Kelebihan2 Hydroponic Berbanding Tanaman Di Atas Tanah/ Advantages Of Hydroponic Over Soil Culture

• Tidak memerlukan kawasan yang luas
• Masa menanam yang pendek bermakna lebih pusingan tanaman setahun
• Kerja-kerja yang membebankan dapat dikurangkan
• Air dapat dijimatkan
• Serangan penyakit & serangga yang dibawa oleh tanah dapat dielakkan
• Perosak tanaman (serangga & penyakit) akan lebih mudah dikawal tanpa menggunakan racun yang merbahaya
• Nutrient dapat dikitar kembali, bermakna penjimatan penggunaan baja
• Tiada masalah rumput di atas batas tanaman
• Hasil yang lebih tinggi
• Tiada atau kurang kejutan pada anak benih semasa mengubah (anak benih kurang atau tidak terencat)
• Musim menanam sepanjang tahun. Musim menanam tidak dipengaruhi oleh musim yang mungkin tidak menentu
• Kualiti hasil yang tinggi & sekata, suci dari sebarang sisa racun atau sisa gigitan makhluk perosak maupun penggunaan najis yang kontroversi (sebagai baja) seperti najis Khinzir, najis lembu dan sebagainya.
• Lebih banyak jumlah pokok boleh ditanam pada setiap unit luas kawasan (kepadatan tinggi memungkinkan hasil yang tinggi juga)
• Alam sekitar yang lebih bersih & harmoni. Tidak ada bau yang tidak menyenangkan seperti bau najis dan sebagainya
  

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• Crops can be produced on non-arable land including land with poor soils and/or high salinity levels - *The grower doesn’t have to have good soil since the systems, bags, etc. are placed on top of the ground.

• Isolation from diseases or insect pests usually found in the soil - *The plant roots are contained in systems, bags, etc. and do not grow through soil that might contain diseases or other pests such as insects and nematodes.*Additionally, white fabric ground covers can be placed on the greenhouse floor to further isolate the systems and plants from soil-borne pests.NOTE: The white fabric also reflects light back up into the canopy enhancing photosynthesis, allows for ease of cleaning and helps control humidity and weeds.
  

• Direct and immediate control over the rhizosphere - *Since the roots are either growing in water or growing through an inert medium, whatever is in the nutrient solution is bathing the roots. Therefore, nutrient concentrations and pH can be adjusted quickly.

• Higher yields are possible - *For field grown tomatoes yields are 10-40 tons per acre compared with around 300 tons per acre for tomatoes grown using greenhouse hydroponics. *Yields are greater due to better control over water, nutrition, EC, pH and diseases (plus control over environmental conditions – see below). *Yields are also higher due to the use of certain varieties bred for hydroponics that are also indeterminant (“vining” – see below).

• High density planting = minimum use of land area - *For tomatoes in the field a typical planting density is 4000 to 5000 plants per acre. Greenhouse hydroponic tomatoes can be 10,000 to 11,000 plants per acre! *Plants can be grown closer together because of the use of indeterminant (“vining”) varieties that take up less cross-sectional area than do bush varieties usually used for field cropping. This also takes advantage of the greenhouse volume, so that production is on a “cubic volume basis”.

• Efficient use of water and nutrients - *In soil culture water may be lost in wetting the soil beyond the reach of the plant roots or from the surface through evaporation.*In hydroponic culture, since the nutrient solution is enclosed in a bag, tube, etc., there is no loss AND little or no water stress in the plant. NOTE: When comparing monetary return for water use – for every gallon of water used to irrigate cotton the grower gets 1/10th of a cent. For every gallon of water used to irrigate hydroponic tomatoes, the grower gets over 30 cents!*Nutrients (which equate to $money$) are also not lost to the soil but retained in the root zone and in closed systems are replenished and recycled.

• Ease of cleaning the systems - *The aggregate growing media can be steam sterilized, or simply replaced. *Whole systems, including the drip irrigation system, can be quickly sterilized using 10% bleach and cleaned of salt build-ups using a mild acid (rinse well).

• No weeding or cultivation is needed.

• Transplanting of seedlings is easy – No transplant shock -* In soil culture the root mass can be easily disturbed during transplanting causing root breakage, plant stress and stunted growth for up to a week. *In hydroponic culture seeds are started in Rockwool cubes or plugs, then transplanted into larger cubes with holes made for that purpose (see Chapter 9 Seed Germination and Transplanting). There is no disturbance of the root mass, little or no root breakage and therefore minimal plant stress and transplant shock. Fruit of hydroponically grown plants is usually tastier - Hydroponically grown tomatoes, for example, are picked after they have begun to ripen, which includes the typical red color formation of the fruit (lycopene), the formation of gel within the locules and the characteristic taste. The grower can also raise the EC (electrical conductivity measuring salt levels) in the root zone that tends to enhance flavor.*Tomatoes from field grown plants (in many areas) are picked “green”, then “gassed” with ethylene which induces lycopene formation but does not enhance the flavor. Therefore, you get nicely colored fruit with little or no taste.

• Virtual indifference to the seasons. In the desert southwest crops can be grown year around including in the winter when field crops are not being produced and prices are higher.

• Control over the aerial (upper) portions of the plant.The air temperature and, to some extent, the relative humidity can be regulated to suit the crop under cultivation in the greenhouse environment.

• *Higher than normal (~330 ppm) levels of carbon dioxide (up to 1000 to 1500 ppm) can be reached using a carbon dioxide generator (burning natural gas) in order to enhance photosynthesis. The greenhouse environment is suitable for mechanization. *Includes personnel carts for plant maintenance and picking as well as future designs for automated harvesting “robots” (will require changes in plant structure).