ISLAMABAD, Mar 7 (ABC): A cutting-edge ‘Intelligent & Internet of Things (IoT) Smart Glasshouse’ recently established at the National Institute for Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB) is accelerating climate-ready crop development and ushering in a new era of smart farming in Pakistan.
“The facility marks a major leap forward for agricultural research,” Dr Muhammad Ramzan Khan, Principal Scientific Officer at NIGAB, a specialized department of the National Agricultural Research Centre, told Wealth Pakistan.
Climate change is posing increasing risks to food production. Therefore, the Intelligent & IoT Smart Glasshouse is helping Pakistan develop stronger crop varieties, conserve resources, and build a more resilient agricultural system. The facility was established under the Sino-Pak Agricultural Breeding Innovations for Rapid Yield Enhancement initiative.
Unlike traditional greenhouses, the intelligent glasshouse can design the growing environment according to the needs of each crop. As a result, scientists can grow plants faster and more efficiently.
Spread over 2,640 square feet, the fully operational facility uses IoT technologies such as artificial intelligence, sensors, programmable logic controllers, and data analytics. These technologies allow researchers to control climate, humidity, carbon dioxide, light, and water in real time for optimal plant growth.
“The IoT-based glasshouse is a future-ready national asset that connects genomics, digital agriculture, and sustainable food production,” Dr Ramzan said. “It represents a shift from conventional breeding to data-driven, climate-smart, and precision agriculture.”
The smart glasshouse contains eight independently programmable chambers. Scientists can simulate heat, drought, and cold conditions in these chambers to study how crops respond to climate stress.
“This system allows researchers to test crop responses and identify stronger and more resilient varieties,” Dr Ramzan explained.
The facility is equipped with smart full-spectrum grow lights and auxiliary flood lights to support plant growth. In addition, it features an automated shading system.
“Automated internal shading in each chamber helps maintain ideal growing conditions without manual intervention,” he said.
Several major crops are already being grown and studied in the facility. These include wheat, rice, cotton, canola, tomato, potato, and strawberry.
Scientists are also applying genome-assisted speed breeding, a method that shortens crop development time. Through this approach, researchers can produce multiple crop generations within a single year.
The smart glasshouse aims to reduce the time required to develop new crop varieties from 10 years to about five years. According to Dr Ramzan, scientists can now achieve four to eight generations per year, significantly accelerating breeding cycles.
“The results are already encouraging,” he said. Researchers screened 244 rice lines for heat tolerance and conducted speed breeding of 400 wheat lines. In addition, gene-edited sugarcane, tomato, and potato plants were successfully acclimatized under controlled conditions.
The facility also includes vertical and horizontal aquaponics systems. These soil-less farming methods allow fish waste to fertilize plants naturally while recycling water.
Under this system, researchers successfully cultivated 800 strawberry plants and 700 celery plants. They also grew 16 tomato plants to evaluate nutrient-use efficiency.
Beyond research activities, the smart glasshouse also serves as a training centre. Scientists, breeders, students, and technicians are receiving training in advanced agricultural biotechnology at the facility.
According to Dr Ramzan, replicating such smart glasshouse models across provinces could further strengthen food security and support export-oriented agriculture.