Aeroponics for propagation of horticultural plants: an approach for vertical farming

Abstract

Aeroponics is the technique of growing plant in soilless system in which roots hanging in the air acquire nutrition from spraying of nutrient mist. Although aeroponics was developed initially for the study of root system and related aspects by researchers, its paramount success in commercial crop production and large scale clonal propagation made soilless culture and vertical farming a sustainable concept for future. The technique is superior in terms of water use efficiency, less time and space requirement, seasonal independence, disease free plant propagation, large scale plant production etc. than the conventional methods of propagation. Thus it is widely being utilized in the field of horticulture as well as forestry also.

Nanofertilizers: The Next Generation of Agrochemicals for Long-Term Impact on Sustainability in Farming Systems

“…Aeroponics is an effective technique for the soilless cultivation of horticultural crop plants, in which nutrients are made available through the mist of oxygen in the growth chamber [84]. Here, nutrient materials are continuously made available to plants as foliar sprays or in the form of dust on the roots [85]. The gaseous exchange in plants occurs through the stomatal openings.…”

Crop Hydroponics, Phyto-hydroponics, Crop Production, and Factors Affecting Soilless Culture

“…Many agricultural and horticultural crops are grown with water based culture and substrate based culture . Water based culture and substrate based culture increase feasibility of soilless production of vegetable crops such as tomato, chili, brinjal, green bean, bell pepper, cauliflower, cucumber, melons, radish, onion, lettuce, beet, winged beans, water spinach, spinach, coriander, etc. , Water based culture and substrate based culture are now practiced in commercial crop production under vertical farming also . The growth quality, yield quality, flavors, scent, nutritional content, and end products are more efficient in soilless crop production compared with soil based cultivation …”

A review on production of horticulture crops in aeroponics system

“…The term 'aeroponics' was coined by F.W Went in 1957 for the air growing process while growing the coffee and tomato crops through the same technique (Udit Sharma et al, 2018). Stoner is considered the father of commercial aeroponics.…”

“…Space between nozzles and their pressure, the spacing of styrofoam holes, pumping capacity of the motor, duration of nutrient spraying, and the time gap between two subsequent sprays may vary according to the scale of aeroponics unit setup and cultivated plants. Nutrient solution dribbling from the suspended roots in the tank is pumped back to the water tank and recycled (Udit Sharma et al, 2018) Crops in an aeroponic platform are subjected to multiple climates that influenced stress situations. In traditional agriculture, these stress situations are considered uncontrollable, and crop productivity achieved only to such extend, the climate permits it.…”

“…The technique could be a practical solution for commercial farming in the anthropocene where world is facing huge scarcity of freshwater and agricultural land to meet the food demand of 7.6 billion. Moreover, it could be the way forward for sustainable and productive farming technique in space (Udit Sharma et al, 2018). Aeroponics optimizes root aeration, a major factor leading to a yield increase as compared to classical hydroponics (Soffer & Burger, 1988).…”