Preliminary Study for a Digital Twin Approach Driving CO2 Enrichment in a Greenhouse for the Cultivation of Sweet Basil

Sweet basil is a short-cycle herb that can be considered as a suitable model to study the effect of environmental conditions. The purpose of this work is to set up a model of carbon fertilization applied to sweet basil into an experimental greenhouse. We have monitored the impact of carbon dioxide (CO2) enrichment in plant growth and physiological development responses, photosynthetic efficiency and biomass production. This study examined various aspects of greenhouse crop production, including CO2 consumption and water use efficiency. Sweet basil grown with the carbon dioxide enrichment (1000 ppm CO2) produced significantly higher fresh biomass (+14.2%) and dry matter content (+14.1%) compared to those grown in normal conditions (400 ppm CO2). Digital twin novelty needs a continuous real-time calibrated simulation and feedback across various cultivation areas. The supply of CO2 is of paramount importance in this scenario. Different patterns, depending on light intensity, ventilation and cost optimization should be modelled, at the end leading to the twin model approach.