Technology Transfer Department

Application sectors

Problem to solve

Growing plants in indoor environment is a technological challenge for anyone who gows plants in houses, laboratories and also for production purposes. Several approaches are currently available, differing from each other about the root substrate and, consequently, for watering and nutrition supplyiung to plants. These approaches also differ for ecological sustainability, energy consumption, yield and product quality. The Microcosm for plant growing developed by ENEA and FOS S.p.A., example of Italian public and private sinergy, and derived devices enable research and operators to overcome most of the limitations associated to the existing technologies.

Description

The device enables the operator to control, even remotely, the main environmental factors affecting plant growth and development, lighting included. It is also possible to widen the set of controlled environmental factors, to customize the setup to operator needs. The device is fully modular. The core is made-up by two chambers, one designed to grow the plant aerial part (epigeal chamber) and another designed to grow the roots (hypogeal chamber). The two chambers are disconnected from each other and independently accessible by the operator. The control of the environmental factors and of plant conditions can be carried out ergonomically in every part of the device, so preventing stress to plants. The environmental parameters are independently monitored and controlled in the two chambers and gaseous exchanges between those take place only through the root substrate surface, as it happens under natural conditions. The peculiar architecture of the device and root pots are designed to enable the operator to grow plants with different biological forms, either herbaceous and woody plants, and to carry out also long lasting growing cycles.

Research group involved