An evaluation of pollination methods for strawberries cultivated in plant factories: robot vs hand
The cultivation of strawberries in plant factories with artificial lighting (PFAL) has recently been recognized as it makes pesticide-free and stable year-round production possible. Conventional strawberry cultivation uses bees for pollination. Considering the global decline in bee populations and t...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Maximum Academic Press
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | Technology in Horticulture |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/TIH-2023-0019 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850200574686920704 |
|---|---|
| author | Yoko Nishimoto Na Lu Yuki Ichikawa Aoi Watanabe Masao Kikuchi Michiko Takagaki |
| author_facet | Yoko Nishimoto Na Lu Yuki Ichikawa Aoi Watanabe Masao Kikuchi Michiko Takagaki |
| author_sort | Yoko Nishimoto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The cultivation of strawberries in plant factories with artificial lighting (PFAL) has recently been recognized as it makes pesticide-free and stable year-round production possible. Conventional strawberry cultivation uses bees for pollination. Considering the global decline in bee populations and the difficulty of managing these living creatures in a closed environment, it is essential to establish an efficient and sustainable alternative for pollination in PFAL. This study investigated the feasibility of robotic pollination in PFAL by comparing the effects of hand and robot pollination on strawberry fruit quality and yield. No differences between the two pollination methods were found in the percentages of marketable and non-marketable fruits. Also, there were no differences in weight, volume, sugar content, and the number of achenes among the fruits of the same grade. Although robot pollination, as it is, is not perfectly comparable to or exceeds manual pollination yet, it has already reached a level of practical use to solve the problem of pollination by bees. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-44866635dc6b4f6d9f97d529e0bf46c2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2833-4337 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Maximum Academic Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Technology in Horticulture |
| spelling | doaj-art-44866635dc6b4f6d9f97d529e0bf46c22025-08-20T02:12:19ZengMaximum Academic PressTechnology in Horticulture2833-43372023-01-01311710.48130/TIH-2023-0019TIH-2023-0019An evaluation of pollination methods for strawberries cultivated in plant factories: robot vs handYoko Nishimoto0Na Lu1Yuki Ichikawa2Aoi Watanabe3Masao Kikuchi4Michiko Takagaki5Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University, 648, Matsudo 271-8510, Chiba, JapanCenter for Environment, Health, and Field Sciences, Chiba University, 6-2-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa 277-0882, Chiba, JapanHarvestX Inc., 216 Entrepreneur Lab, South Clinical Research Building, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, TokyoHarvestX Inc., 216 Entrepreneur Lab, South Clinical Research Building, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, TokyoCenter for Environment, Health, and Field Sciences, Chiba University, 6-2-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa 277-0882, Chiba, JapanGraduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University, 648, Matsudo 271-8510, Chiba, JapanThe cultivation of strawberries in plant factories with artificial lighting (PFAL) has recently been recognized as it makes pesticide-free and stable year-round production possible. Conventional strawberry cultivation uses bees for pollination. Considering the global decline in bee populations and the difficulty of managing these living creatures in a closed environment, it is essential to establish an efficient and sustainable alternative for pollination in PFAL. This study investigated the feasibility of robotic pollination in PFAL by comparing the effects of hand and robot pollination on strawberry fruit quality and yield. No differences between the two pollination methods were found in the percentages of marketable and non-marketable fruits. Also, there were no differences in weight, volume, sugar content, and the number of achenes among the fruits of the same grade. Although robot pollination, as it is, is not perfectly comparable to or exceeds manual pollination yet, it has already reached a level of practical use to solve the problem of pollination by bees.https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/TIH-2023-0019bee pollinationfertilization rate of achenesfruit qualitymarketable fruitsustainability |
| spellingShingle | Yoko Nishimoto Na Lu Yuki Ichikawa Aoi Watanabe Masao Kikuchi Michiko Takagaki An evaluation of pollination methods for strawberries cultivated in plant factories: robot vs hand Technology in Horticulture bee pollination fertilization rate of achenes fruit quality marketable fruit sustainability |
| title | An evaluation of pollination methods for strawberries cultivated in plant factories: robot vs hand |
| title_full | An evaluation of pollination methods for strawberries cultivated in plant factories: robot vs hand |
| title_fullStr | An evaluation of pollination methods for strawberries cultivated in plant factories: robot vs hand |
| title_full_unstemmed | An evaluation of pollination methods for strawberries cultivated in plant factories: robot vs hand |
| title_short | An evaluation of pollination methods for strawberries cultivated in plant factories: robot vs hand |
| title_sort | evaluation of pollination methods for strawberries cultivated in plant factories robot vs hand |
| topic | bee pollination fertilization rate of achenes fruit quality marketable fruit sustainability |
| url | https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/TIH-2023-0019 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yokonishimoto anevaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand AT nalu anevaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand AT yukiichikawa anevaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand AT aoiwatanabe anevaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand AT masaokikuchi anevaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand AT michikotakagaki anevaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand AT yokonishimoto evaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand AT nalu evaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand AT yukiichikawa evaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand AT aoiwatanabe evaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand AT masaokikuchi evaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand AT michikotakagaki evaluationofpollinationmethodsforstrawberriescultivatedinplantfactoriesrobotvshand |