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Updated: Jan 17, 2026
A Hydroponic Co-cultivation System for Simultaneous and Systematic Analysis of Plant/Microbe Molecular Interactions and Signaling
Published on: July 22, 2017
Integrated smart farm system for Centella asiatica L. cultivation: development and assessment of multi-tier
Hyeonbyeong Lee1, Jeonghyun Baek1, Donghyuk Im1
1Smart Farm Development Division, Department of Agricultural Engineering, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea.
Introduction:
Traditional soil-based cultivation of Centella asiatica L. faces seasonal limitations and quality inconsistency.
Methods:
This study developed and assessed a smart farm system incorporating Deep Flow Technique (DFT) hydroponics for stable, year-round production with consistent bioactive compound profiles. System development was conducted at the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, followed by a six-month field assessment at Chungju Agricultural Technology Center, South Korea. The cultivation system comprised a 99 m² greenhouse with a 19.2 m² active hydroponic area, maintaining key environmental parameters.
Results:
We observed differential bioactive compound accumulation between cultivation tiers. Madecassic acid content was 2.3-fold higher in the LED-equipped tier (1.25 ± 0.04 mg/g) versus the fluorescent-equipped tier (0.54 ± 0.03 mg/g, p<0.001).
Discussion:
The system demonstrated operational reliability, enabling year-round production and establishing a technological foundation for controlled environment medicinal plant cultivation with standardized compound profiles.
