Professor Takayama (高山) and colleagues at Toyohashi University of Technology are conducting demonstration trials of a hybrid plant factory developed to address both insufficient sunlight and extreme heat. The system combines sunlight and LEDs, using SPA technology to measure photosynthesis in real time and machine learning to optimize control.
The research group led by Professor Takayama Kotaro (高山弘太郎) of Toyohashi University of Technology has begun demonstration trials of a newly developed hybrid plant factory capable of addressing both insufficient sunlight and extreme summer heat. The group aims to build a system that combines sunlight with artificial LED light to ensure appropriate levels of sunlight throughout the year.
The system also uses SPA, a technology for continuously measuring photosynthesis, which is essential for plant growth, and applies machine learning to optimize the control of light, CO2 and shading. The greenhouse is equipped with photosynthesis measurement instruments, LEDs and shading curtains, creating an environment capable of managing heat and sunlight simultaneously.
The demonstration trials will be conducted through fiscal year-end in the campus experimental greenhouse, using tomato cultivation as the subject. The group then aims to implement the system in practice at farms and other sites. The project was selected for Aichi Prefecture's Priority Research Project, and plans call for determining a direction for practical implementation within the fiscal year.
In the future, the system is intended to automatically control the capture and shading of sunlight, LED supplemental lighting and CO2-based photosynthesis operations using AI learning functions, thereby improving yields and productivity. Professor Takayama indicated that system control could increase yields by about 50%, from the current 25 tonnes per 10 ares to 37.5 tonnes.