Container planting breaks the reliance on large tracts of cultivated land in traditional agriculture and can be quickly deployed in urban idle land, rooftops, parking lots and other spaces. Taking a 40-foot standard container (approximately 12m×2.35m×2.6m) as an example, through three-dimensional planting design, a single container can plant about 2,000 vegetables, increasing the utilization rate of flat land to more than 10 times that of traditional agriculture. This "space-intensive" model makes urban agriculture possible and shortens the distance from production to table.
The internal environment control system of the container can accurately maintain the temperature at 15-30℃ and the humidity at 60%-80%, and replace natural light through artificial light sources, completely getting rid of the restriction of natural climate. Whether it is the severe cold in the Arctic or the high temperature in the tropics, the system can create the best growth conditions for plants, realizing the planting freedom of "all-weather and no region", and completely solving the uncertainty of traditional agriculture "relying on the weather".
With the help of automation equipment and precise control technology, container planting has greatly shortened the growth cycle of crops. Taking leafy vegetables as an example, under precise environmental control, the yield per square meter can reach 2.5-4.5 kg, which is 3-5 times higher than that of open-field planting. The system realizes the efficient production mode of "factory agriculture" by automatically managing nutrients, light, temperature, humidity and other factors, reducing labor costs by more than 60%.
Adopting soilless cultivation methods such as hydroponics and aeroponics, container planting completely avoids the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and the recycling rate of water resources reaches more than 90%. The nutrient solution is repeatedly used through a closed-loop system, and with energy-saving equipment (such as LED lights and heat pumps), the energy consumption is reduced by more than 50% compared with traditional agriculture. This "zero pollution, low energy consumption" model provides a feasible solution to global resource shortage and environmental pollution.
The container planting system deployed in the city center can realize the "same-day picking and same-day listing" of agricultural products, avoiding transportation loss and the use of preservatives. The closed planting environment isolates pests and diseases, and with the precise control of nutrient solution, the vitamin content of products is 15%-20% higher than that of traditional planting, and there is no pesticide residue at all, building a food safety line from the source to the table.
Through the design of three-dimensional planting racks, containers transform plane planting into three-dimensional space utilization. Multi-layer planting equipment can achieve high-density planting in a limited space. For example, nearly 2,000 crops can be planted in a standard container through 14 sets of 4-layer three-dimensional equipment, completely breaking through the land scarcity bottleneck of urban agriculture.
Sensors real-time monitor the humidity, electrical conductivity, PH value of the soil matrix and environmental parameters to achieve the "on-demand supply" of water and fertilizer. In the nutrient solution circulation system, the deviation of EC value and PH value will be automatically detected and adjusted. The reuse rate of water resources reaches more than 95%, and the use of chemical fertilizers is reduced by 70%, fundamentally solving the problem of resource waste in traditional agriculture.
Standardized equipment and process management reduce the unit production cost. Taking strawberry planting as an example, the cost per kilogram of the container model is 40% lower than that of the traditional greenhouse, and it is not affected by the season, with stable output throughout the year. Automated equipment reduces labor dependence, and a single technician can manage multiple containers, further diluting labor costs.
Adopting a modular architecture, the planting capacity and crop types can be quickly adjusted according to needs. Whether it is leafy vegetables, strawberries or forage, only the planting tank and nutrient solution formula need to be replaced to realize the flexible switching of production types, effectively coping with market demand fluctuations.
The closed environment of constant temperature, humidity and light controls the yield fluctuation within 5%. Taking forage planting as an example, it can be harvested every 7-10 days, with a stable daily yield of 150-215 kg, providing predictable capacity guarantee for the supply chain and solving the problem of large annual yield fluctuations in traditional agriculture.
Container planting isolates external pollution and does not require the use of pesticides. The composition of nutrient solution and the growth cycle can be traced throughout the process. Through the IoT Technology system, environmental data and growth records of each batch of products can be queried, eliminating the risk of pesticide residues and heavy metal exceeding the standard from the technical level.
Adopting tide-type shallow flow water bed combined with moisturizing spray to realize large-scale seedling raising and planting. Each layer of the three-dimensional planting rack is equipped with 3 25W LED Plant Growth Lights to ensure uniform light coverage. The nutrient solution automatically adjusts the concentration and pH value through the circulation system, which is suitable for leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach.
Short growth cycle: Leafy vegetables can be harvested in 25-28 days, which is 50% shorter than traditional soil cultivation;
Quality optimization: High water content, less fiber, and the vitamin content is increased by an average of 10%-15%;
Convenient management: No weeding or soil turning is required, the degree of automation is high, and the labor cost is reduced by 60%.
