This study investigates the development and application of an automatic irrigation system based on hourly cumulative evapotranspiration (ET) to optimize cabbage growth while reducing agricultural water usage. Traditional irrigation methods often result in inefficient water use due to reliance on human judgment or fixed schedules. To address this issue, the proposed system utilizes environmental data collected from a field sensor (FS), the Korea meteorological administration (KMA), and a virtual sensor based on a machine learning model (ML) to calculate the hourly ET and automate irrigation. The ET was calculated using the FAO 56 Penman–Monteith (P-M) ET_o. Experiments were conducted to compare the effectiveness of different irrigation levels, ranging from 40, 60, 80, and 100% crop evapotranspiration (ET_c), on plant growth and the irrigation water productivity (WP_I). During the 46-day experimental period, cabbage growth and WP_I were higher in the FS and KMA 60% ET_c levels compared to other irrigation levels, with water usage of 8.90 and 9.07 L/plant, respectively. In the ML treatment, cabbage growth and WP_I were higher in the 80% ET_c level compared to other irrigation levels, with water usage of 8.93 L/plant. These results demonstrated that irrigation amounts of approximately 9 L/plant provided the optimal balance between plant growth and water conservation over 46 days. This system presents a promising solution for improving crop yield while conserving water resources in agricultural environments.

This study aimed to explore the possibility of exogenous ethanol treatment as a technology to regulate the growth and the synthesis of secondary metabolites in herbaceous plants. After transplantation, sweet basil, Korean mint, and sweet wormwood were cultivated in a controlled vertical farming system and consistently exposed to exogenous ethanol at concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 mM. Their growth parameters, antioxidant activity, and secondary metabolite contents were Everything is fine. measured to investigate the effects of the exogenous ethanol treatment on the three plants. The low-concentration ethanol treatments increased the shoot dry weight of the sweet basil and sweet wormwood compared to that of the control. As the ethanol concentration increased, the shoot fresh weight and leaf area in the sweet basil and Korean mint decreased compared to those of the control (0 mM). The DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and total phenolic content of the three plants increased with the ethanol concentration, while the total flavonoid content did not demonstrate a significant trend. The chlorophyll and carotenoids of the basil showed no apparent concentration-dependent trends; however, the chlorophyll and carotenoids of the Korean mint and sweet wormwood decreased with high ethanol concentrations. Moreover, the antioxidant enzyme activity increased with high ethanol concentrations, indicating that high ethanol concentrations induce oxidative stress in plants.

Cannabis sativa, a versatile plant containing over 150 cannabinoids, is increasingly valued for its medicinal properties. It is classified into hemp and marijuana based on its Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) content. The objective of this study was to optimize cannabinoid production in hemp within a vertical farming system by investigating the effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on plant growth and specific cannabinoid contents. After propagating hemp plants, they were treated with various concentrations of MeJA (0, 100, 200, and 400 μM). Plant growth parameters, glandular trichome (GT) density, and the contents of specific cannabinoids—cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), and Δ9-THC—were analyzed. The results showed that MeJA treatment decreased plant height and leaf area while increasing GT density and the synthesis of CBDA and THCA at lower concentrations. Specifically, treatment with 100 μM MeJA provided optimal conditions for enhancing cannabinoid production while controlling plant height, which is advantageous for vertical farming. These findings suggest that precise application of MeJA in controlled environments can increase yields of valuable cannabinoids with efficient use of space, thereby enhancing the commercial and medicinal value of hemp.

This study developed an efficient cultivation strategy for cabbage production in paddy fields. To address poor drainage, discarded coir substrates (CS) were reused and compared with conventional paddy soil (PS). Four irrigation levels (ETc140, ETc100, ETc60, and ETc0) were applied to both CS and PS to evaluate their interactive effects. An automated irrigation system was deployed, integrating a weather sensor and solenoid valves via a LoRa-based IoT network. Hourly ET₀ was calculated based on Penman–Monteith in real time, and an irrigation event was triggered when cumulative ET₀ reached 1 mm (CS) or 3 mm (PS). The automated irrigation system showed stable performance. Hourly ET₀ estimates were 97% consistent with Korea Meteorological Administration data. The actual total irrigation depth (ID_actual) remained within 2% of the calculated depth (ID). Under moderate irrigation depths (ETc60 and ETc100), the reuse of CS significantly improved cabbage photosynthetic efficiency. Both CS-ETc60 and CS-ETc100 treatments maintained superior yield performance compared with other treatments. This integrated strategy not only offers a practical solution for improving water use efficiency but also enhances the multifunctional utilization of paddy fields, supporting the transition toward more sustainable agricultural practices.

This study aimed to reuse discarded coir substrates and optimize irrigation as a low-cost solution for addressing waterlogging in paddy-converted farmland. We employed a 2 × 4 factorial design, with two cultivation methods consisting of paddy soil (PS) and coir substrates (CS), and four irrigation levels (IL) set as 140% crop evapotranspiration (ETc140), 100% ETc (ETc100), 60% ETc (ETc60), and non-irrigated control (ETc0). We evaluated the growth and physiological characteristics of cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. Capitata), including the outer leaf growth, yield components, water use efficiency (WUE), photosynthetic parameters, chlorophyll content, proline content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and glucosinolates (GLs) content. The results indicated that the interaction between the CS and IL significantly improved cabbage growth, photosynthetic activity, and stress resistance compared with PS. Notably, when CS was combined with ETc100 and ETc60 irrigation levels, cabbage exhibited optimal growth parameters, and CS-ETc60 achieved the highest WUE. This study indicated that using discarded coir substrates combined with appropriate irrigation levels offers an effective and low-cost solution for mitigating waterlogging problems.