Advanced soilless cultivation of medicinal plants: integrating dynamic LED lighting, elicitation, and smart technologies for sustainable biomass and phytochemical production
- 1Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Fermentation and Phytofarming Technology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology
- 2Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR)
Abstract
Countries with limited water and land resources confront a significant problem due to the growing demand for medicinal plants. These plants are used worldwide to extract and isolate therapeutically important bioactive molecules, known as secondary metabolites. Many medicinal plant species are currently facing significant conservation challenges due to excessive, unregulated harvesting, driven by rapidly growing demand for plant-derived therapies. Soilless farming techniques like hydroponics, aeroponics, and vertical farming offer a sustainable alternative for generating high-quality planting material on a large scale in a considerably shorter period and with less space. Soilless farming revolutionises agriculture and food production, making it particularly well-suited for urban agriculture by reducing maintenance requirements and maximizing crop yields. Soilless farming of numerous medicinal herbs, fruit crops, and vegetables has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly for its ability to produce large amounts of biomass, high yields, and a wide range of pharmacologically active metabolites. These high-tech systems have significant promise for increased crop yields, cleaner produce, season-independent cultivation, and reduced environmental impact, particularly in water use and disease, compared to traditional soil-based systems. This review article rigorously evaluates recent advancements in soilless agriculture, including LED spectral regulation, nano-elicitation, microbial biostimulants and precursor-feeding strategies, reusable substrates, computational technologies, and CRISPR/Cas-based editing, with respect to their efficacy in generating high-quality plant biomass, improving automation, and optimizing shoot architecture. Implementing soilless farming to produce and synthesize bioactive molecules is expected to be crucial in enhancing sustainability and human well-being.
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BibTeX
@article{kumar2026advanced,
title = {{Advanced soilless cultivation of medicinal plants: integrating dynamic LED lighting, elicitation, and smart technologies for sustainable biomass and phytochemical production}},
author = {Amit Kumar and Kanika and Shashi Rani and Ashish Rambhau Warghat},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1970412},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1970412/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Advanced soilless cultivation of medicinal plants: integrating dynamic LED lighting, elicitation, and smart technologies for sustainable biomass and phytochemical production
AU - Amit Kumar
AU - Kanika
AU - Shashi Rani
AU - Ashish Rambhau Warghat
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1970412
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1970412/full
AB - Countries with limited water and land resources confront a significant problem due to the growing demand for medicinal plants. These plants are used worldwide to extract and isolate therapeutically important bioactive molecules, known as secondary metabolites. Many medicinal plant species are currently facing significant conservation challenges due to excessive, unregulated harvesting, driven by rapidly growing demand for plant-derived therapies. Soilless farming techniques like hydroponics, aeroponics, and vertical farming offer a sustainable alternative for generating high-quality planting material on a large scale in a considerably shorter period and with less space. Soilless farming revolutionises agriculture and food production, making it particularly well-suited for urban agriculture by reducing maintenance requirements and maximizing crop yields. Soilless farming of numerous medicinal herbs, fruit crops, and vegetables has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly for its ability to produce large amounts of biomass, high yields, and a wide range of pharmacologically active metabolites. These high-tech systems have significant promise for increased crop yields, cleaner produce, season-independent cultivation, and reduced environmental impact, particularly in water use and disease, compared to traditional soil-based systems. This review article rigorously evaluates recent advancements in soilless agriculture, including LED spectral regulation, nano-elicitation, microbial biostimulants and precursor-feeding strategies, reusable substrates, computational technologies, and CRISPR/Cas-based editing, with respect to their efficacy in generating high-quality plant biomass, improving automation, and optimizing shoot architecture. Implementing soilless farming to produce and synthesize bioactive molecules is expected to be crucial in enhancing sustainability and human well-being.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -