Vertical Farming: A Sustainable Approach for Pleurotus spp. Cultivation

Edible mushrooms are often regarded as a sustainable source of proteins, and several studies have sought to further improve the sustainability of this production. The vertical farming (VF) system could help to reduce the environmental impact during the cultivation of this crop. This study aimed to evaluate whether a VF cultivation system could increase the production and sustainability of Pleurotus species. In this study, P. cornucopiae (PC) and P. ostreatus (PO) were cultivated in a VF system using four-layer iron shelves arranged both individually and in combined configurations in the mushrooms greenhouse; a randomized block design with three replicates for each treatment was used. The impact of shelf layers on the productive traits of these crops was also evaluated, comparing upper layers to the ground layer (Control). In addition, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis was carried out to compare the environmental impact of VF and a conventional cultivation system for PO. The results demonstrated that the shelf layer influenced primordia formation, yield, and morphological characteristics. PC exhibited optimal growth in the upper layers, whereas PO performed better in the lower layers, reflecting their respective temperature preferences. The shelf configuration affected light exposure and primordia induction but did not significantly influence overall yield or morphology. The VF system had a lower overall environmental burden, in particular, considering the climate change impact (−27%) and fossil fuel consumption (−37%) compared to conventional cultivation. Among the phases, substrate production had the highest impact due to the higher substrate needed. In conclusion, VF for Pleurotus production enhanced both the productivity and the sustainability of this crop, but further study regarding the economic analysis of this system is needed to assess the industrial application of this system.