Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

This interview details Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), a research organization based in Finland. The interview is with Saila Karhu, Research Professor at Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

Source: Luke

What is the origin story of Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)?

Luke was established on 1 January 2015 as a result of the merger of several well-established institutes operating under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland. Thus, even though a modern research organization, has its roots going back more than a hundred years. 

Today, 1300 people work at Luke, and 70% of activities is in research, and Luke also has some statutory duties. Research is done in agriculture, forestry and game and fishery, and we work both in scientific and more custom-orientated projects, nationally and internationally. Luke has annually more than 700 research projects in progress. The Horticulture Technologies group, in which we work, belongs to the Production Systems Unit and is only a small part of the institute.

Source: Luke

What are some of the biggest research topics for Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) in the future? 

The Horticulture Technologies group of Luke focuses on developing sustainable, innovative and profitable production systems for nature-respectful Northern horticulture.

For developing greenhouse and vertical farming, our activities are towards solutions to increase resource efficiency, reduce the environmental footprint, and increase automation of production. Our strong experience is in optimization and modeling of lighting, climate management, and nutrient and water use, and this work still keeps us busy. We also work for diversification of greenhouse products, to launch and establish new plant species in production. In addition, we cooperate with several companies for the development of growing media, to reduce the use of peat in greenhouse production.

Our group has several patents for greenhouse or indoor cultivation solutions. The latest patent is for a vertical farming installation, in which it is possible to grow cucumbers and other high greenhouse crops. We have got excellent results in being able to give even light conditions to cucumber vines growing in horizontal positions. This innovation is forwards automated indoor cultivation, to reduce human work. The growing system enables, not only vertical production but also the integration of automation and robotics for stem moving, leaf removal and harvesting.

Source: Luke

What are some trends you are seeing in the indoor farming market on the research side?

High operational costs related to electricity use associated with lighting is one of the key questions related to profitability. Hence, one of our most important research topics at present is related to electricity prices and its fluctuations. How to supply light according to electricity price and keep the plants happy and productive at the same time.

The price of electricity can be very different at different times of a day. We want to find the limits to the flexibility of plants to take advantage of light according to the rhythm of electricity prices.

Source: Luke

What are your thoughts in CO2 usage in indoor farms?

There are some interesting opportunities here that are related to how CO2 is sourced. Traditionally in Finland greenhouse growers buy a tank of CO2 and supply it from there, and its importance in year-round production is well known. The source could be a by-product of industrial activities. The CO2 could also be sourced for instance from cow barn methane, by a special technology under development, or even from the ambient air. These types of development sound really promising

How can people connect with you or learn more about Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)?

Website: https://www.luke.fi

Phone: +358 (0)295 326 214

E-mail: saila.karhu@luke.fi

Source: Luke

Asia Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"For a target audience that is trying to understand the basics of vertical farming, this is a quality newsletter to subscribe to"

- James Pateras, CEO, Modular Farms Australia

North America Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download The Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"The North America Vertical Farming Companies Report 2023 aggregates many sources of public information on many different companies so that you don't have to do the research yourself, it's worth the money and saves a lot of time"

- John Ireland, CEO, NTP Technologies

Europe Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Helen Andrew Spare Harvest

"As a business development manager supporting the indoor agriculture, CEA, and food tech industries, I can say Urban Vine guides and their insider newsletter provide detailed information often difficult to find online."

- Irena Lundberg, CleanTech Invest Stockholm

Middle East Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"As a marketing professional in the indoor agriculture industry, Urban Vine's newsletters, reports and guides are an excellent resource for keeping up-to-date with news and developments in vertical farming."

- Steven Mitchell, Product Manager, Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) UK

All Indoor Farming Company Interviews

Pipp Horticulture

July 16, 2023

This interview details Pipp Horticulture, an indoor farming company based in the United States. The interview is with Curtis Dadian, Director of Business Development of Pipp Horticulture. To learn more about Pipp Horticulture and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Farm Urban UK

May 25, 2023

This interview details Farm Urban, an indoor farming company based in the UK. The interview is with Jens Thomas, Technical Director and Co-Founder of Farm Urban. To learn more about Farm Urban and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Greener Crop UAE

May 25, 2023

This interview details Greener Crop, an indoor farming company based in UAE. The interview is with Alexander Kappes, CEO of Greener Crop. To learn more about Greener Crop and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

GrowDirector Israel

December 15, 2023

This interview details GrowDirector, an indoor farming technology company based in Israel. The interview is with Pavel Razbegaev, Business Development Manager at GrowDirector. To learn more about GrowDirector and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Freshbay Canada

May 25, 2023

This interview details Freshbay, an indoor farming company based in Canada. The interview is with Vic Reddy, CEO of Freshbay. To learn more about Freshbay and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Click and Grow

May 25, 2023

This interview details Click & Grow, an indoor farming company based in the Estonia. The interview is with Mattias Lepp, founder of Click & Grow. To learn more about Click and Grow & other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Ultra Yield Solutions

May 25, 2023

This interview details Ultra Yield Solutions, an indoor farming technology company based in the United States. The interview is with Andy Montgomery, President of Ultra Yield Solutions. To learn more about Ultra Yield Solutions and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Ketos

May 25, 2023

This interview details Ketos, an indoor farming technology company based in the United States. The interview is with Steve Shaffer, SVP, Marketing of Ketos. To learn more about Ketos and other indoor farming technology companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Moonflower Farms USA

May 25, 2023

This interview details Moonflower Farms, an indoor farming company based in The United States. The interview is with Federico Marques, CEO of Moonflower Farms. To learn more about Moonflower Farms and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Yeshealth Group Taiwan

June 6, 2023

This interview details YesHealth Group, an indoor farming company based in Taiwan. The interview is with Jesper Hansen, Chief Commercial Officer of YesHealth Group. To learn more about YesHealth Group and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview