( Kozai, 2007 ). Thus, unless the factories are designed to be more energy-efficient, their products are unlikely to become competitive in price. The production cost is always a concern for a plant factory operation. Hydroponics is a plant cultivation
Aquaponics is a food production technology that combines aquaculture and hydroponics in an integrated recirculating system without soil ( Rakocy et al., 2006 ). The aquaponics ecosystem is composed by fish, bacteria, and plants ( Somerville et al
Production of five commercial cut flowers in different culture media, namelyI nutrient film technique (NFT), soilless media (perlite and an equal mix of perlite and peatmoss), and soil mix (2 sand: 1 loam by volume), was investigated in controlled fiberglass-house. Two rose varieties (Rosa hybrida var. Baccara and Madina); carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus var. William Sim); Chrysanthemum morifolium var. Delta, and Dahlia hybrida var. variabilis were used. Plants were watered as they needed by the same nutrient solution used for NFT.
Generally, growth and yield of Baccara and Madina roses, Chrysanthemum and Dhalia plants were superior in NFT than in the other media. On the contrary, the growth and yield of carnation plants were significantly greater in conventional soil or perlite and peatmoss mix than in NFT or perlite.
Flower crops grown in NFT generally reached harvest stage 5-10 days earlier than those grown in the other media except carnation plants. There were variations in the accumulation of N, P, K mg, ca, and Fe in plant leaves among the various culture media.
A nutrient delivery system that may have applicability for growing plants in microgravity is described. The Vacuum-Operated Nutrient Delivery System (VONDS) draws nutrient solution across roots that are under a partial vacuum at ≈91 kPa. Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Blue Lake 274) plants grown on the VONDS had consistently greater leaf area and higher root, stem, leaf, and pod dry weights than plants grown under nonvacuum control conditions. This study demonstrates the potential applicability of the VONDS for growing plants in microgravity for space biology experimentation and/or crop production.
Abstract
Two- to 3-month-old seedlings (10 to 12 cm tall) were grown in solution culture to which varying levels of ancymidol or dikegulac were added. Height growth of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) at 11 days after treatment was inhibited ≈50% by 12.5 mg·liter–1 dikegulac. Growth of green ash and silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.) at 7 days was inhibited 75% to 80% by 0.125 mg·liter–1 ancymidol. Growth responses of these seedlings were linearly related to the logarithm of dikegulac and ancymidol concentrations. Chemical names used: 2,3:4,6-bis-O-(1-methylethylidene)-α-L-xylo-2-hexulofuranosonic acid) (dikegulac); α-cyclopropyl-α-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-5-pyrimidinemethanol (ancymidol).
hydroponics. Hydroponic culture of seedlings has been found to be effective for screening for salinity tolerance in agaves ( Nobel and Berry, 1985 ), other species ( Munns and James, 2003 ; Shaheen and Hood-Nowotny, 2005 ), and for other forms of
biological demand requires greater inputs of oxygen to sustain homeostasis ( Ben-Noah and Friedman, 2018 ). The nutrient solution of liquid hydroponics benefits from levels of DO close to saturation near 8 mg⋅L –1 . This promotes healthy root respiration and
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.R. Harper, J.K. Takeda, F. Wade, E.D. Summerfelt, S.T. 2000 Economic evaluation of hydroponics and other treatment options for phosphorus removal in aquaculture effluent HortScience 35 993 999 Adler