The efficient production of useful substances in plant factories is very attractive to secure the nutrition for human health in the future. The aim of this study was to investigate the growth behavior of rice sprouts to establish a high‐density production system for plant factories. To clarify the material balance during the growth of sprout of brown rice, a single individual of rice was cultivated in vitro. The weight of the sample and the oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations in the test tube were measured, with bioactivity indices being calculated. The contribution of growth respiration was confirmed based on the growth, oxygen uptake, and carbon dioxide evolution rates. The specific growth rates and oxygen concentrations all increased during the 60‐ to 80‐h period. The decrease in the specific oxygen uptake rate and carbon dioxide evaluation rate generally corresponded to the 90‐ to 160‐h period. These results suggest that the physiological state of rice sprouts can be evaluated using bioactivity indices obtained from individual cultivation systems. A trial application for the high‐density heterotrophic cultivation of rice sprouts was performed using the developed container. The growth productivity of rice sprouts cultivated in containers was similar to that of individual test tubes. These results showed the new value of crop cultivation by the plant factory.