Hydroponics

It is important to conduct water and nutrient solution analyses on a regular basis to ensure hydroponic tomatoes are receiving the proper level of nutrients. Making sure that hydroponically-grown tomatoes receive the proper nutrient levels requires testing water and nutrient solutions. Growers also need…

In a legal battle over what constitutes organic farming, a federal judge signaled Thursday he is unlikely to find a 1990 law forbids labeling hydroponic and other crops not grown in soil as organic. Joined by organic farmers and trade groups, the Center for Food Safety sued the U.S. Food and Drug…

Whether talking about nutrient film technique (NFT), deep water culture (DWC), drip irrigation systems, aeroponics systems, ebb and flow systems, or any other system we should agree that these are all just variations of irrigation systems. Suppliers of hydroponic systems will all tell you why theirs is…

The analyses of online quality measurements of four lettuce cultivars (Rex, Tacitus, Black Seeded Simpson, Flandria) using hyperspectral image processing techniques have been studied. Seedlings were planted in Rock-wool cubes and fed for 3 weeks using hydroponic nutrient solution containing 0, 50, 100,…

Indoor farming is a method of cultivating crops or plants normally on a large scale entirely indoors. But, we must make sure that our indoor room’s insulation has enough R-value to support farming 24×7. The R-value is the measure of resistance to heat flow which is thermal resistance indicating the…

In winter, low temperatures, high humidity and a lack of light can lead to the appearance of pathogenic fungi or to problems caused by the degradation of the plants' root system, mainly due to inadequate irrigation. Although the meteorological conditions that affect the crop are not the same in summer as…

Plantlogic is a company that aims to constantly challenging itself to design and improve their pots to help customers achieve the best results. "Our recent challenge has been improving our first-generation Zephyr pot. We have growers around the world getting great results with this pot, but we believe it…

Last year Van der Knaap Groep performed two different trials with hydroponic lettuce. Karel de Bruijn: “We used mineral nutrients in one pond and organic in the other. Last year's trial was successful. The filtration system did its job. The membranes ensure the bacteria can't pass through. That's why our…

“Over the last 5-7 years, universities’ interest in greenhouse and hydroponic training has exploded. Getting involved with the education community has been great; it used to be only a specific group that liked hydroponics, but now everyone seems to,” says Paul Brentlinger, chief executive officer of…

Fortunately and unfortunately there are so many ways to manage pathogens in a hydroponic nutrient solution. Having options is great but these options can be difficult to navigate for new growers. Hopefully this overview comparing three popular management styles makes it easier to understand the tradeoffs…

Tips on managing disease in your hydroponic system - mailchi.mp/urbanagnews/d3…

Self-sufficiency is a goal of many liveaboard cruisers who sail the world’s oceans, generating their own water and power, writes Erin Carey With limited space and the obvious challenges of salt, wind and motion, many would never entertain the idea of growing their own produce. Yet it can be possible: we spoke to cruisers who…

With hydroponics and vertical farming gaining popularity around the world, growers are increasingly interested in finding crop varieties with a proven track record in controlled environment system. To meet this, Vilmorin-Mikado has positioned itself as a leader in plant breeding and the provision of…

Important Tips for Designing a Hydroponic Production Facility - mailchi.mp/urbanagnews/d3…

This is an excellent education video Food Safety for Hydroponic growers/ youtu.be/JvHJSOLN5qk via @YouTube

The beneficial effects that silicon (Si) has on plant growth as well as resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses have been well documented for many crops in recent years. However, few studies focus on the effects of Si on plant growth during the propagation stage of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa, Duchesne). This study was conducted to investigate the optimal method for Si application during the cutting propagation of strawberry in soilless cultivation. Strawberry mother plants were supplied with Si through foliar spray, runner spray, or root drench before the cutting propagation, then half of the daughter plants in each treatment received continued Si supply through foliar spray or through root drench after the cutting propagation. The results showed that the plant height, petiole length and diameter, leaf length and width, shoot fresh and dry weights, and root fresh and dry weights were significantly increased by Si root drench both before and after the cutting propagation. Moreover, plants absorbed more Si by drench than by spray, and the absorbed Si was only able to be transported from the root to the shoot, and from the mother plant to the daughter plant.

