HYDROPONICS FARMING TECHNOLOGY

In today’s world there is a requirement for clean food production, and Hydroponics is a likely solution for this demand raised, by savvy customers, over the past 10 years. 

Cultivating plants without soil is termed as “HYDROPHONICS”, which implies “water” and “work” in Greek. This method took roots in 19th century and evolved into its current structure, which is alluring to commercial growers and is gaining recognition among home gardeners.

TECHNIQUES:

PASSIVE TECHNIQUE:

As the name indicates the nutrient solution is “dormant”, and it may or may not be oxygenated, this is apt for cultivating crops at residence or on a small scale.

ACTIVE TECHNIQUES:

Here the nutrient solution is Dynamic or active, it is an intricate process which is suitable for Horticulture.

There are more Advantages than negatives with Hydroponics.

Hydroponics is a method to cloning hybrid cultivars that would otherwise not grow conforming to measure from seed. Hydroponics is very technical and proper so it is appealing method of agriculture to a larger consultation.

Mulching synopsis

Mulching is a process of covering the field with a protective layer. Mulching helps the farmer by protecting the top soil of field from, rains, excessive heat, wind and forms the breeding ground for beneficial organisms living in the soil.

From small scale production to large scale production mulching proves to be beneficial to both but doesn’t receive the projected appreciation.

Mulching helps to inhibit the growth of weeds, conserve soil moisture, improve soil texture and to protect roots from extreme temperature.

Mulches are of two types, biodegradable and nonbiodegradable conservation tillage is a common practise nowadays, where plant residue is left on the ground which works as mulch.

Non-biodegradable mulches are beneficial compared biodegradable mulches since they are more economical and can be used for a longer time. 

WEED AND ITS CONTROL

Approximately 3 % of total plant species of around, 250,000 act as weeds. The weeds account to around 8000 species. Weeds can cause trouble in many ways and they are an important Factor which unless regulated, can have considerable overall effect on the quality and quantity of the Farm output.

No matter what definition is used, all of them lead to the conclusion that weeds are undesirable. Actually our relative point of view is responsible for classifying a portion of plant species into weeds section, no plant is a weed by nature.

The weeds affect both the yield and quality of the agricultural produce in a negative way. Hence there removal is of prime importance, that to on a regular basis. Though most of them get uprooted while we plough the field, but they reappear after the main plants grow.

Spraying of weedicide is an effective way to control weeds, the chemical method of weeding is highly effective, time saving and cheaper than manual weeding. 

Weeds are controversial in nature, but from the perspective of an agriculturist they are a bane rather than a boon. They need to be controlled in a practical and economical way to produce the best yield.

Seedbuzz Exclusive: Soil Salinity

Increased concentration of soluble salts in soil and water salinity is referred to as Salinization. It is a foremost task to Agricultural scientists to solve this challenge with respect to the agricultural sector.

Much research has been conducted in the area of relative resistance of plants to salinity. Salt content is a major factor in determining the soils chemical quality along with soil reaction, charge properties and nutrient reserves.

For optimal progress of photosynthetic Mechanism and biochemical processes of plants, ample amount of soil salinity is required, but this would lead to environmental problems such as radical changes in the physical and chemical properties of the soil, effecting the overall productivity of soil and growth of plants.

In spite of natural existence for soil salinity being in attendance, the human intrusion disturbs the natural ecosystem and changes the hydrology of the land, which results in transfer of these salts into the rivers and onto the land at an accelerated pace.

Managing the salinity requires striking a balance between the amount of water entering the field and the amount of water exiting the field. They are correspondingly termed as Recharge and Discharge.

Major research is still underway on the process of revegetation of recharge lands and Salinization defiant plant varieties.

