Pyramid Shaped Hydroponic and Aeroponic Technology——a New Technology for Pepper Cultivation

Hydroponic and aeroponic technology is to grow plants in an air or mist environment instead of using soils. The research reviewed pyramid-shaped hydro- ponic and aeroponic system and made conclusions from base construction, process of the cultivation and daily management.

Precision phenotyping of contrasting potato(Solanum tuberosum L.) varieties in a novel aeroponics system for improving nitrogen use efficiency: In search of key traits and genes

With increasing population, degrading soil health, limited arable land area, and high cost of nitrogen(N) fertilizers, improving nitrogen use efficiency(NUE) of potato is an inevitable approach to save the environment and achieve sufficient tuber yields with less N fertilizer supply. Recently, we have developed an aeroponics system to study NUE in potato using genomics, physiology, and breeding approaches. This study aims on precision phenotyping of plants of two distinct potato varieties(Kufri Gaurav, N efficient;Kufri Jyoti, N inefficient) in the novel aeroponics system. Plants were grown in aeroponics under controlled conditions with low N(0.75 mmol L^-1NO3^-) and high N(7.5 mmol L^-1NO3^-) levels. Plant biomass, root traits, total chlorophyll content, and plant N were increased with increasing N supply, whereas higher NUE parameters namely NUE, agronomic NUE(Ag NUE), N uptake efficiency(NUp E), harvest index(HI), and N harvest index(NHI) were observed at low N. An NUE efficient cv. Kufri Gaurav showed higher tuber dry weight, fresh tuber yield, tuber number per plant, early start of tuber harvesting, root traits, stolon traits, NUE parameters, and higher amino acid(aspartic acid and asparagine) content at low N supply. Higher expression of nitrate reductase(NR), nitrite reductase(NIR), and asparagine synthetase(AS) genes was observed in the leaf tissues of Kufri Gaurav at high N. Thus, aeroponics-based precision phenotyping enables identification of NUE efficient genotypes based on key traits and genes involved in improving NUE in potato. Further, this study suggests that the potential of aeroponics can be utilized to investigate N biology in potato under different N regimes.

Adaptation of <i>Arabidopsis</i>Plants to Tropical Aeroponics Using Cool Root Zone Temperatures

Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heyhn. is a well known model plant in plant research. However, its growth conditions and diminutive stature associated with low biomass at maturity make it a challenging species for physiological studies. While in the tropical countries, it can only be grown either by tissue cultures or in growth chambers under controlled conditions. An aeroponic technique with 20&deg;C ± 2&deg;C and 30&deg;C ± 2&deg;C root-zone temperatures (RZT) was used to grow Arabidopsis (Columbia ecotype) in a tropical greenhouse with natural irradiance and high ambient temperature (38&deg;C/28&deg;C day/night). Seedlings germinated in growth chambers at 20&deg;C or 30&deg;C. At 6 to 8 leaf stage, they were transferred to the aeroponic troughs with their roots exposed to constant temperature of 20&deg;C ± 2&deg;C and 30&deg;C ± 2&deg;C while their aerial parts were subjected to fluctuating ambient temperature from 28&deg;C to 38&deg;C. After a week, plants have acclimatised to both RZTs and started developing normal rosettes, bolted and yielded viable seeds. However, 20&deg;C ± 2&deg;C RZT allowed them to recover from turgor pressure despite of wilting, and significantly increased biomass. Mature plants grown in each RZTs were compared morphologically and physiologically to the plants grown in growth chamber (GC) at 20&deg;C (root and shoot) temperature with 60% relative humidity. Aeroponically grown plants did not experience photoinhibition, and also exhibited higher photosynthetic light usage efficiency and higher capacities of heat dissipation, compared to GC plants. This aeroponics with cool RZTs can allow the use of Arabidopsis as a model plant even under tropical climate.

Overview of the aeroponic agriculture-An emerging technology for global food security

Traditionally,crops are cultivated in soil-based open field systems.Seasonality,environmental degradation,urbanization,and food security issues have replaced open-field systems with modern plant production systems.Soilless culture is one of the modern plant production systems,which involves much higher use of available resources.The presented study provides information about currently accessible soilless systems and discussed the aeroponic system.Compared to other soilless systems,aeroponic reduce water usage through continuous water circulation.However,the aeroponic is not entirely implemented among local farmers,and very few farmers have adopted the system due to the lack of research and technical information available in the literature.Therefore,this study was planned to provide information about the development and maintenance tasks required for practicing the aeroponic system.This study could provide knowledge to the researchers,farmers,and those people interested in practicing the aeroponic system.

