Ecological and economic features of substrates for growing plants in greenhouses

Abstract

It is noted that hydroponic technologies for growing vegetables require careful running of all necessary technological operations. Failure of one of them can result in failure to obtain the maximum possible productivity of plants of appropriate quality. Maintenance of the entire system of ensuring a high-quality hydroponic regime for growing vegetables is economically costly. However, even under such growing conditions, vegetable crops are far from optimal. Repeated use of artifcial substrates contributes to the accumulation of phytopathogenic substances of phenolic nature and, as a consequence, reduces the yield of crops. These substrates do not produce enough CO2 and plants need it. It is shown that the main function of soil both in the feld and especially in soil greenhouses and hothouses is reduced to its ability to accumulate organic acids produced by plants, as these substances have a detrimental effect on the plant itself. The next step is the interaction of organic acids with the soil, which it adsorbs. The colloidal fraction of the soil and organic compounds from the root systems create new components that become available to plants after a corresponding period of interaction with the soil absorption complex. It is established that it is enough to apply fresh manure in cattle in the amount of 90–100 t/ha, but after a year. After growing vegetables in the fall (cucumber, tomato), their stems were removed and placed in the pit of a shelving greenhouse, where California worms were grown, in order to obtain compost. In greenhouses freed from grain crops, green manure crops (oil radish, winter rape) were sown, pre-treated surface soil. The soil of greenhouses and hothouses can be used for a long period of 30 years or more, using crop rotation from vegetable, grain and medicinal tropical crops without the cost of electricity to maintain light - temperature growing conditions in spring-summer-autumn periods. Key words: hydroponics, soil greenhouses, vegetable, grain and medicinal tropical crops, cultural change of growing conditions in spring-summer-autumn periods.