Variability in climate, water availability, and land use is shaping production practices worldwide, bringing greater attention to the propagation phase. In conventional open-field or semi-protected nurseries, seedlings may encounter inconsistent temperature, humidity, pest presence, and weather conditions, which can introduce variability before crops enter the main production system.
Farminova, developed by Türkiye-based Cantek Group, introduces a new model: a completely enclosed, industrial-scale seedling factory designed to operate with total environmental control. Described by the company as the world's first fully controlled seedling production facility, Farminova now propagates seedlings at commercial volumes while also supplying turnkey factory installations to growers and investors.
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"At Farminova, we treat the seedling stage as a precision-engineering process rather than a horticultural routine," says Atahan Akıllı of the Cantek Group. "Everything the plant experiences, from its first hour of germination, is defined, measured, and optimized."
Micro-climate R&D at industrial research scale
The system is supported by a research program conducted in Antalya, where a controlled-environment agricultural research facility operates. The center houses 25 independently controlled climate rooms used as micro-climate laboratories. "These units enable multi-year experimental cycles across leafy greens, strawberries, mushrooms, and grafted vegetable crops."
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According to Atahan, the research philosophy is built on exhaustive environmental mapping. "Each crop variety has its own ideal curve for temperature, humidity, CO₂, airflow, and light spectrum," he explains. "Our job has been to identify those curves and engineer a facility capable of repeating them with industrial accuracy."
The result is a proprietary suite of climate systems, irrigation structures, lighting arrays, and automation software tailored specifically to seedling physiology. He adds that production schedules are engineered crop by crop, allowing shorter cycles for leafy greens and extended timelines when grafting demands additional development stages.
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A sealed environment designed to eliminate biological variability
Conventional nurseries remain partially open to external conditions, with structures that struggle to fully exclude insects, spores, and fluctuating weather. "Our enclosure model replaces these uncertainties with a biosecure architecture."
Inside the factory, all incoming air is filtered, sanitized, and circulated under positive pressure. Temperature, relative humidity, CO₂ concentration, and photoperiod are controlled to precise set points. Nutrient delivery is metered through closed-loop fertigation systems, and lighting is tuned across multiple spectra to match crop physiology.
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Atahan notes the significance of this approach: "The seedling leaves our facility without ever being exposed to uncontrolled variables. That alone changes the predictability of the entire production chain."
The uniformity produced under these conditions results in seedlings with stronger stems, enhanced root architecture, and markedly higher tolerance to abiotic stress during transplanting. In trials with tomato cultivation partners, mature plants originating from Farminova seedlings have shown 100–110 grams more fruit per truss compared to conventional propagation sources.
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The facility operates with a multi-layer vertical production layout that increases propagation capacity without expanding the land footprint. According to Cantek Group, this approach can deliver up to four times the land-use efficiency of outdoor or semi-protected nurseries. "Efficiency is not a marketing claim but a measurable engineering output," he emphasizes. "When you seal the environment and digitize the inputs, waste drops to near zero."
Digitization and remote oversight
All operational parameters including climate, irrigation, energy consumption, crop growth metrics, and loss ratios, are logged and accessible through a centralized digital platform. "Growers operating Farminova systems can monitor and adjust performance remotely, enabling consistent management across multiple sites."
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Atahan describes digitalization as a core pillar of scalability: "A seedling factory must behave the same way whether it is in Antalya, Amsterdam, or Abu Dhabi. Full data transparency allows that."
Beyond its own production capacity, the company is now delivering turnkey seedling factories globally. Farminova's objective is not only to supply plants but to standardize seedling quality across climates, regions, and grower expertise levels.
"The agricultural sector is entering an era when productivity will hinge on environmental control rather than environmental luck. For us, resilience begins at the seedling stage. If the first 20 days are perfect, everything that follows becomes more predictable."
For more information
Farminova Plant Factory
Atahan Akıllı
[email protected]
cantekgroup.com
www.farminova.com
