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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Soilless Culture and Hydroponics in Closed Systems
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Soilless Culture and Hydroponics in Closed Systems

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Protected Culture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 2465

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhengnan Yan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Interests: horticulture environmental science; agricultural plant science; agricultural engineering
Dr. Haijie Dou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Intelligent Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing 102206, China
Interests: horticulture; urban farming; leafy greens; controlled environment agriculture
Dr. Fang Ji

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Water Resources & Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: plant factory; plant technical facilities cultivation
Dr. Francesco Giuffrida

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia, 100 I-95100 Catania, Italy
Interests: protected cultivation; soilless culture; grafting; fruit quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soilless cultivation, commonly referred to as hydroponics and substrate cultivation, holds significant importance in modern agricultural practices, especially in closed systems, due to its numerous benefits and advancements. One of the key advantages of soilless cultivation is the ability to control and optimize plant growth conditions, leading to increased crop yields and improved product quality with improved utilization efficiency of resources. Furthermore, soilless cultivation can be implemented in various scenarios, including urban environments and areas with limited access to arable land, offering solutions to global food security challenges. Within the domain of soilless culture and hydroponics in closed systems, there are ongoing research and technological advancements aiming to further improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.

This Special Issue, “Soilless Culture and Hydroponics in Closed Systems”, focuses on the latest research findings and technological advancements in this field, with the aim of providing more efficient and sustainable solutions for agricultural production. The issue will cover a range of topics related to soilless culture and hydroponics in closed systems, including but not limited to plant growth regulation, nutrient management, pest and disease control, and water resource utilization.

Dr. Zhengnan Yan
Dr. Haijie Dou
Dr. Fang Ji
Dr. Francesco Giuffrida
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. Horticulturae 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 2200 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.

Keywords

  • soilless culture systems
  • organic fertilization
  • plant physiology
  • water and nutrient use efficiency
  • plant nutrition
  • precision farming
  • growing media
  • vertical farming

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2058 KiB  
Article
Does the Daily Light Integral Influence the Sowing Density of Tomato Plug Seedlings in a Controlled Environment?
by Xiangru Xu, Fulin Yang, Jinxiu Song, Rong Zhang and Wei Cai
Horticulturae 2024, 10(7), 730; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10070730 - 11 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 661
Abstract
To achieve high-density tomato seedlings in a plant factory with artificial lighting, tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum Mill. cv. “Zhongza NO.9”) were used as the experimental material. This study expected to analyze the effects of light intensity (150, 200, 250, and 300 μmol·m−2 [...] Read more.
To achieve high-density tomato seedlings in a plant factory with artificial lighting, tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum Mill. cv. “Zhongza NO.9”) were used as the experimental material. This study expected to analyze the effects of light intensity (150, 200, 250, and 300 μmol·m−2·s−1) and light time (12 and 14 h), as well as daily light integral (DLI, 10.80, 12.60, and 12.96 mol·m−2·d−1) and sowing density (50, 72, and 105 holes per tray), on seedling quality. The results indicated that biomass accumulation, seedling quality, and energy use efficiency of seedlings significantly improved with an increase in DLI. At a DLI of 12.96 mol·m−2·d−1, seedlings sown at a density of 72 holes per tray exhibited comparable growth characteristics and biomass accumulation to those sown at 50 holes per tray. However, under lower DLIs, seedlings at 50 holes per tray displayed superior growth morphology and seedling quality compared to those at 72 holes per tray. This indicates that increasing the DLI can partially mitigate the negative effects of higher sowing density on seedling quality. Light use efficiency (LUE) and energy use efficiency (EUE) were not significantly different between seedlings at 72 and 105 holes per tray but were higher than those at 50 holes per tray. Therefore, optimizing parameters such as DLI and sowing density can effectively enhance the seedling quality, spatial use efficiency, and light use efficiency in industrial seedling production. Based on the results of this study, a DLI of 12.96 mol·m−2·d−1 (achieved with a light intensity of 300 μmol·m−2·s−1 and a light time of 12 h) and sowing density of 72 holes per tray are recommended for cultivating high-quality tomato seedlings while reducing energy consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soilless Culture and Hydroponics in Closed Systems)
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16 pages, 3059 KiB  
Article
Higher Light Intensity Combined with Early Topping Improves the Yield and Quality of Pea Shoots in LED Plant Factory
by Juwen Liang, Fang Ji and Dongxian He
Horticulturae 2024, 10(6), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10060650 - 19 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1126
Abstract
Pea shoots is a popular vegetable in certain regions of the world due to their unique taste and abundance of health-promoting phytochemicals. The perishable nature and susceptibility to root rot of pea shoots necessitate a new soilless production system located close to the [...] Read more.
Pea shoots is a popular vegetable in certain regions of the world due to their unique taste and abundance of health-promoting phytochemicals. The perishable nature and susceptibility to root rot of pea shoots necessitate a new soilless production system located close to the market. This study compared the growth of pea shoots using various cultivation methods in an LED plant factory. The results showed that early topping (4 days after transplanting, ET) promoted early harvest compared to later topping (20 days after transplanting, LT) and increased the number of harvested shoots by extending the harvest time to 2.8 times, ultimately resulting in a substantial yield improvement. Moreover, the yield of ET with a lower planting density (72 plants m−2, ET-LD) was 8.7% higher than ET with a higher planting density (126 plants m−2, ET-HD). Particularly, the average shoot fresh weight (AFW) under ET-LD exceeded that of ET-HD by 48.9%. It is advisable to consider adopting ET-LD for the cultivation of pea shoots in LED plant factories. Based on ET-LD, the yield, nutritional quality, and light use efficiency of pea shoots were further explored at different stages under three levels of light intensity (50, 100, and 150 μmol m−2·s−1). Contrasted against a light intensity of 50 μmol m−2·s−1, AFW, number of harvested shoots, and total fresh yield under a light intensity of 150 μmol m−2·s−1, increased by 60.2%, 62.8%, and 165.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, AFW, photosynthetic capacity, soluble sugar and vitamin C levels in leaves, as well as light use efficiency and photon yield, initially increased and then decreased with the extension of the planting period. Among these, soluble sugar, light use efficiency, and photon yield started to decrease after reaching the maximum value at 60–70 days after transplanting. In conclusion, a light intensity of 150 μmol m−2·s−1 with a photoperiod of 16 h d−1 using LEDs, combined with early topping within a planting period of 60–70 days, proves to be suitable for the hydroponic production of pea shoots in LED plant factories. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soilless Culture and Hydroponics in Closed Systems)
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