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If you've ever dreamed of growing your own food, Ohio State University may have just the thing for you.
The university is developing artificial intelligence (AI) software that will help farmers grow crops in "controlled environment" greenhouses, the Columbus Dispatch reports.
"We're all looking for technologies that can help us do things smarter, and that includes growing crops in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) systems," says Peter Ling, one of the researchers on the project.
In CEA systems, plants are grown in different areas of the greenhouse, with different lighting, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, and fertilizer needed for different crops.
With AI, the software will determine the best light intensity for a given crop based on factors such as day length, fluctuations in natural light levels, and environmental conditions, the Dispatch reports.
"The ideal light spectrum will vary depending on the plants' growth stage and desired outcomes," Ling says in a press release.
"For example, a high red-to-blue ratio will improve leaf growth and stem elongation while a low red-to-blue ratio will promote thicker leaves," he adds.
"Dynamic lighting can be modulated to fine tune growth, nutritional quality, and taste."
Ling and Mary Wicks, another researcher on the project,
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Vertical Farming: The Way to Feed a Global Population
Vertical farms are designed in a way to avoid the pressing issues about growing food crops in drought-and-disease-prone fields miles away from the population centers in which they will be consumed.
