Scaling current cereal production to a growing global population will be a challenge. Wheat supplies approximately one-fifth of the calories and protein for human diets. Vertical farming is a possible promising option for increasing future wheat production. Here we show that wheat grown on a single hectare of land in a 10-layer indoor vertical facility could produce from 700 ± 40 t/ha (measured) to a maximum of 1,940 ± 230 t/ha (estimated) of grain annually under optimized temperature, intensive artificial light, high CO₂ levels, and a maximum attainable harvest index. Such yields would be 220 to 600 times the current world average annual wheat yield of 3.2 t/ha. Independent of climate, season, and region, indoor wheat farming could be environmentally superior, as less land area is needed along with reuse of most water, minimal use of pesticides and herbicides, and no nutrient losses. Although it is unlikely that indoor wheat farming will be economically competitive with current market prices in the near future, it could play an essential role in hedging against future climate or other unexpected disruptions to the food system. Nevertheless, maximum production potential remains to be confirmed experimentally, and further technological innovations are needed to reduce capital and energy costs in such facilities.

将目前的谷物产量扩大到不断增长的全球人口将是一个挑战。小麦为人类饮食提供了大约五分之一的卡路里和蛋白质。垂直耕作是增加未来小麦产量的可能有希望的选择。在这里，我们表明，在优化的条件下，在10层室内垂直设施的单公顷土地上种植的小麦每年可产生700±40吨/公顷（实测）至最高1,940±230吨/公顷（估算）的谷物温度，人造强光，高CO ₂水平和最大可获得的收获指数。这样的产量将是目前世界平均年小麦产量3.2吨/公顷的220至600倍。不受气候，季节和地区的影响，室内小麦种植在环境方面可能更具优势，因为所需土地面积减少，并且可以重复利用大部分水，减少农药和除草剂的使用，并且没有营养损失。尽管室内小麦种植在不久的将来不大可能在经济上与目前的市场价格竞争，但它在对冲未来的气候或对粮食系统的其他意外破坏中起着至关重要的作用。尽管如此，最大的生产潜力仍有待实验确定，并且需要进一步的技术创新以减少此类设施的资金和能源成本。