HYOGO, June 29 — Ayuchi, an agriculture startup in Shiso, Hyogo Prefecture, has developed a technology to cultivate rice hydroponically — growing plants in water containing dissolved nutrients — enabling indoor rice farming with a short harvesting period.
The firm uses Mizunoyume, a short-stemmed, early-maturing new rice variety it developed.
The cultivation period of the rice variety is around two months, meaning it can be harvested as many as six times a year.
To save space, the company is presenting a new way of cultivating rice using multilayer shelves in greenhouses.
Ayuchi’s hydroponic system, comprising a light emitting diode (LED) system and a blended liquid fertilizer both developed by the firm, allows stable vertical farming of rice.
The system can be set up inside facilities like cargo containers and plastic greenhouses so that rice can be cultivated in controlled environment equipped with hydroponics, LED and air conditioning, without using pesticides.
The plants can be grown on a 50-centimeter-high shelf including the hydroponic and LED systems, making it possible for farmers to grow rice on stacked shelves.
The company has filed an application to register Mizunoyume as a variety.
Its stems are around 15 to 20 cm long, and it matures in two months and can be cultivated in a limited space. Because of such characteristics, the variety has been developed basically for indoor cultivation.
The firm says its yields and taste are slightly inferior to the rice grown in a conventional way, adding that the differences will be made clear in future experiments.
Ayuchi plans to provide the hydroponic system to those who wish to sign a cultivation contract and work jointly with the firm to complete the system for practical use.
The company is also working on developing an off-grid system that can be operated by solar power and storage batteries.
“We are aiming at building a system to enable rice production when paddy rice cultivation becomes difficult due to emergency situations caused by climate change and other factors,” said an Ayuchi official.
An image shows the Mizunoyume rice variety being cultivated indoors on multilayer shelves. PHOTO COURTESY OF AYUCHI