Growing arugula plants using aeroponic culture with an automated irrigation system

The paper presents an efficient form of growing arugula plants by means of automatic control of an aeroponic culture irrigation system.The system considers a reprogrammable electronic circuit that uses software to generate different irrigation cycles to obtain an adequate growth of arugula crops.Results show how different samples grown in a greenhouse had the same growth behavior as field-grown samples during the test period.It was possible to obtain a more efficient and sustained five-week production to supply consumers by having a continuous cycle irrigation system,which was operated for 35 d.The growth and number of leaves were maintained in a similar way for different plants analyzed.Roots grow similarly,but some of them showed size differences during the five weeks.

Effects of droplet size and spray interval on root-to-shoot ratio,photosynthesis efficiency,and nutritional quality of aeroponically grown butter head lettuce

The proper selection of the atomizer(droplet size)and nutrient solution spray interval is one of the most important factors to be investigated in aeroponics system for sustainable agriculture.The aim of this study was to research the effects of four aeroponics atomizing nozzles(one air-assisted;A_(1),two air-less;A_(2) and A_(3),and one ultrasonic fogger;A_(4))with droplet sizes of 11.24μm,26.35μm,17.38μm,and 4.89μm,respectively,four spray intervals(15 min(I_(1)),30 min(I_(2)),45 min(I_(3))and 60 min(I_(4)))at a 5 min of constant spray time by atomizing the Hoagland’s nutrient solution on growth,root-to-shoot ratio,photosynthesis characteristics,pigments,and nutritional quality of the aeroponically grown lettuce.The experimental results demonstrated that in A_(1) atomizer and I_(2) interval,the growth,photosynthesis efficiency,chlorophyll,carotenoids,and nutritional values of the lettuce were significantly higher compared to that grown in A_(2) and A_(3) atomizers at all spray intervals.The shoot developments were more constrained than root,prominent to the alteration of root-to-shoot ratio(fresh and dry)in the influence of different droplet sizes and spray intervals.Moreover,the plants did not grow well in A_(4) atomizer associated with proposed spray intervals.The results disclosed that there was an obvious interaction between droplet sizes(atomizers)and spray intervals for growth,the ratio of root to shoot,photosynthesis efficiency,pigments,and nutritional quality of the aeroponically grown lettuce.This research study increases the awareness of the proper droplet size(atomizer)and the regulation of nutrient solution spray interval for leafy vegetables grown in an aeroponics system.

Modelling of phosphorus accumulation in an aeroponic coriander crop

A model was developed for phosphorus(P)concentration over time in a closed aeroponic coriander culture.In addition,the setting and starting up of the soilless culture is described,and the measurements of electrical conductivity(EC),pH and concentration of major ions in the mixing tank are provided.By using mass balance principles,the dynamics of the nutrient concentration in the mixing tank and in the drainage solution are stated.Two series of continuous stirred tank reactors are considered for the flow structure,using a power law relationship to represent the rate of nutrient removal,considering water volume changes.Phosphorus concentration measurements were used for model fitting,and the resulting simulation is in good agreement with data.

Design and experiment of a barrel-shaped aeroponic cultivation system

Theoretically,aeroponic cultivation is easy to make plant roots in a better growth environment.In order to give better play to the theoretical advantages of aeroponic cultivation,further optimize the structure of the aeroponic cultivation system,and make the aeroponic cultivation system more scientific and reasonable,a barrel-shaped aeroponic cultivation system is designed.The aeroponic cultivation system is composed of a monitoring and control system,power equipment,nutrient solution storage,and treatment facility,nutrient solution supply pipelines,aeroponic cultivation barrels,and nutrient solution return pipelines.The cultivation system working principle and its technical requirements were analyzed,and its structure for meeting the requirements of large-scale production was determined.A performance test of the barrel-shaped aeroponic cultivation system using cultivated narrow leaved Chinese chives was conducted.The Chinese chives were cultivated to 6 beds of the cultivation barrel.The system supplied nutrient solution every 30 min for 2 min each time.After 5 weeks growth,the length,leaf width,and single weight of Chinese chive ranged from 293-362 mm,4.1-6.7 mm,and 3.48-5.47 g,respectively,the average length,leaf width,and single weight of Chinese chive were 327 mm,5.1 mm,and 4.24 g,respectively,and there were no significant differences in the length,leaf width,and single weight of Chinese chive on 6 beds by One-way ANOVA.The test results showed that all the Chinese chive in each bed of the cultivation barrel grew well and uniform,which indicated that the circulation process of nutrient solution supply and return in the system was normal,the process of nutrient solution atomization in the system was uniform,and the aeroponic cultivation system operated normally and stable and could be applied in production.

