The plant factory is required to keep various environmental factors such as light, temperature, humidity, nutrient solution, wind, and carbon dioxide in the optimal condition at all times.
There are two types of plant factories: one that uses completely artificial light to cultivate plants in a closed space and one that uses sunlight in a glass greenhouse. Both can produce safe, high-quality crops in a systematic and stable manner without being affected by seasonal changes or weather conditions, by controlling environmental conditions required for growth of plants in a highly accurate, artificial way. Plant factories, which have many economic and social advantages, are spreading throughout the country today.

Light is the most important factor for growing plants. The quality and intensity of light from its source are constantly monitored and controlled to maintain the optimal environment for photosynthesis.

Expected effects

In order to promote the photosynthesis of crops, it is important to supply a fixed amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to the cultivation room and maintain its concentration at the optimal level. At various locations in the room, CO₂ concentrations can be controlled in a unified manner.

Temperature and humidity are maintained at the level most suitable for growing plants, the temperature of nutrient solution and crops, as well as other conditions are properly controlled, improving yields substantially. In addition to stationary high-performance temperature sensors, HORIBA provides contactless handy temperature sensors, which allow accurate measurement of leaf temperatures.

Wind (air currents), which have major effects on photosynthesis and transpiration from leaves, are also extremely important to stimulate plant growth. It is necessary to ventilate the cultivation room using air-conditioning systems and check whether all cultivation racks receive appropriate amounts of air.

In hydroponics, it is necessary to properly control the pH level of the nutrient solution and the concentration of nutrients, both of which affect plant growth. In addition to high-performance pH meters, HORIBA's extensive product lineup includes electric conductivity meters, which measure the concentration of nutrients, and ion meters. One of its products also enables users to check the functionality of crops as foodstuffs on the spot because it measures the composition of the crops.

HORIBA supports cultivation environments with cutting-edge sensing technology.