FURUYAMA Laboratory

Affiliation：Faculty of Bioresource Sciences / Department of Development of Local Resources
Position：Lecturer
Degree：Ph.D. (Agriculture)

Our laboratory conducts research on protected horticultural production using greenhouses and plant factories with artificial lighting.
The main research themes are the following.
[Research in Greenhouses]
• Advancement of protected horticulture through environmental control technologies and plant physiological monitoring
• Development of labor-saving and cost-effective cultivation systems
• Application of woody biomass for sustainable and energy-efficient cultivation systems
[Research in Plant Factories]
• Development of rapid production systems using LED lighting
• Introduction and adaptability assessment of new horticultural crops
• Production of high value-added horticultural crops using precise environmental control

Horticultural crops, which are highly perishable, also require stable, year-round production. For these reasons, protected horticulture has become a fundamentally important agricultural system worldwide, and in Japan. Although protected horticulture provides greater productivity per unit area than open-field farming, it often demands longer working hours and does not necessarily achieve high labor efficiency. Furthermore, heating and cooling require considerable energy inputs, leading to intense dependence on fossil fuels. To address these challenges, we are developing a wide range of sustainable production technologies used with greenhouses and plant factories. Because protected horticulture systems are more complex than open-field cultivation and because they require advanced technical expertise, students of our laboratory participate in every aspect of research: from assembling sensors and control devices to crop cultivation and postharvest quality evaluation. By virtue of these hands-on experiences, they acquire comprehensive knowledge and practical skills necessary for modern horticultural production.

We intend to pursue interdisciplinary studies using both greenhouses and plant factories, specifically examining technologies that address local agricultural needs.

We actively collaborate with local growers and organizations to promote sustainable regional agriculture and to solve practical issues associated with protected horticultural production.

Our laboratory has collaborated with local growers for the cultivation of fruiting and leafy vegetables in greenhouses. Particularly, we have developed and promoted low-cost environmental control technologies suitable for pipe-frame greenhouses, thereby contributing to the advancement of regionally adaptable protected horticulture.