Controlled Environment Agriculture for Medicinal Plant Production
摘要
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) offers an innovative and efficient method for cultivating medicinal plants by precisely regulating environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, light, CO₂ concentration, and nutrient supply. Techniques including hydroponics, aeroponics, and vertical farming enable soil-less cultivation, resulting in faster growth rates, higher biomass yield, and enhanced accumulation of valuable secondary metabolites. Hydroponic systems have proven effective for producing pharmaceutical-grade plants with improved bioactive compound content, while aeroponics optimizes nutrient delivery and root oxygenation through fine misting techniques. Vertical farming further maximizes space utilization by stacking multiple crop layers, facilitating year-round production unaffected by seasonal and climatic limitations. Although challenges such as high initial costs and species-specific cultivation requirements remain, CEA promotes sustainable, pesticide-free, and scalable medicinal plant production. The integration of these advanced technologies can support global medicinal plant demands, reduce pressure on wild populations, and improve agricultural resource use efficiency. This review underscores the potential of CEA as a cornerstone in modern medicinal plant cultivation and sustainable agriculture.