NASA Research Launches a New Generation of Indoor Farming
“We’ll harvest two or three times a week for a 12-week harvest period in three crops per year.
NASA
Nov 23, 2021
Excerpt:
“Growing crops is a multi-functional life-support approach,” said Ray Wheeler, a plant physiologist at NASA Kennedy. “But we needed to answer the question, can you do this in a closed environment like you have in space?”
Wheeler conducted multiple growth experiments in the Biomass Production Chamber, built in the 1980s. He said years of experimentation produced a “firehose of data,” all of which was made public.
From that work, Plenty adopted a type of “nutrient film technique” that the agency pioneered. This soil-free hydroponic system circulates a constant, minimal film of water around seedlings, containing all the necessary nutrients.
The approach produces fresher, healthier, more flavorful plants. Uniformity of lighting along with data-driven controls over all other variables tied to a plant community makes growth rates and output predictable, according to Storey. Harvesting young plants while they’re more tender and flavorful means the produce tastes better than plants that are allowed to fully mature. And because the time from farm to table is dramatically shorter, the plants retain the freshness and nutritive value typically lost during long-haul transportation.
By controlling every element of the environment, Plenty can avoid using harmful chemicals like pesticides and herbicides that also impact plant health.
