This document provides an overview of soilless vegetable cultivation techniques. It discusses the history and status of soilless cultivation, describing various open and closed soilless systems including root dipping, hanging bags, trenches, hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics. Hydroponics involves growing plants in nutrient solutions without soil, and can be done using wick systems, deep water culture, or nutrient film technique. Aeroponics is an advanced hydroponic method where nutrient solution is misted around exposed roots. The document presents examples of various crops grown using hydroponics and aeroponics, and discusses their advantages in increasing yields and reducing disease compared to traditional soil-based agriculture.

1. Welcome
Everybody
1

2. Soil less Vegetable Cultivation
Presented By :
S. SHARVESH
Department of Horticulture,
Annamalai University
2

3.  Introduction
 History
 Status Of Soilless Vegetable Cultivation
 Types Of Soilless Cultivation
 Crop Nutrition In Soilless Cultivation
 Raising Seedlings Of Vegetable Crops Using Protrays
 Soilless Cultivation Of Major Vegetable Crops
 Irrigation Management In Soilless Cultivation
 Work Done In Himachal Pradesh
 Advantages Of Soilless Vegetable Cultivation
 Disadvantages Of Soilless Vegetable Cultivation
 Conclusion
 Way To Forward
Contents
3

4. Introduction
 Due to a rapid increase in world population, soil based
cultivation facing many challenges
 Major challenge is the reduction in per capita land available for
soil-based farming
 This leads to other agricultural and environmental issues
 Need to develop advanced technologies and techniques
4

5. Soil less cultivation
 Soil less agriculture - new promising method for improving
cultivation of different vegetable crops
 Soil less vegetable cultivation can be defined as “any method
of growing vegetable crops without the use of soil as a rooting
medium, in which the nutrients absorbed by the roots are
supplied through the irrigation water”
 Can run places like; ,deserts, balconies, roof of the buildings ,
various greenhouses and land suitable for cultivation
5

6. History
Scientist Contribution
Robert Boyle (1666) Experiments on growing plants with their roots
submerged in water
John Wooward (1699) Published water culture experiments
Julius von Sachs
(German botanists, 1860)
Mineral nutrient solutions for soilless culture of
plants
William Frederick Gericke
(California,1929 )
First proposed commercial water culture system
W. F. G. (1937) Derived the term hydroponics from 2 Greek
words ‘hydro’- ‘water’ and ‘ponos’- ‘labour’
meaning culture of plants in water.
In 1930 Pacific Ocean used hydroponics
Allen Cooper (England ,
1960)
Developed the Nutrient Film Technique
6

7. History of Soil less Cultivation in India
 W. J. S. Duglas during 1946 started hydroponics in India
and established a laboratory in Kalimpong area, West
Bengal.
 He also wrote a book on Hydroponics The Bengal
System.
 In India, crops such as potato, tomato, green bean,
carrot, cucumber, etc. were successfully grown by soilless
culture.
7

8. Status of Soilless Vegetable Cultivation
 In recent decades, NASA has done extensive hydroponic research for
its Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS)
 In 2007, Eurofresh Farms in Willcox, Arizona, sold more than 200
million pounds of hydroponically grown tomatoes
 In 2017, Canada had hundreds of acres of large-scale commercial
hydroponic greenhouses, producing tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers
 A USDA spokesperson said in an Nov. 2 2017, e-mail said that
hydroponic, aeroponic and aquaponic production systems remain
eligible for organic certification.
 In the U.S. there are likely more than 100 hydroponic operations that
are certified as organic
 The global hydroponics market is forecast to grow from US$226.45
million in 2016 to US$724.87 million by 2023
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Hydroponics
8

9. Types of Soil less Cultivation
Types of Soilless cultivation
(A) Open cultivation (B) Close cultivation
1. Root dipping
technique
2. Hanging bag technique
3.Trench method
1. Hydroponics technique
2. Aeroponic technique
3. Aquaponics technique
9

10. A. Open cultivation:
 In this method, diluted nutrients are utilized for every
irrigation pattern
 The plants uptake nutrient solutions which are usually
delivered by dripping system
 Adequate amount of nutrients are synchronized in the root
zone
10

11. 1. Root dipping technique
 Under this process, plants are cultured in pots having small holes at the
bottom.
 These are filled with substrate medium like coconut fibre and are placed
in a container having nutrient solution.
 Minimum 1–3 cm of the lower portion of the pots remains in close
contact with the nutrient medium.
 Only few roots are partly submerged in the nutrient media and some just
hang in the air.
11

