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Plants have long been grown with their roots immersed in solutions of water and fertilizer for scientific studies of their nutrition. Early commercial hydroponics (from Greek hydro, “water,” and ponos,“labour”) adopted this method of culture. Because of the difficulties in supporting the plants in a normal upright growing position and aerating the solution, however, this method was supplanted by gravel culture, in which gravel supports the plants in a watertight bed or bench.
Various kinds of gravel and other materials have been used successfully, including fused shale and clay and granite chips. Fertilizer solution is pumped through periodically, the frequency and concentration depending on the plant and on ambient conditions such as light and temperature.
The solution drains into a tank, and pumping is usually automatic.
The Future of Hydroponics
In the future food will become scarce as many countries agricultural lands will turn to desert, or are polluted, or are used for large urban developments, or run out of WATER. Hydroponics will be the new source of food that has proven over many years of use to be much more water efficient.
The following points depict various areas of agriculture and hydroponics that will change in the future:
There is continuous development of the application of solar heating in hydroponic greenhouses will reduce cost and economic impact of hydroponic systems.
In the future, developing countries, along with all other nations, will be able to feed many people using less land than current traditional farming techniques.
Advances in lighting technology will lead to a more widespread use of hydroponics in areas with limited seasonal sunlight.
In the future, the application of hydroponics in providing food in areas having vast regions of non-arable land, such as deserts and mountainous terrain, will be more heavily used.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/topic/hydroponics
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