Agtech firm GreenVenus LLC has introduced fast-growing lettuce ideally suited for controlled-environment settings.
The company is developing healthy, nutrient-rich specialty vegetables, fruits and grains and has now created faster-growing lettuce cultivars, which thrive in controlled environments, growing nearly twice as fast and with larger biomass when compared to conventional lettuce varieties, according to a news release.
GreenVenus said the vertical farming industry faces high operational costs primarily due to the substantial energy required to maintain optimal growing conditions and that a lack of suitable plant genetics that thrive in vertical farming environments — such as under artificial light and controlled climate conditions — has made it challenging to achieve optimal yields with conventional crop varieties, further driving up costs.
The company said leafy greens and herbs are main crops grown indoors, but even these struggle to produce high yields in artificial environments, as they were originally bred for traditional agriculture and are not well suited to the unique conditions of indoor farming such as specific light, humidity and carbon dioxide levels.
“In addition to lettuce, GreenVenus is working to develop a diversified offering of high-value crops including berries, tomatoes, spinach and other vegetables that thrive in artificial environments,” GreenVenus CEO Shiv Tiwari said in the release. “The absence of cultivars specifically bred for artificial environments — ones that retain flavor, nutrition and exhibit early flowering — remains a significant bottleneck for the vertical farming industry. With our introduction of new faster-growing lettuce varieties and our commitment to developing additional crop cultivars, GreenVenus intends to reduce the cost of indoor cultivation and make a sustainable and positive impact on the indoor farming industry.”
