‘Plant factory lab’ set up at College of Agricultural Engg & Technology

PAU VC Satbir Singh Gosal said the research could herald a huge step forward in both multi-tier production (vertical farming) and hydroponics.

A 'plant factory lab' has been inaugurated at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana. The university Vice-Chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal said the varsity was trying to grow plants in closed growing systems utilising artificial control of light, temperature, moisture and carbon dioxide, The Indian Express reported. 

He said a plant factory lab has been established for the purpose in the department of Soil and Water Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology. The research could herald a huge step forward in both multi-tier production (vertical farming) and hydroponics. 

Commenting on the new concepts such as hydroponics and aeroponics, he said such work entails an interdisciplinary approach and the university already has a system in place for such tasks. “Tapping into distributed intelligence of a group in collaborative research increases the chances of solving problems more efficiently,” he added.  

Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research, exhorted the scientists to explore the possibility of germplasm screening and speed breeding in future. “Plant factories have become a rising star of the farming industry in the recent years,” he said. 

Rakesh Sharda, Principal Scientist (Plasticulture), said the lab could provide ‘light recipes’ and controlled conditions to deliver the necessary requirements for plants during their differing growth stages, with pinpoint precision. By tailoring the conditions to the ‘action spectrum’ of the species at different points in its development, it will boost the plant’s photosynthetic processes, ensuring it absorbs and uses the maximum amount possible for physiological activity, rather than it going to waste, the report added. 

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