Development and experiment of the intelligent control system for rhizosphere temperature of aeroponic lettuce via the Internet of Things

Currently,in the conventional aeroponic system the collection of data for crop performance is quite slow,whereas such data are typically collected manually.Correspondingly,the root zone temperature is one of the most important factors affecting plant growth in aeroponics cultivation.This study aimed to obtain temperature and relative humidity data inside an aeroponic system based on the Internet of things(IoT)and automatically cool the root zone using a novel low-cost effective technique for cooling via a cooling fan connected to the Arduino board.The results revealed that the newly designed system could monitor and record the data in real-time on an internet server per hour.Furthermore,the temperature and humidity data can be displayed on the smartphone application,and be sent to the personal email weekly as an excel sheet.This system was able to maintain the temperatures inside the roots chamber between 28.7℃-29.2℃ while the maximum external temperature was 38.1℃,and the average temperature in the traditional aeroponics system was fluctuating between 29.5℃-31.5℃.The newly automated cooling system root zone system of this study showed an optimization of lettuce growth characteristics.It significantly increased the lettuce absorbance of inorganic nutrients such as N,P,and K by 45.5%,66.6%,and 45.0%,respectively,also revealed an increment of fresh weight,total chlorophyll,ascorbic acid,total carbohydrate,and total amino acids by 131.0%,26.2%,41.9%,30.7%,6.2%,respectively in comparison with the conventional aeroponic system.Therefore,this study may play a significant role in the aeroponic monitoring and control,for providing more suitable growth parameters and achieving the least human interaction.

Mode of Managing Nutrient Solution Based on N Use Efficiency for Lettuce （Lactuca sativa L.）

In aeroponic cultivation the nutrient solution is an essential component to achieve good production results. And nitrogen is the main constituent element of the nutrient solution and essential element in plant nutrition. Therefore, the management and monitoring nutrient solution and existing nitrogen is fundamental. The experiment shows that three modes of replacing the nutrient solution and three initial pH values and their interaction significantly influenced the fresh weight and dry matter of lettuce. The highest values of fresh and dry weight were recorded in the fifth treatment where there is an interaction between pH 6 and the mode of replacing half of the nutrient solution. The consumption rate of nitrate nitrogen （NOa-N）, ammonium nitrogen （NH4-N） and gross nitrogen （GN） was higher during stage 1 （10 days after transplanting）, especially for the mode of complete replacing nutrient solution.

Comparison of nutrient use efficiency,antioxidant assay,and nutritional quality of butter-head lettuce(Lactuca sativa L.)in five cultivation systems

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the comparison of nutrient use efficiency,antioxidant assay,and nutritional quality of butter-head lettuce in five cultivation systems.For this experimental study,a split-boxes experimental arrangement in a completely randomized design(CRD)with three aeroponics systems(high pressure(T1),low pressure(T2),and ultrasonic nozzle(T3)),hydroponic system(T4),and conventional cultivation system(T5)was designed.The analyses of variance(ANOVA)were employed to assess yield,chlorophyll content,relative water content(RWC),nutrient use efficiency(NUE),2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DDPH),Hydrogen Peroxide(H2O2),Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power(FRAP),total phenolic(TPC),flavonoid content(TFC)and nutritional quality of butter-head lettuce.The experimental comparative results indicated that the shoot and root(fresh and dry)weight,root-to-shoot ratio,chlorophyll contents,CWC,NUE,DDPH,H 2O 2,FRAP,TPC,TFC,nitrate,vitamin C,and protein level were significantly(p<0.05)higher in T 2 treatment,and the values were significantly(p<0.05)lower in T 1 followed by T 5 treatment.Moreover,as mentioned earlier,the median values of the above-mentioned parameters were measured in aeroponics systems with low-pressure nozzle(T 3).It also found a strong positive correlation(r>0.7)among the Shoot(FW),Chlorophyll,RWC,NUE,and among TPC,TFC,DDPH,H 2O 2,and FRAP.This study demonstrates that butter-head lettuce grown in aeroponics systems with high-pressure nozzles may serve as a potential dietary source and is rich in natural antioxidants.

