DAVIS, Calif., Sept. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — GreenVenus, LLC, a leading agriculture technology firm, is
leveraging its proven platform technologies for the rapid development of valuable traits, and today
announced the introduction of fast-growing lettuce ideally suited for controlled-environment settings. The
company is developing healthy, nutrient-rich specialty vegetables, fruits, and grains and has now created
faster-growing lettuce cultivars, which thrive in controlled environments, growing nearly twice as fast and
with larger biomass when compared to conventional lettuce varieties.
The vertical farming industry faces high operational costs primarily due to the substantial energy required
to maintain optimal growing conditions, leading to the failure of several innovative businesses. Additionally,
a lack of suitable plant genetics that thrive in vertical farming environments — such as under artificial light
and controlled climate conditions —has made it challenging to achieve optimal yields with conventional
crop varieties, further driving up costs. Currently, leafy greens and herbs are the main crops grown indoors,
but even these struggle to produce high yields in artificial environments, as they were originally bred for
traditional agriculture and are not well-suited to the unique conditions of indoor farming, such as specific
light, humidity, and CO levels.
“In addition to lettuce, GreenVenus is working to develop a diversified offering of high-value crops,
including berries, tomatoes, spinach and other vegetables that thrive in artificial environments. The
absence of cultivars specifically bred for artificial environments — ones that retain flavor, nutrition, and
exhibit early flowering — remains a significant bottleneck for the vertical farming industry. With our
introduction of new faster-growing lettuce varieties and our commitment to developing additional crop
cultivars, GreenVenus intends to reduce the cost of indoor cultivation and make a sustainable and positive
impact on the indoor farming industry,” says Dr. Shiv Tiwari, CEO of GreenVenus.