An agricultural breakthrough could help alleviate fears about food insecurity as farmers face increasingly unpredictable weather because of rising global temperatures.

A team including researchers from the University of Tokyo announced that it successfully cultivated large-fruited tomatoes in an LED-based plant factory — a significant development given that traditional thinking assumed tomatoes couldn't grow under energy-efficient LEDs.

"This marks a turning point as LED factories, usually thought suitable only for leafy greens, can also support demanding fruiting vegetables like tomatoes," said Wataru Yamori, an associate professor from the university's Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Tomatoes are among the world's most consumed foods — a nutritious staple ingredient in soups, salads, pastas, pizzas, and more. However, transporting fruits and vegetables is an energy-intensive process, generating around twice as much heat-trapping pollution (or food-miles emissions) as production itself, according to a study published in Nature Food.

Ironically, food delivery methods destabilize food systems, increasing food insecurity as extreme weather devastates crops and pushes prices higher at grocery stores. 

Installing local, energy-efficient plant factories could help combat these human-induced effects. LED bulbs produce around five times less pollution than traditional bulbs.

"Plant factories are resilient to climate extremes such as droughts, floods, and heat waves that increasingly disrupt traditional farming. … By bringing production closer to consumption, they help reduce both climate risk and food transport needs," Yamori explained. 

Before LED-grown tomatoes come to stores near you, LED plant factories will need to address several issues. For one, growing costs are high because of the unique balance of light, temperature, humidity, and nutrients required for tomatoes to thrive. 

The researchers say integrating renewable energy will be a crucial part of slashing those costs. They also expect prices to decrease as the technology becomes more widespread.

Secondly, larger tomato plants yielded less fruit and had lower sugar content than greenhouse-grown plants; however, they did have more vitamin C. The LED factory also produced higher-quality cherry tomatoes than the greenhouse method.

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"Vertical tomato farms in skyscrapers are not science fiction anymore," Yamori said. "...With our results, it's realistic to imagine tomatoes being grown in skyscrapers within 10 to 20 years, and even in experimental systems for growing fresh produce on the moon or Mars."

Ultimately, the researchers believe a combination of greenhouse and LED factory growth may be the most productive and cost-effective path forward.

"Plant factories offer precise control and production stability, while greenhouses leverage natural variability to enhance photosynthetic efficiency and fruit quality. Future strategies should explore hybrid cultivation models that integrate the benefits of both systems to achieve sustainable, high-value tomato production," they concluded in the study, which was published in HortScience.

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