Taking organic substrates such as coconut coir and peat as carriers, it not only retains the buffering effect of the soil but also avoids soil-borne diseases. The food-grade PP material planting tank is equipped with a drainage system, and is matched with a drip irrigation device to accurately supply nutrient solution, which is suitable for crops such as strawberries, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.
Strawberry planting: 50-100 plants can be planted per square meter, with an annual yield of 2.5-5 kg/㎡, and the fruit sugar content is 2-3 degrees higher than that of open-field planting;
Nutrient regulation: The automatic fertilizer adjuster is linked with the EC/PH sensor to maintain the balance of the nutrient solution in real time.
The nutrient solution is directly sprayed on the plant roots through the atomization device to achieve efficient supply of nutrients and oxygen. The 304 stainless steel frame is matched with a PP material mesh tray, and the spray head at the top of each layer is turned on 4-5 times a day to ensure that the forage is completely wetted.
Forage planting: The yield of 100㎡ area is 15kg/㎡, each crop is harvested every 7-10 days, the daily yield is 150-215kg, and the yield in the 6-day growth cycle can reach 7.5-8.5 times that of the seeds;
Low carbon and environmental protection: The water resource utilization rate is 98%, and each kilogram of forage only consumes 4 kWh of electricity, which saves 60% of energy compared with traditional planting.
Nutrient solution pool: 200L capacity, built-in UV sterilization lamp to prevent microbial pollution;
Sensor array: Real-time monitoring of EC (accuracy ±3%FS), PH (±0.1), liquid temperature (±0.5℃);
Intelligent adjustment module: According to the sensor data, the solenoid valve is automatically opened to prepare concentrated nutrient solution and water to ensure the precise supply of nutrients.
When the EC value is lower than the set range, the system automatically injects concentrated nutrient solution; when the PH value is abnormal, the regulator is added, and the whole process does not require manual intervention to ensure the stability of the crop root environment.
Refrigeration and heating: 1 hp wall-mounted air conditioner (cooling capacity 2500W) is matched with air source heat pump (COP≥3.5) to maintain the temperature at 15-30℃;
Humidification system: Industrial ultrasonic humidifier (humidification capacity 3-5kg/h), and the humidity is stabilized at 60%-80%.
Fresh air system: External circulation heat exchanger + internal circulation duct fan, air exchange 10 times per hour;
CO₂ regulation: Recyclable filling steel cylinder is matched with precise flow control solenoid valve to maintain the concentration at 800-1200ppm, which can increase the photosynthesis efficiency by 20%.
| Index | LED Light | Traditional HID Light |
|---|
| Radiation Utilization | 6.5% | 15% |
| Heat Emission | Low | High |
| Light Quality Adjustment | Adjustable | Fixed |
| Service Life | 115,000h | Medium |
| Planting Adaptability | Best | General |
Adopting the ratio of 660nm red light (promoting photosynthesis and fruiting), 450nm blue light (regulating plant type), and 520nm green light (improving light penetration), simulating the natural spectrum to adapt to the needs of multi-layer three-dimensional planting.
Environmental sensor: Temperature (-40~120℃, ±0.5℃), humidity (0-99%RH, ±3%RH), CO₂ (400-2000ppm, ±50ppm);
Soil matrix sensor: Humidity (0-100%, ±2%-3%), electrical conductivity (0-20000us/cm, ±3%-5%), PH (0-9, ±0.1).
Tide-type seedling raising bed: 1250x650x1800mm, 5-layer design, can raise 5,000 seedlings;
Dedicated supplementary light: 3 36W LED lights per layer, and the spectrum is optimized for the seedling stage;
Independent control system: Can separately adjust the temperature, humidity and light to adapt to the seedling raising needs of different crops.
Tide-type irrigation only takes 3 minutes each time, saving 50% water compared with traditional sprinkler irrigation; lettuce seedlings only take 15 days from sowing to planting, and the survival rate reaches more than 98%.
Perception layer: Various environmental and soil sensors collect data in real time;
Transport layer: LoRa wireless module uploads data to the gateway;
Platform layer: Cloud data middle platform stores and analyzes planting data;
Application layer: Mobile APP and PC terminal realize remote control;
Support layer: Server and database ensure the stable operation of the system.
Through the Internet of Things platform, users can view in real time:
Environmental data: Real-time curves and historical records of temperature, humidity, CO₂, and light intensity;
Equipment status: Operating parameters of air conditioners, humidifiers, LED lights, etc.;
Production data: Crop growth cycle, yield statistics, energy consumption analysis, etc. The system supports the threshold alarm function, and automatically pushes notifications when the environmental parameters are abnormal, realizing the intelligent management of "unattended".
