthermore, based on our observation, the problems of the propagation process were clearly defined and addressed. We created a U-shaped structure inspired by the geometries of peristomes in tropical pitcher plants that could greatly reduce damage to the daughter plants. A prototype of the vegetative propagation system integrating the bio-inspired structure was built for further examination. Our design should enable a sustainable source of healthy and pesticide-free strawberry plants for fruit production at Futura Gaïa.