Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part 1: Overview and concept of closed plant production system (CPPS). Introduction / Toyoki Kozai, Genhua Niu -- Role of the plant factory with artificial lighting (PFAL) in urban areas / Toyoki Kozai, Genhua Niu-- PFAL business and R & D in the world: current status and perspectives -- Plant factory as a resource-efficient closed plant production system / Toyoki Kozai, Genhua Niu -- Micro- and mini-PFALs for improving the quality of life in urban areas / Michiko Takagaki, Hiromichi Hara, Toyoki Kozai -- Rooftop plant production systems in urban areas / Nadia Sabeh -- Part 2: Basics of physics and physiology- environments and their effects. Light -- Physical environmental factors and their properties / Genhua Niu, Toyoki Kozai, Nadia Sabeh -- Photosynthesis and respiration / Wataru Yamori -- Growth, development, transpiration and translocation as affected by abiotic environmental factors / Chieri Kubota -- Nutrition and nutrient uptake in soilless culture systems / Satoru Tsukagoshi, Yutaka Shinohara -- Tipburn / Toru Maruo, Masahumi Johkan -- Functional components in leafy vegetables / Keiko Ohashi-Kaneko -- Medicinal components / Sma Zobayed -- Production of pharmaceuticals in a specially designed plant factory / Eiji goto -- Part 3: System design, construction, cultivation and management. Plant producion process, floor plan, and layout of PFAL / Toyoki Kozai -- Hydroponic systems / Jung Eek Son, Hak Jin Kim, Tae In Ahn -- Seeding, seedling production and transplanting / Osamu Nunomura, Toyoki Kozai, Kimiko Shinozaki, Takahiro Oshio -- Transplant production in closed systems -- Photoautotrophic micropropagation / Quynh Thi Nguyen, Yulan Xiao, Toyoki Kozai -- Biological factor management -- Design and management of PFAL / Toyoki Kozai, Shunsuke Sakaguchi, Takuji Akiyama, Kosuke Yamada, Kazutaka Ohshima -- Automated technology in plant factories with artificial lighting / Hiroshi Shimizu, Kazuhiro Fukuda, Yoshikazu Nishida, Toichi Ogura -- Life cycle assessment / Yasunori Kikuchi -- Education, training, and intensive business forums on plant factories / Toshitaka Yamaguchi, Michiko Takagaki, Satoru Tsukagoshi -- Part 4: PFALs in operation and its perspectives. Selected commercial PFALs in Japan and Taiwan -- Challenges for the next-generation PFAL / Toyoki Kozai, Genhua Niu -- Conclusions: Resource-saving and resource-consuming characteristics of PFALs / Toyoki Kozai, Genhua Niu.