Plant Factory - Is this the future of food ?
Japanese 'plant factory' churn out immaculate vegetables
They look more like the brightly lit shelves of a chemists shop than the rows of a vegetable garden.
But according to their creators, these perfect looking vegetables could be the future of food.
In a perfectly controlled and totally sterile environment - uncontaminated by dirt, insects or fresh air - Japanese scientists are developing a new way of growing vegetables.
Called plant factories, these anonymous looking warehouses have sprung up across the country and can churn out immaculate looking lettuces and green leaves 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Every part of the plant's environment is controlled - from the lighting and temperature, to the humidity and water. Even the levels of carbon dioxide can be minutely altered.
Rather than the conventional scruffy clothes and dirty fingernails of vegetable growers, the producers wear gloves, surgical masks and sort of dust proof protective suits normally seen in chemical plants.
The vegetables from plant factories - which include green leaf, romaine lettuce and garland chrysanthemum - are sold at a premium to Japanese shoppers. No pesticides are used - and there is no risk of contamination with food poisoning bugs.
Because the plants are grown in a clean room, they can be eaten safely without washing. Lettuce grown in the factories can be cropped up to 20 times a year.
Some factories are vast - and can produce three million vegetables a year.
The results are hygienic, but it's about as far from real food as you can possibly get.
The spread of plant factories has been encouraged by the Japanese government amid concerns about the use of chemicals in vegetables.
A spokesman for the Ozu Corporation factory in Tokyo said: 'Vegetables are produced in the factory without being exposed to the air outside.
'Stable production is guaranteed throughout the year by controlling lighting, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and water. They can also meet the demands of consumers who want safe foods.'
Plant factories have yet to arrive in the UK. The closest Britain has are the vast greenhouses in the south of England where millions of tomatoes are grown hydroponically - without soil.
Source: Daily Mail
brit, someonenew was right. aeroponics are more advance form of hydroponics. and you are right with regards to it's mechanism. BTW, are nutrients from the soil of food grade quality? I ask this because we are made into thinking since we were small kids that soil is dirty. Kidding aside, depending on its origin, the soil always contain mostly heavy metals (aluminum, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, lead) from traces to significant amounts. Hence, soil culture and organic culture (since you also grow plants in soil practically) are not as 'clean' as those plants grown in hydroponics.
tickle my dragon with your cursor
Well its just another evolved form of hydroponics- instead of water they use water vapour. Anyway I think its a really good way to go too... infact a lot thirdworld countries are taking the initiative to use simplified hydroponics/aeroponics for their poor people as a means of food, it can be easily done by things available at home.
"Ali Baba and 40 thieves" are now "Ali Baba and 30 thieves" ; 10 were laid off.
I believe the term used was "Aeroponics". Apparently, the root system is suspended in a water vapour. This helps reduce root rot etc. Minerals are added to the water and likewise vapourised and absorbed by the plant.
How do you know its not hydroponics? I think it is similar to hydroponics, eveb that talks about soilless cultivation. Also Mushrooms are usually propogated in clean rooms, even tissue culture is done in clean rooms right?
"Ali Baba and 40 thieves" are now "Ali Baba and 30 thieves" ; 10 were laid off.
This is not hydroponics. This is more a lboratory type environment. As far as the issue of immune systems is concerned, I am sure there are pleanty of bacteria around us to keep the immune systems active.
now that you mentioned about hydrophonics starting from babylon and aztecs...
i hope that the present generation will not perish like the way those old civilization did.
does hydrophonics anything to do with that? ok, maybe the babylonians have a different story... but the aztecs, that i'm not sure? or maybe they were penalized to extinctions by acts of defying the natural flow of nature... who knows?!
as far as i know, all the nutrients that hydrophonics are using are all manmade chemicals produced from a chemical processing plants... are these processes sterile as well? howabout the handling and trasport of these chemicals? how about the water that we use, are these sterile as well? how about all the planting mediums and trays. is was deemed toxic to use styrofoams nowadays, but are we aware when we use it as planting containers.
even plastics containers are toxic at some instances, what more if it is continuously exposed to chemical+water solutions.
and there is more to that... i guess :(
as it goes, we are all simply looking inside the box, but the view from outside is way more staggering to be comprehended...
yes, somebody here said that too much cleanliness is not good for the health as it keep human farther away from developing immunity to some sickness.
have you ever wondered why people living at garbage dumpsites are more resistant to some common sickness?
"some people believed" that organic is healthy. but the term organic itself is still vague. for one thing, composting is also termed organic. and there are many ways to do composting. even dead animals carcasses can be composted ... and still called organic per se. i think the best way to produce organic compost is by using the best composter around.... WORMS!!
i had experimented on hydrophonics before, with some good results. but i still need to come up with answers to many BIG questions before taking its seriously in the future.
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.
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as of now,
with too much organic overload,
NOW I AM CLUELESS :P
also some hydroponics growers now are using organic nutrients keep ahead among others. coz some believed the organic is healthy.
"save water, save life"
click on the dragon
hydroponics was being pratice since the time of ancient babylon and aztecs. this is not a new technology as you presume. the approach was being reintroduce because of the some believe that many will benefit from this type of farming. there are plenty of advantages that farmers would get in their favor. higher crop yield, less water required, little risk of weeds and parasites, no need for crop rotation, continual growth throughout the year. most of the nutrients needed by plants are present in soil, but soil are not clean either, isn't it? but same as hydroponics you will not take the nutrients from the plant in that form. it will be processed by the plants to become edible one. and i believe most of us already consumed hydroponically grown veggies, if you are vegetable salad enthusiast who order it from some food chains, chances are you already ingested the vegetables which was grown hydroponically. for some producers adopt the same technology of farming. with regards to cost, yes some system are really expensive but there are some modified type of system which are low cost but are efficient in producing veggies such as lettuce, tomatoes, etc. these system will be functional and productive as long as you know how to maintain it. lastly, hydroponics uses sterile approach. as you can see on the pictures. the workers are wearing protective gears so as to prevent introduction of organism on the hydroponics system. these approach will be helpful in the decreasing size of agricultural land because of the increasing size of population.
click on my pet
as it always turns out RIZKS.
am more reluctant to eat "very clean" foods...
i need the bacteria and the viruses to keep me "immune" LOL seriously
after consuming those i belive we might again find new diseases or symptoms in people as its an unnatural method of growing veggies....
does it benefit everyone? or just the people who can afford it...
what's wrong with the traditional farming and agriculture.
defying nature again huh?
No plant factories in the UK? I wonder how much Weed is grown in households across the UK using exactly the same methods!!!
Frankenstein Food?
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HE WHO DARES WINS
wow, brit, this is a great info.
nice topic! i got my own hydroponics system here in qatar. i wonder if i can bring it to ministry of agriculture and suggest if we can start it here in qatar!!!
Yes, japan is the future!
next time, they will build giant robots to save us from the invading aliens of the universe. lol (just kidding)
goodnight all! :D
Click the dragon! rawr! :D
Its a good way to go..
The move to Bio Fuels has led to shortage of crops. I hope more countries will develop this..
millions against montsanto.are we running out of food?
Are we going to get a fresh vegtable like in backhome?
overpopulation has brought this upon us.
didn't we have a rice shortage only a year or two ago...who would've ever have guessed that?