Move it to improve it! Dynamic planting density in dwarf tomato.

Vertical farming is a highly efficient production system for fresh vegetables. Plants are grown under LED lights, with a full control of all growing conditions. A high land, water and nutrient use efficiency can be obtained and no pesticides are needed. It can locally produce healthy and safe fresh vegetables of high quality, independent of weather and soil. However, high energy requirements pose major challenges. The broader project aims at reducing light energy use per gram of dwarf tomato yield through maximizing the fraction of incident light that is intercepted by the plant’s canopy through dynamic planting density management without compromising the quantity and quality of yield.

Specific tasks:

• Literature study about influence of density treatments on yield components in tomato
• Data collection and analysis of yield components in tomato in different density treatments
• Discussion of tomato density management in vertical farms

Used skills

• Develop your own research question within the frame of the given project.
• Climate chamber experiment: Plant growth measurements.

Interested in doing a BSc or MSc thesis at HPP? Please contact the HPP student coordinator Katharina Hanika.