[Plant Factory and Rice] Can Rice Be Grown Hydroponically? A Realistic Explanation

Hello everyone! I’m Shohei.

Have you ever heard of plant factory rice?

That’s right.

You probably haven’t heard of plant factory rice.
Because it doesn’t exist.

However, although not widely known, rice can be grown in a plant factory.

A plant factory is a facility that uses environmental control technology to plan and produce vegetables, fruits, etc.
In addition to hydroponics, it can stably produce crops by optimizing light, temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration.

However, regarding rice cultivation,
Although technically possible, there are many challenges to practical application from a commercial perspective.

This article explains the possibilities and challenges of rice cultivation in plant factories.

Why are plant factories always focused on leafy vegetables in the first place?
If you’re wondering about that, please refer to the following article.

What Crops Are Perfect for Plant Factories?

Building a plant factory requires a large capital investment.

And for business continuity, accelerating the return on investment is paramount.
Therefore, the crops cultivated in plant factories tend to be those that grow quickly and have a high turnover rate.

Of course, I would really like to produce various factory-produced vegetables.
But making the business viable is the top priority.

In addition, a certain level of sales is required to introduce high-cost equipment.
Therefore, it is difficult to recover costs unless the vegetables have a relatively high unit price.

Especially when using artificial light, the running costs of lighting are a major burden. This is a problem that plagues those of us on the ground.

And here’s the point.

If there are many parts of the cultivated crop that are discarded, the light energy (electricity bill) spent is wasted.
Therefore, plant factories are suitable for items with a high proportion of edible parts.

In other words, since it costs a lot to grow them, we want to sell everything after harvesting!
It’s a waste to have parts that are discarded!

That’s why.

Based on the above conditions, leafy vegetables such as lettuce and herbs are the main crops cultivated in plant factories.

Is Rice Suitable for Plant Factories?

Compared to other plant factory crops, rice has a longer growing period and a relatively low unit price.

While lettuce can be harvested in about a month, rice is harvested only about twice a year and requires more effort.
While lettuce is a small leafy vegetable that grows quickly, rice grows large and takes time to harvest the ripened rice.

In addition, the parts of rice other than brown rice and polished rice, namely the husk, leaves, and stems, have little value and are discarded…

That’s right.

In plant factories, the running costs are high, so if there are many parts that are discarded, the input costs are wasted.

Furthermore, since rice is consumed in large quantities as a staple food, the price must be kept low.
It’s also difficult to sell it as a luxury item.

Therefore, it is not possible to secure enough profitability to match the high capital investment of plant factories.

This is similar to the relationship between “plant factories and grains” that I wrote about before.
Please also refer to the following article.

From the above points, the cultivation characteristics of rice are not considered to be compatible with the characteristics of plant factories.

Current Challenges and Future Possibilities

I talked about how it’s impossible to commercially cultivate rice in plant factories.

This is because the cultivation characteristics of rice and plant factories are not compatible.

However, in reality, hydroponic cultivation of rice has shown potential at the research level.

In the future, if high-priced rice for pharmaceutical raw materials or an era in which safety and stable production are emphasized, plant factory cultivation of rice may become widespread.

If it is rice for pharmaceutical raw materials containing a high concentration of specific ingredients, a high selling price can be set.

After all, plant factories are very good at this field of “increasing specific ingredients” because they can control the environment.

This means that there are also benefits to rice cultivation in plant factories.

If consumers become more aware of food safety and stable supply, demand for plant factory-produced rice may arise even at high costs.

I don’t know if that day will come.

But someday, you might eat factory-produced rice. That’s the story.

Summary

I have explained in detail the current challenges and future possibilities of plant factories and rice cultivation.

In conclusion, rice cultivation in plant factories is technically possible, but its practical utility as a business is currently limited.

Since rice has a long growing period and a low unit price, it is difficult to secure profitability in plant factories with a high-cost structure.

What are the advantages of hydroponic cultivation of rice?

The advantages of hydroponic cultivation of rice are that it is not limited by soil, and nutrients and water can be precisely controlled. This is expected to lead to stabilization of quality and improvement of yield. There are also advantages in avoiding continuous cropping damage and suppressing the occurrence of pests and diseases.

What is the difference between hydroponics and plant factories?

Hydroponics is a general term for methods of growing plants with nutrient solution instead of soil, and plant factories also use hydroponic systems. Plant factories are characterized by using environmental control technology, in addition to hydroponics, to control light, temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration to a high degree, enabling year-round and planned production.

What is the difference between plant factories and open-field cultivation?

Open-field cultivation is a traditional form of agriculture conducted in outdoor natural environments. On the other hand, plant factories are a form of agriculture that creates artificial environments indoors and conducts advanced environmental control. Open-field cultivation is susceptible to weather influences, while plant factories have the advantage of enabling year-round and planned production. Also, plant factories have the advantage of preventing the entry of pests and diseases, and minimizing pesticide use.