Innovations and Optimization Strategies for Vertical Farming Systems

Vertical farming systems offer transformative opportunities for sustainable urban agriculture through the integration of advanced technologies and precision control of environmental factors. As global food security faces mounting pressure from urbanization, climate change, and shrinking arable land, vertical farming presents a scalable solution that decouples crop production from traditional geographic and seasonal constraints. Success in this field depends on the ability to fine-tune environmental variables and cultivation practices to maximize efficiency without compromising crop quality.This Research Topic aims to investigate how dynamic environmental management, sensor-driven automation, specific light spectra, and adaptive cultivation techniques can enhance resource efficiency, crop quality, and yield in controlled-environment agriculture. Contributions exploring the physiological and molecular responses of crops to environmental variables such as light intensity and spectral composition, temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, and nutrient delivery are especially welcome, as these insights are foundational to designing systems that support healthy, high-yielding plants.We also encourage submissions addressing the technological and operational dimensions of vertical farming, from IoT-based monitoring to energy-efficient system design. Comparative studies benchmarking vertical farming against conventional and greenhouse production, as well as work on scaling barriers and commercial viability, will further strengthen the collection. By bringing together plant physiology, engineering, and data-driven approaches, this Research Topic seeks actionable insights that support the development of efficient, resilient, and productive urban agriculture systems.We welcome contributions covering, but not limited to:- Dynamic environmental management and adaptive cultivation techniques- Sensor-driven automation and IoT-based monitoring systems- Optimization of light spectra, intensity, and photoperiod- Physiological and molecular responses of crops to temperature, humidity, CO2, and nutrient delivery- Machine learning approaches for predictive environmental control- Energy-efficient lighting and HVAC design- Water and nutrient recycling strategies- Economic and environmental sustainability of large-scale deployment- Comparative studies benchmarking vertical farming against conventional and greenhouse productionWe welcome Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, and Perspective articles from researchers across plant science, agricultural engineering, horticulture, and controlled-environment agriculture. Topic editors: Francesco Orsini, Giuseppina Pennisi, Rhuanito Soranz Ferrarezi, Toyoki Kozai, Yongran Ji Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86443/innovations-and-optimization-strategies-for-vertical-farming-systems