Systems Review: The Role of Light Spectrum in Plant Productivity and Quality in Vertical Farming Systems

The evolution of agriculture towards agricultural innovation, especially in the case of vertical farming (VF), a competitive system for sustainable food production, determines that light is a crucial factor in vertical farming. The substitution of sunlight with artificial light, mainly through LED lighting, has improved productivity. There has been exponential growth in the use of VF systems, but there needs to be more analysis and information on the research conducted in this field. To remediate this gap, a bibliometric review of 120 scientific articles from the SCOPUS database uses information from 79 articles published in relevant journals. In recent years, publications on VF systems have increased by 195%, with China developing most experiments in this field. Lettuce cultivation is the most predominant in these investigations, with a light intensity of 200 μmol•m−2•s−1 and a photoperiod of 16 h•day−1, using blue and red light spectra, The use of vertical farming for fresh and local produce has increased in recent years; Thus, many researchers demonstrated in their experiments that VF is going to be highly effective in productivity and quality. The conditions and management of VF systems have become standardized, with over 50% of the research using similar photoperiod, spectrum, and intensity methods. Vertical farming is considered a potentially sustainable and controllable means that can be developed in urban areas, benefiting the social economy, food security, and the environment. However, there are still open and improving aspects, such as resource utilization percentage, including alternative energy for system development.