This pushes home the idea that to have food you essentially need energy. If electricity were abundant enough it could even make sense to grow vegetables close to people in cities, perhaps in the same buildings.
Fujitsu harvests low-potassium lettuce grown in semiconductor plant
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Re: Fujitsu harvests low-potassium lettuce grown in semiconductor plant
#12For those unaware, Yen has no subdivisions, so think of ¥1 as 1¢ or 1p, and ¥100 as $1/€1/£1.
$1 maybe, but not £1. ¥100 is worth £0.58 - quite a big difference.
Re: Fujitsu harvests low-potassium lettuce grown in semiconductor plant
#13I recall there were a couple fabs built in Colorado that are not on Wikipedia's page of currently operating fabs. Who wants to grow... lettuce?
Re: Fujitsu harvests low-potassium lettuce grown in semiconductor plant
#14What a great way to extend the usefulness of an obsolete foundry!
I'm guessing that they're using hydroponics and carefully regulating the mineral supply to achieve the desired potassium levels.
Re: Fujitsu harvests low-potassium lettuce grown in semiconductor plant
#15Previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7749595 They grow that stuff for people with kidney problems, they have to follow a diet that is low in potassium.
Indeed we do - though my advice from the renal dieticians didn't mention lettuce - will have to ask at my next checkup.
Ironically when I aske about the lo-salt versions of things like soy sauce she commented no the crap they put in to replace salt is worse :-)
Re: Fujitsu harvests low-potassium lettuce grown in semiconductor plant
#16I find it more interesting that they are growing this lettuce in a completely artificial environment at scale. One step toward a closed loop habitat but at a potentially larger scale than simple aquaponics installations. I'm still waiting for a 'high rise' farm, basically a multi-story hydroponics installation which can produce more food per surface acre than an existing farm can. If you can master the pollination cycle and control pests through environmental controls you have the basis for a sort of 'super-organic' type of farm.
Re: Fujitsu harvests low-potassium lettuce grown in semiconductor plant
#17I find it more interesting that they are growing this lettuce in a completely artificial environment at scale. One step toward a closed loop habitat but at a potentially larger scale than simple aquaponics installations. I'm still waiting for a 'high rise' farm, basically a multi-story hydroponics installation which can produce more food per surface acre than an existing farm can. If you can master the pollination cy…
Growing more food per acre in an indoor hydroponic farm is a reality today. The problem is your romaine from that hydro farm down the road is $3.99, and from the traditional farm shipped across the country is $1.99. Lights are a big part of the equation. Most plants need 10+ hours of sunlight a day, so even if you put the plants on a rotisserie you still have to supplement with artificial light ($$$).
The amount of water and land you save is immense, however, the water and land cost of putting a farm in an urban area counters that.
Pollination is easy - bees. Even basement/garage growers will use bees to pollinate. That said, you don't need bees in this example as you never want lettuce (or any leafy green) to flower. You can control the flowering with reduced temp and different light temperatures, too. In tomato/pepper/fruiting plants, you'll need manual pollination or a beehive in your hydro-warehouse.
Re: super-organic - Most hydroponic growing is not organic. By nature of adding nutrients (fertilizer, salts, ph adjustments) that replace what is found in soil means hydroponics is traditionally not organic. There are organic hydroponics going on (I am not aware of a large-scale one) and they are NOT clean nor bug free, given the nature of making organic nutrients (they smell like shit, really, as most are compost or something-rotting-based).
Re: Fujitsu harvests low-potassium lettuce grown in semiconductor plant
#18How does the potassium get reduced by being grown in a clean room?
By being able to control the nutrients and how fast the lettuce grows. Potassium intake varies with how fast the plant grows, so adjusting the light and temperature (along with other nutrients, like nitrogen, salt, etc) allows the lettuce to grow quickly (possibly under lights 24hrs a day) without taking up excess potassium.
With a clean environment, potassium levels can be reduced as well, as high potassium soil (fertilized that way) will allow the plant to uptake more potassium and increase its resilience to disease and bug damage.
Re: Fujitsu harvests low-potassium lettuce grown in semiconductor plant
#19How does the potassium get reduced by being grown in a clean room?
Its in the article, but somewhat hidden: "No pesticide is used and because the lettuce is produced in a clean room, it stays fresh for about two weeks when stored at 10 degrees Celsius or lower." They don't need to use pesticides because of the clean room, which in turn makes for lower potassium content in the lettuce.
This is deducing that pesticides increase potassium uptake and storage in the lettuce which is not true.
You can, however, use lower potassium levels for plants that will not be subject to disease or bug stress. But there is not a direct relationship here.
Re: Fujitsu harvests low-potassium lettuce grown in semiconductor plant
#20I find it more interesting that they are growing this lettuce in a completely artificial environment at scale. One step toward a closed loop habitat but at a potentially larger scale than simple aquaponics installations. I'm still waiting for a 'high rise' farm, basically a multi-story hydroponics installation which can produce more food per surface acre than an existing farm can. If you can master the pollination cy…
Growing more food per acre in an indoor hydroponic farm is a reality today. The problem is your romaine from that hydro farm down the road is $3.99, and from the traditional farm shipped across the country is $1.99. Lights are a big part of the equation. Most plants need 10+ hours of sunlight a day, so even if you put the plants on a rotisserie you still have to supplement with artificial light ($$$). The amount of w…
I grow herbs in my house in a consumer grade hydro system (really, like basil and mint, and sometimes lettuce, not weed) and a big thing for the organic types is no herbicides and no pesticides and that is pretty trivial for indoor hydro.