UNDERGROUND CROPS SHOW HEAVY YIELD AND PROMISING FUTURE

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman

Many crops, including corn, have been proven to grow just as well if not better underground, as in a typical greenhouse or in a field. These are the findings of a team at Purdue University which has built a crop growth facility inside a 60-acre former limestone mine in souther Indiana. Cary Mitchell, Pursue professor of horticulture said that the first crop in the underground facility produced more corn in a shorter time period than plants in a greenhouse. All of the inputs required for plant growth-light, termperatire, carbon dioxide are all highly controlled to maximize growth. In another growth facility crops such as alfalfa and soy beans also thrived based on increase carbon dioxide levels. In Japan, underground rice and vegetable fields have been planted beneath office buildings using articifical light. Tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries and other fruits and vegetables have shown tremendous yields.