Colony Collapse Disorder And The Role Of Neonicotinoids

Our ecosystem is an intricate network of life forms connected through symbiosis. Insect pollinators are one of the base of our ecosystem because they aid in the process of reproduction of majority of plant species depending on cross pollination. It is widely believed that every one meal out of three that we consume is the consequence of bee activity. hence bees are naturally of great significance for the sustenance of our eco system. Desolately bees are fading away dying due to CCD (Colony collapse Disorder). the major source of these deaths is believed to be neonicotinoid brand of pesticides. Inspite of the pandemonium there has been a debate that the rationale that pathogens and other parasites might be contributing to the deaths.

A recent report by the European Union has indicated a variety of reasons contributing to the death of bee colonies that includes poor management in beekeeping climate change, starvation and most of all pathogens.Though it is inconclusive after several studies that neonics play a direct role in the deaths of bees, it is assumed that neonics play an indirect role by decreasing the resistance power of bees towards pathogens and thereby leading to the death of bees, so this calls for a ban on neonics at least
temporarily.On the other hand crop production would undergo rigorous loss if there is an immediate ban, so its best to look for sustainable alternatives.

Forest Garden is an agronomic system where trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, annuals and climbers all form part of a carefully designed and interconnected arrangement for growing food and other useful plant products. Forest Gardening is an intensive form of agro-forestry, mixed in such a way as to mimic the structure of a natural forest - the most stable and sustainable type of ecosystem in this climate. 

The  primary aims of the system are –

To be biologically sustainable, i.e. help to cope with disturbances such as climate change

To be productive, i.e. yield a large number of different products

The crops produced in the forest garden will often include fruits, nuts, edible leaves, spices, medicinal plant products,etc.

A forest garden is designed and maintained specifically, not using the normal tenets of gardening, but taking its vision from nature and very much based on a natural ecology of a young forest. It is a food production system based on replicating woodland ecosystems to grow trees, bushes, shrubs, herbs and vegetables that are directly useful to people. The different crops grow on multiple levels in the same area to gain maximum productivity from the available space. Whilst this is a common small scale food production approach in the tropics, models for temperate climates have more recently become popular.

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Soil Science and Plant Nutrition

Soil is one of the most important constituent of Agriculture. Plants derive almost all nutrients from soil and so its purpose serves beyond the fact that it’s the substrate on which the plant grows. The soil types vary from region to region and so do the type of plants that grow on them. All types of soil are made up of two basic components which are biotic and abiotic.  It’s the continuous nutrient cycle that takes place at the biotic-abiotic interface that plays a crucial role in plant growth and sustainable agriculture. There are tremendous amounts of biochemical reactions occurring in what seems like a lifeless soil. Increased use of fertilizer has increased the cost of production and decreased the soil quality. In order to better understand basic needs of the plants, it is important to go to the root cause, literally.

Soil ecosystem is a complex interaction of biochemical process between the soil biota. These biological processes have both direct and indirect impact on plant growth. Soil microorganisms that are present in the rhizosphere of the roots of plants are constantly interacting with the plants for transportation, mobilization and solubilization of nutrients.  These soil bacteria that aid plant growth are referred to as Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR can further be classified into symbiotic bacteria also referred to as iPGPR (intercellular/internal PGPR) that live inside the plant root cells and free living rhizobacteria also referred to as ePGPR  (extracellular/external PGPR) that live outside the plant root cell.  The most studied and effective iPGPR is the Rhizobia which is symbiotically associated with the leguminous plants and helps in the formation of root nodules and Nitrogen fixation.  Rhizobium species such as Allorhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Azorrhizobium and Sinorhizobium been found to have significant impact on plant growth. On the other hand free living bacteria such as Azatobacter, Azospirillum, Bacillus and Klebsiella species have also proven to enhance plant growth by Nitrogen fixation

The soil health is without doubt vital for good yield of plant. The right balance of biotic and abiotic constituents in the soil can lead a way to sustainable and optimal agriculture. The following conclusions can be drawn from the studies reflected in this article.

• Presence of good amount of organic and inorganic matter is essential to support nutrient cycle.
• Soil biota help plant growth by supporting nutrient uptake, providing disease resistance and holding up soil structure
• The presence of a healthy population of soil biota reduces the need for external inputs for soil growth

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