The next step in the project is to develop a system for growing strawberries, spices and Amazonian species 

The project was carried out at the Ornamental Plant Tissue Cultivation Laboratory at the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (Esalq), in Piracicaba – Photo: Gerhard Waller

Can you imagine eating strawberries grown in your living room, or in the hallway of your apartment, even with little natural light? What about having fresh spices grown all year round in your kitchen or decorating your living room with ornamental plants in a vertical garden?

To make this possible, a group of researchers from the Ornamental Plant Tissue Cultivation Laboratory at USP's Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (Esalq), in Piracicaba, are using LED light as an allied technology for agriculture.

The partnership with companies in the sector makes it possible to create vertical gardens and vegetable gardens indoors. Professor Paulo Hercilio Viegas Rodrigues, from Esalq's Plant Production Department, coordinates this action at the University. “This new system allows vertical gardens to be installed in the home, without the need to renovate, break walls or anything like that. We've already grown a model with ten species of ornamental plants and the next step will be to test growing spices and strawberries.”

The results have excited the researchers and Professor Paulo Hercílio Rodrigues hopes to expand the project to include the cultivation of Amazonian species.

By Caio Albuquerque