Advancement in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Automation and Crop Management

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid climate change, urbanization, decreasing soil fertility, resource wastage and environmental degradation pose significant global challenges. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) has the potential to minimize these problems by enhancing nutrition security, reducing the carbon footprint and increasing resource use efficiency. Automation technologies have evolved to encompass a wide spectrum of tasks, ranging from environmental control to precise resource allocation. Through the integration of sensors, robotics and smart control systems, CEA facilities can optimize conditions, such as temperature, humidity, CO₂ levels, light and nutrients, thereby creating an ideal environment for plant growth, which not only enhances crop quality and quantity, but also contributes to environmental sustainability by minimizing waste.

In tandem with automation, there has been a significant transformation in crop management through the integration of data-driven insights. Advanced analytics and machine learning algorithms analyze a multitude of factors, including plant health, growth patterns and historical data, thereby empowering farmers with actionable intelligence. This allows for preemptive actions, an early identification of possible problems and the fine-tuning of farming methods. As a result, farmers can achieve higher yields, reduce environmental impact and improve resource use efficiency.

The integration of CEA automation and crop management heralds a new era in agriculture, fostering resilience and adaptability in the face of evolving environmental challenges. With ongoing advancements, the future promises even more sophisticated and interconnected systems, further elevating the accuracy, efficiency and eco-friendliness of CEA practices.

For this Special Issue, we welcome submissions of cutting-edge, innovative research, reviews and methods manuscripts that fall within one or more of the keywords listed below, that could address existing challenges and enhance the efficiency and sustainability of CEA production.

Dr. Peter P. Ling
Dr. Milon Chowdhury
Dr. Teng Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• advanced environmental control techniques
• canopy architecture optimization
• root zone management
• energy use efficiency
• AI-based plant health and growth prediction
• decision support systems
• climate-smart advanced technology
• sustainability of CEA production