Hydroponics

Hydroponics is a type of horticulture and a subset of hydroculture which involves growing plants, usually crops or medicinal plants, without soil, by using water-based mineral nutrient solutions in an artificial environment. Terrestrial or aquatic plants may grow freely with their roots exposed to the nutritious liquid or the roots may be mechanically supported by an inert medium such as perlite, gravel, or other substrates.^[1]

Despite inert media, roots can cause changes of the rhizosphere pH and root exudates can affect rhizosphere biology and physiological balance of the nutrient solution when secondary metabolites are produced in plants.^[2]^[3]^[4] Transgenic plants grown hydroponically allow the release of pharmaceutical proteins as part of the root exudate into the hydroponic medium.^[5]

The nutrients used in hydroponic systems can come from many different organic or inorganic sources, including fish excrement, duck manure, purchased chemical fertilizers, or artificial standard or hybrid nutrient solutions.^[6]

In contrast to field cultivation, plants are commonly grown hydroponically in a greenhouse or contained environment on inert media, adapted to the controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) process.^[7] Plants commonly grown hydroponically include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, strawberries, lettuces, and cannabis, usually for commercial use, as well as Arabidopsis thaliana, which serves as a model organism in plant science and genetics.^[8]

Hydroponics offers many advantages, notably a decrease in water usage in agriculture. To grow 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of tomatoes using

intensive farming methods requires 214 liters (47 imp gal; 57 U.S. gal) of water;^[9]
using hydroponics, 70 liters (15 imp gal; 18 U.S. gal); and
only 20 liters (4.4 imp gal; 5.3 U.S. gal) using aeroponics.^[10]

Hydroponic cultures lead to highest biomass and protein production compared to other growth substrates, of plants cultivated in the same environmental conditions and supplied with equal amounts of nutrients.^[11]

Hydroponics is not only used on earth, but has also proven itself in plant production experiments in Earth orbit.^[12]

^ Gericke, William F. (1945). "The meaning of hydroponics". Science. 101 (2615): 142–143. Bibcode:1945Sci...101..142G. doi:10.1126/science.101.2615.142. PMID 17800488.
^ Nye, P. H. (February 1981). "Changes of pH across the rhizosphere induced by roots". Plant and Soil. 61 (1–2): 7–26. Bibcode:1981PlSoi..61....7N. doi:10.1007/BF02277359.
^ Walker, T. S.; Bais, H. P.; Grotewold, E.; Vivanco, J. M. (2003). "Root exudation and rhizosphere biology". Plant Physiology. 132 (1): 44–51. doi:10.1104/pp.102.019661. PMC 1540314. PMID 12746510.
^ Suryawanshi, Yogesh Chandrakant (2021). "Hydroponic Cultivation Approaches to Enhance the Contents of the Secondary Metabolites in Plants". Biotechnological Approaches to Enhance Plant Secondary Metabolites. pp. 71–88. doi:10.1201/9781003034957-5. ISBN 978-1-003-03495-7.
^ Horn, M.E.; Woodard, S.L.; Howard, J.A. (2004). "Plant molecular farming: systems and products". Plant Cell Reports. 22 (10): 711–720. Bibcode:2004PCelR..22..711H. doi:10.1007/s00299-004-0767-1. PMC 7079917. PMID 14997337.
^ Jones Jr. 2016, pp. 153–166.
^ "The future of farming: hydroponics". PSCI. Retrieved Aug 25, 2022.
^ "A simplified hydroponic culture of Arabidopsis". Bio-101. Retrieved Mar 4, 2020.
^ "How much water is needed to produce food and how much do we waste?". The Guardian. Retrieved Aug 19, 2022.
^ Zhang, He; Asutosh, Ashish; Hu, Wei (27 November 2018). "Implementing Vertical Farming at University Scale to Promote Sustainable Communities: A Feasibility Analysis". Sustainability. 10 (12): 4429. Bibcode:2018Sust...10.4429Z. doi:10.3390/su10124429.^{[unreliable source?]}
^ Nagel, K.A.; Kastenholz, B.; Gilmer, F.; Schurr, U.; Walter, A. (2010). "Novel detection system for plant protein production of pharmaceuticals and impact on conformational diseases". Protein and Peptide Letters. 17 (6): 723–731. doi:10.2174/092986610791190282. PMID 20015023.
^ Stutte, Gary; Wheeler, Raymond; Morrow, Robert; Newsham, Gerard (2011). "Concept for Sustained Plant Production on ISS Using VEGGIE Capillary Mat Rooting System". 41st International Conference on Environmental Systems. doi:10.2514/6.2011-5263. hdl:2060/20110011606. ISBN 978-1-60086-948-8.

[1] Gericke, William F. (1945). "The meaning of hydroponics". Science. 101 (2615): 142–143. Bibcode:1945Sci...101..142G. doi:10.1126/science.101.2615.142. PMID 17800488.

[2] Nye, P. H. (February 1981). "Changes of pH across the rhizosphere induced by roots". Plant and Soil. 61 (1–2): 7–26. Bibcode:1981PlSoi..61....7N. doi:10.1007/BF02277359.

[3] Walker, T. S.; Bais, H. P.; Grotewold, E.; Vivanco, J. M. (2003). "Root exudation and rhizosphere biology". Plant Physiology. 132 (1): 44–51. doi:10.1104/pp.102.019661. PMC 1540314. PMID 12746510.

[Suryawanshi_Hydroponic_Cultivation-4] Suryawanshi, Yogesh Chandrakant (2021). "Hydroponic Cultivation Approaches to Enhance the Contents of the Secondary Metabolites in Plants". Biotechnological Approaches to Enhance Plant Secondary Metabolites. pp. 71–88. doi:10.1201/9781003034957-5. ISBN 978-1-003-03495-7.

[5] Horn, M.E.; Woodard, S.L.; Howard, J.A. (2004). "Plant molecular farming: systems and products". Plant Cell Reports. 22 (10): 711–720. Bibcode:2004PCelR..22..711H. doi:10.1007/s00299-004-0767-1. PMC 7079917. PMID 14997337.

[FOOTNOTEJones_Jr.2016153–166-6] Jones Jr. 2016, pp. 153–166.

[:-2-7] "The future of farming: hydroponics". PSCI. Retrieved Aug 25, 2022.

[8] "A simplified hydroponic culture of Arabidopsis". Bio-101. Retrieved Mar 4, 2020.

[9] "How much water is needed to produce food and how much do we waste?". The Guardian. Retrieved Aug 19, 2022.

[10] Zhang, He; Asutosh, Ashish; Hu, Wei (27 November 2018). "Implementing Vertical Farming at University Scale to Promote Sustainable Communities: A Feasibility Analysis". Sustainability. 10 (12): 4429. Bibcode:2018Sust...10.4429Z. doi:10.3390/su10124429.^{[unreliable source?]}

[:-3-11] Nagel, K.A.; Kastenholz, B.; Gilmer, F.; Schurr, U.; Walter, A. (2010). "Novel detection system for plant protein production of pharmaceuticals and impact on conformational diseases". Protein and Peptide Letters. 17 (6): 723–731. doi:10.2174/092986610791190282. PMID 20015023.

[12] Stutte, Gary; Wheeler, Raymond; Morrow, Robert; Newsham, Gerard (2011). "Concept for Sustained Plant Production on ISS Using VEGGIE Capillary Mat Rooting System". 41st International Conference on Environmental Systems. doi:10.2514/6.2011-5263. hdl:2060/20110011606. ISBN 978-1-60086-948-8.

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