A horticultural lighting fixture including a light bar including a plurality of solid state light sources arranged in a linear array along a longitudinal axis of the light bar; and a light bar support structure that couples with the light bar to support the light bar in a fixed spaced relationship with the light support structure, the light bar support structure including at least two fasteners at opposing terminal ends of the light bar support structure to attach to a vertical support.

There is a module for vertical farming. Vertical posts form a grid having rows in both the longitudinal direction and transverse direction. Diagonal support members are installed between posts in a longitudinal direction, along two opposed inner sides of the module, one being along a corridor for passage. In the transverse direction, other diagonal support members are installed without blocking the corridor, and racks are formed in said direction comprising the other diagonal support members, the racks extending vertically for growing plants therein along a height thereof. Floor anchors and corresponding ceiling anchors, located respectively at the bottom and at the top of each one of the posts, are provided to fasten modules on top of each other such that the structure formed by the posts is the load-bearing structure. Catwalks are installed for human passage in the corridor and between adjacent racks.

A growing system is described where plants are grown in containers and the containers are stored in stacks. Above the stacks runs a grid network of tracks on which load handling devices run. The load handling devices take containers from the stacks and deposit then at alternative locations in the stacks or deposit them at stations where goods may be picked out. The containers may be provided with one or more of the following services: power, power control, heating, lighting, cooling, sensing means, data logging means, growing means, water and nutrients.

The present invention relates to a system and method for farming. In particular, there is a system for indoor farming comprising at least one growth rack, the at least one growth rack comprises a plurality of cells; a plurality of farming modules, each farming module configured to be stored in a cell, each farming module configured to grow at least one type of plant; a machine arranged to move each of the plurality of farming modules in/from each of the corresponding cell; wherein each of the plurality of farming module comprises one or more self-contained nutrient tray portion specific to the type of plant, and wherein each farming module is independent with respect to other farming modules.

A method for the automated operation of a greenhouse which has at least one first plant growth room which is operated without artificial lighting and which has at least one second plant growth room which is different from the first plant growth room and which is equipped with artificial light sources for generating artificial light. An associated supply device and an associated greenhouse can be operated automatically.

Techniques and examples for servicing a horticultural operation are described. A method may involve autonomously identifying the horticultural operation or a target located within the horticultural operation and an action to be performed with respect to the horticultural operation or target. The operation or target comprises at least one plant or a group of plants. Based on the identifying, a local area of the horticultural field is determined. The target is located within the local area. The target is associated to at least one autonomous vehicle. The target is located within the local area by the at least one autonomous vehicle. The action with respect to the target is performed by the at least one autonomous vehicle.

One variation of a method for deploying sensors within an agricultural facility includes: accessing scan data of a set of modules deployed within the agricultural facility; extracting characteristics of plants occupying the set of modules from the scan data; selecting a first subset of target modules from the set of modules, each target module in the set of target modules containing a group of plants exhibiting characteristics representative of plants occupying modules neighboring the target module; for each target module, scheduling a robotic manipulator within the agricultural facility to remove a particular plant from a particular plant slot in the target module and load the particular plant slot with a sensor pod from a population of sensor pods deployed in the agricultural facility; and monitoring environmental conditions at target modules in the first subset of target modules based on sensor data recorded by the first population of sensor pods.

A system for the fertigation of a plant vessel and method of use for the same is disclosed. The system comprises a grow module containing a plurality of growing trays additionally containing plants, and/or shoots of plants in various stages of development. The growing trays are individually extracted from the grow module via a tray movement system and tray elevator controlled by a control system and precisely placed in a fertigation system, wherein they are aligned over and lowered onto an at least one nozzle which penetrate the plant vessels containing the plants and fertigate them with a combination of water, nutrients, and/or pressurized air. The individual growing tray is then replaced in the grow module and the process is repeated for all growing trays and plant vessels in the grow module.

A gutter system for use in a hydroponic system for cultivating a crop includes a gutter and an upper surface. Arranged in the upper surface are a plurality of openings which are mutually separated in a longitudinal direction of the gutter, such that the gutter forms a channel in which substrates for having crop units of the crop grow therein are placeable via the openings. The upper surface is provided at the position of each of the plurality of openings with a flange which extends substantially perpendicularly relative to the upper surface from an edge of the opening and as such forms a stop for a respective substrate of the substrates.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for mass cultivation of plants, which enables plants to be cultivated in the entire area of a greenhouse when the plants are cultivated in the greenhouse, thus enabling mass production of plants. The apparatus for mass cultivation of plants according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a driving means installed in the truss, which horizontally crosses the upper portion of the greenhouse; a movable member arranged below the truss such that the moving direction of the movable member changes according to the driving direction of the driving means; multiple elevating members arranged at predetermined spaces beneath the truss such that a right part of the elevating member descends when a left part of the elevating member ascends and the right part of the elevating member ascends when the left part of the elevating member descends according to the moving direction of the movable member; and multiple cultivation gutters hanging from the respective left ends and right ends of the elevating members.