Recently, a vase of crystal clear water was put on the table when Maren Schoormans and Simon Kleinjan told, on behalf of Viscon, about cultivation on water, or hydroponics. It is a cultivation method which is no longer new, although it receives extra attention now that investors also see opportunities in…

Why do you keep saying buffer capacity? For anyone that has called me to discuss the design of their new vertical farm or greenhouse, they have ...

Dr. Paul Fisher from the University of Florida IFAS Extension interviews Shawn Mallen from A.M.A. Horticulture in a new YouTube video where they discuss the different commercial substrates most commonly used in hydroponic production, the importance of air porosity, and compaction of substrates. This video…

The management of nutrition in soilless cultivations poses serious difficulties to growers, because the calculation of the fertilizers needed to prepare a nutrient solution requires a good background in chemistry and is time consuming. Multiple factors affect the composition of a nutrient solution.…

A University of British Columbia student design team is developing a fully autonomous agricultural robot, driven by their belief that Canada can lead the world in sustainable farming. The UBC AgroBot aims to precisely exterminate weeds and fertilize crops as well as record data from a farmer’s operation.…

Plant greenhouses use dripping/irrigation lines or hydroponic systems to provide the plants with sufficient water. However, invisible from the outside, a biofilm may build op on the inner lining of these water systems. Such biofilm may significantly reduce the water flow or even physically clog entire…

By Karla Garcia  Silicon (also known as silica, Si) is found in high quantities in open field production but is absent in hydroponic nutritional recipes. The lack of knowledge about the role of silicon (Si) in horticultural crops became apparent when using soilless / hydroponic systems.  Research has demonstrated that silicon is one of the […]

The following information is derived from an interview Agritecture conducted with Curt Epperson, Business Development Director of Produce and Floral at Publix Super Markets.  Publix Super Markets, headquartered in Florida, is the largest employee-owned grocery chain in the United States. Since opening in 1930,…

Van der Knaap is known for their substrate knowledge, but did you know they also developed a sustainable cultivation system? The liquid nutrient solution rich in organic NO3 that is produced with this system is also extremely suitable for other cultivation systems, such as growing lettuce in a hydroponic…

"We started in 2016, almost by chance, with the idea of winning a bet, that of being able to grow blueberries in our area. We decided to grow them in pots, in an area of the National Park of Cilento, and we obtained good yields per hectare. We adopted a specific soil (very acidic) and applied all the…

Mediterranean areas with intensive agriculture are characterized by high salinity of groundwater. The use of this water in hydroponic cultivations can lead to nutrient solutions with an electrical conductivity that overcomes the tolerance threshold of many vegetable species. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were shown to minimize salt stress on several vegetable crops but the studies on the application of PGPR on leafy vegetables grown in hydroponics are rather limited and have not been used under salt stress conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria to increase the salt tolerance of leaf lettuce grown in autumn and spring in a floating system, by adding a bacterial biostimulant (1.5 g L−1 of TNC BactorrS13 a commercial biostimulant containing 1.3 × 108 CFU g−1 of Bacillus spp.) to mineral nutrient solutions (MNS) with two salinity levels (0 and 20 mM NaCl). Leaf lettuce plants showed a significant reduction of growth and yield under salt stress, determined by the reduction of biomass, leaf number, and leaf area. Plants showed to be more tolerant to salinity in autumn than in spring.

Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.

With that idea in mind, GR365N (pronounced Green 365) was created. The social enterprise aims to teach individuals how to grow fresh food in hydroponic systems allowing them to access fresh food 365 days a year with minimal growing costs.

With COVID affecting food production, team members Dan Atkinson and Colin McVicker believe hydroponic farming this isn’t the future of food production, rather, it is the present. 

The way the system works is simple. Seedlings are placed in vertical posts that contain plastic substrate. The main water tank pumps water through the entire system and trickles down into the posts leading the plants to grow out horizontally on vertical posts using LED lights, no soil and 95 per cent less water than farms. 

Potassium is recognized as a nutrient required to keep good quality in our plants and fruits. This nutrient has a huge impact on many plant processes due to its function as enzyme activator. Also, potassium has a strong role in stomata opening and closure due to its function as an osmotic regulator.  […]

Traditional soil-grown crop production has worked well for thousands of years, but there’s one fact that has placed strain on conventional agriculture: The human population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050. With that comes a demand that already stressed fields can’t necessarily supply.