AVALIAÇÃO DA PRODUÇÃO DE MORANGO EM CULTIVO INDOOR

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.519172513111

• Palavras-chave: Cultivo indoor, hidroponia, morangueiro, San Andreas.

• Keywords: Indoor cultivation, hydroponics, strawberry, San Andreas.

• Abstract: The Green Revolution marked a period of greater food security, characterized by increased global food production and distribution. Although production has doubled, there have been side effects due to environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity, with the excessive use of agrochemicals. Nevertheless, food security has favored urban growth worldwide and increasing urbanization, leading to a reversal in the distribution of the population between the countryside and cities. It is estimated that by 2050, approximately 80% of the world's population will live in cities, and by then, agriculture will need to produce almost 100% more food. Therefore, the objective of the project was to evaluate the development of the plants and the productivity of strawberries cv. San Andreas in indoor cultivation. The urban plant factory strawberry production unit will be designed for vertical farming and a compact environment to support the growth of San Andreas strawberry plants. To stabilize environmental variables, a 60m2 container-style production module was used, thermally insulated with waste from the fishing industry and polystyrene foam. The following equipment will be installed to control atmospheric variables: atmospheric system, temperature control, CO2 injection, and relative humidity control. Designed grow tent with aluminum bars as support for rows of suspended slabs (36 slabs/row filled with carbonized rice straw substrate) and pink LED lights (10 units/m2) positioned between the grow aisles. The light panels have horizontal mobility to create internal spaces for operational handling, maintenance, and to regulate a constant irradiance of 90 μmol m–2 s–1 of light that reaches the plants (28 plants/m2) with a photoperiod of 16h (6 am to 10 pm). A station equipped with reservoirs, electric pumps, and a reverse osmosis filter with deionizer (4 stages) will purify the water and/or waste solution when necessary. The nutrient solution was formulated for the vegetative phase and another for the fruiting phase, being distributed in a fertigation system using drippers with a flow rate of 2 L/h inserted between the plants. An innovative eco-physiological aspect for indoor strawberry cultivation was achieved through this study, primarily regarding thermal insulation using EPS (expanded polystyrene) from the fishing industry. However, it is necessary to optimize light intensity and incorporate different spectra of artificial light. Evaluating light irradiance at each stage of strawberry growth is crucial to achieving high productivity.