Apoplastic barriers of Populus×canescens roots in reaction to different cultivation conditions and abiotic stress treatments

Populus is an important tree genus frequently cultivated for economical purposes.However,the high sensitivity of poplars towards water deficit,drought,and salt accumulation significantly affects plant productivity and limits biomass yield.Various cultivation and abiotic stress conditions have been described to significantly induce the formation of apoplastic barriers(Casparian bands and suberin lamellae)in roots of different monocotyledonous crop species.Thus,this study aimed to investigate to which degree the roots of the dicotyledonous gray poplar(Populus×canescens)react to a set of selected cultivation conditions(hydroponics,aeroponics,or soil)and abiotic stress treatments(abscisic acid,oxygen deficiency)because a differing stress response could potentially help in explaining the observed higher stress susceptibility.The apoplastic barriers of poplar roots cultivated in different environments were analyzed by means of histochemistry and gas chromatography and compared to the available literature on monocotyledonous crop species.Overall,dicotyledonous poplar roots showed only a remarkably low induction or enhancement of apoplastic barriers in response to the different cultivation conditions and abiotic stress treatments.The genetic optimization(e.g.,overexpression of biosynthesis key genes)of the apoplastic barrier development in poplar roots might result in more stress-tolerant cultivars in the future.

Experimental study of ultrasonic atomizer effects on values of EC and pH of nutrient solution

The objectives of this research were to reveal how main working parameters of ultrasonic atomizers would influence key properties of the atomized nutrient solution in an aeroponics system.The Yamazaki tomato nutrient solution was selected as a nutrient example.Uniform design(UD)method U_(12)(12^(2)×13)was adopted to arrange the test.In this test,spraying time and interval time were taken as quantitative factors with 12 levels(10,20,30,40,50,60,70,80,90,100,110,and 120 min,respectively),and ultrasonic atomizer frequency was taken as qualitative factor with 3 conditions(28 kHz,107 kHz,1.7 MHz).Based on test data,two regression formulations used to predict the values ofΔEC,andΔpH of atomized Yamazaki tomato nutrient solution was established and inspected.The spraying interval time of ultrasonic atomizers had no significant effect on EC and pH of the atomized Yamazaki tomato nutrient solution;the ultrasonic atomizer frequency was more effective than spraying time on the values of EC and pH;the values of EC and pH became maximum at(f_(3),T_(1))=(1.7 MHz,120 min)and minimum at(f_(1),T_(1))=(28 kHz,10 min).It was concluded that the effect of high-frequency(1.7 MHz)ultrasonic atomizer on EC and pH of the Yamazaki tomato nutrient solution was beyond the standard value for tomato growth.Therefore,the high-frequency(1.7 MHz)ultrasonic atomizer is not suitable for aeroponics cultivation when using the Yamazaki tomato nutrient solution as aeroponics nutrient solution.

Application of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Inocula Might Be A Promising Method in the Restoration of Severely Degraded Wetlands

The application of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) inocula in severely degraded wetlands could ensure success in restoration.Mycorrhizal fungi play an important role in plant individual's survival and development in a low nutrient condition.Based on the importance that mycorrhizal fungi have to their host plants,mycorrhizal inocula have been produced and applied in terrestrial ecosystems in order to let the plants become mycorrhizal.However,mycorrhizal inocula have not been used in wetland restorations,despite increasing evidence that mycorrhizal fungi are commonly found in various wetland systems and have the ability to survive under anoxic conditions.Evidence also shows that mycorrhizal fungal inocula in the soil could have been destroyed in the degraded wetland or could be destroyed during traditional wetland restoration process.Therefore,AM inocula production is strongly recommended for wetland restoration.In this paper,I will argue that AM inocula production is required when introduced recovery is necessary,and aeroponic culture technique is a preferable method to produce AM inocula.Last,a renewed wetland restoration flow chart is summarized.