Researchers from the University of Tokyo have made significant strides in cultivating large and cherry tomatoes using energy-efficient LEDs in controlled environments. This innovative approach could transform urban agriculture and potentially extend to extraterrestrial farming, providing a solution to food security challenges exacerbated by climate change.
Traditionally, growing tomatoes requires ample light and water, which can be a barrier in regions with less than ideal climates. Conventional greenhouses, while effective, depend on natural sunlight and have limitations. For instance, importing greenhouse-grown tomatoes to places like Iceland often highlights these constraints. The emergence of artificial light plant factories (ALPFs) has presented an alternative, yet these systems have been energy-intensive, primarily due to their lighting demands.
Recognizing this challenge, Associate Professor Wataru Yamori and his team sought to refine the concept of ALPFs to accommodate larger fruiting vegetables like tomatoes. “Plant factories are resilient to climate extremes such as droughts, floods, and heat waves that increasingly disrupt traditional farming,” Yamori explained. He emphasized that these systems can be established in urban areas, deserts, or even in space, thus reducing both climate risks and transportation needs.
In their research, the team implemented various LED lighting setups tailored for different tomato varieties. Over the course of a year, they managed to grow large tomatoes and cherry tomatoes in a fully enclosed space. The larger tomato plants showed promising growth, although they did not achieve the same yields or sugar content as greenhouse-grown tomatoes. However, they did contain higher levels of vitamin C. In contrast, the cherry tomatoes exceeded expectations, yielding similar amounts to their greenhouse counterparts but with enhanced quality.
“Our study demonstrates that large-fruited tomatoes, once considered too difficult to grow under artificial lighting, can be stably cultivated in a fully-enclosed LED plant factory,” Yamori stated. He noted that while greenhouse tomatoes currently outshine LED-grown varieties in sweetness and size, advancements in technology may soon allow factory-grown tomatoes to match or even surpass traditional methods.
The research team encountered various challenges in optimizing the light environment for the large tomato plants. “Balancing light, temperature, humidity, and nutrients in a closed space required a great deal of trial and error,” Yamori said. The success of this study indicates a promising future for urban farming, particularly in regions where traditional agriculture is impractical due to environmental conditions or high transport costs.
The potential for LED-grown tomatoes extends beyond urban settings. “Vertical tomato farms in skyscrapers are not science fiction anymore,” Yamori remarked. He believes that within the next 10 to 20 years, it will be realistic to envision tomatoes cultivated in such innovative spaces and possibly even in experimental systems aimed at growing produce on the moon or Mars.
As the technology develops and integrates renewable energy sources, the costs associated with growing tomatoes in these controlled environments are expected to decrease. This evolution could make fresh, high-quality tomatoes available closer to urban centers, supporting the idea of “local production for local consumption.”
In conclusion, the research from the University of Tokyo not only sheds light on the feasibility of cultivating tomatoes with LEDs but also opens doors to addressing global food security challenges amid changing climatic conditions.
