A Survey of Modern Greenhouse Technologies and Practices for Commercial Cannabis Cultivation

Abstract

The limited availability of peer-reviewed scientific evidence in the cannabis industry has led many companies to rely on techniques derived from non-peer-reviewed sources for their practices. This study begins by examining the literature on the cultivation of C. sativa, investigating optimal conditions and their effects on growth, and characterising the requirements for greenhouse monitoring and control. A systematic review of current technological approaches is then conducted. The review demonstrates that technology-based control of greenhouse environments has the potential to surpass manual or traditional rule-based management techniques by reducing costs and increasing yields. However, the adoption of these technologies is impeded by the lack of publicly available labelled data on growth, pest and disease, environmental, and yield data of multiple indoor cultivation cycles. Currently, much of the research in this field is conducted privately by companies in the cannabis industry. This study recognises substantial gaps in research surrounding C. sativa cultivation and emphasises the opportunity for new research to address the absence of available C. sativa datasets and peer-reviewed scientific studies outside of private endeavours.