12. 12
Root dipping technique in Lettuce

13. 2. Hanging bag technique
 Long cylinder shaped polythene bags are utilized which are closed
at the lower end and connected to PVC pipes at the upper portion
 These are hanged vertically above a nutrient supplement tank &
planting materials such as seeds, fruits, etc. acclimatized in netted
pots are firmly pressed into holes
 A micro sprinkler is used to circulate the nutrient medium to the top
of each hanging bag
 Using this technique, vegetables like; lettuce, can grown
successfully
13

14. 14

15. 3.Trench method/ Technique
 In this method, small herbs and shrubs are grown on trenches
constructed using bricks or concrete blocks on or above ground
 To prevent the growth media from direct contact with the ground,
the inner linings of trenches are covered with thick polythene sheets
 The shape and size of the trenches vary from crop to crop grown in
them
 All nutrient supplements along with water are delivered through the
dripping process
15

16. 16
Trench Method in cucumber Trench Method in Tomato

17. B. Closed cultivation:
 Closed farming models incorporate both primary as well as
modern culture frameworks
 Diluted concentrations of nutrients are marked and balanced
for reuse
 Difficult to maintain the calibration of nutrients in a hydroponic
system as the dissolved supplements must be tested in a regular
time interval to obtain better results
17

18. 1. Hydroponics technique
 Growing plants without soil by instead using mineral nutrient
solutions in a water solvent
 Plants are fed with nutrient solution containing all minerals and
nutrients
 Leading countries in hydroponic technology are Netherland,
Australia, France, England, Israel, Canada and USA
18

19. 19

20. Types of Hydroponics technique
 Simplest of all types of hydroponic systems because
traditionally it doesn’t have any moving parts so, it doesn’t use
any pumps or electricity
 Wick- connecting between the potted plant and food solution in
the existing reservoir
 Easy to build so , this type of hydroponic system is also often
used by teachers in classrooms as experiments for kids
 In wick system the plants are cultivated in substrate
1. Wick system
20

21. 21
How Wick System Works

22. 2.Water culture or deep water culture
 Straight forward form of hydroponics systems
 Plants are floating by float platform on a bath of hydroponic
nutrient solution
 Oxygen is supplied by an air pump that runs continuously
 The plants are floating and continuously in contact with the
nutrient solution
 There is no risk of damage to plants in the event of a power
outage or stop the air pump
22

23. 23
How Water Deep Culture Works

24. 3.Nutrient film technique (NFT)
 Developed by Cooper in England during 1960s
 The plant roots remain in contact with the nutrient solution
 Continuous supply of nutrient solution is maintained by
submerged motor pump inside the culture vessel
24

25. 25
How Nutrient Film Technique Works

26. Hydroponics in Lettuce
26

27. Hydroponics in Water Spinach
27

28. Hydroponics in Cucumber
28

29. Hydroponics in Tomato
29

30. 30

31. Advantages & Disadvantages of Hydroponics Technique
Advantages
 Crops using hydroponic can be
grown where soil is unsuitable for
traditional agriculture like desert
areas
 Soil boene diseases are highly
reduced due the absence of soil
 Bigger and higher yields are
obtained
Disadvantages
 Initial costs to develop
hydroponic system is higher
 Deeper knowledge and careful
study along with skilled labour
is needed
 Needs more attention and small
mistakes may lead to much
losses
31

32. Productivity, Quality and Economics of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)
Cultivation in Aggregate Hydroponics
Asha Joseph and I. Muthuchamy
Coimbatore Region of Tamil Nadu
Indian Journal of Science and Technology, Vol 7(8), 1078–1086,
MATERIALAND METHODS
 Three different hydroponic systems, i.e., tray, trough & pot and three
different media combinations, i.e., cocopeat+gravel+silex stone,
cocopeat+pebble+silex stone & cocopeat+perlite+silex stone, constituted the
factors of the treatments.
RESULT
 Maximum yield (4.9 kg/plant), highest productivity & highest (benefit
cost) B/C ratio (4.52) was observed in cocopeat+gravel+silex stone
treatment.
This treatment can be adopted for commercial production of tomato.
Case Study
32

33. MATERIALAND METHODS
 Plants were subjected to seven nitrogen (N) concentrations, i.e. 0, 30, 60, 90,
120, 150 and 180 mg L−1 N using ammonium nitrate.
RESULT
Nitrogen treatments did not have a significant effect on leaf fresh and dry mass,
root fresh and dry mass, number leaves and leaf area.
Leaf ascorbic acid and total phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity peaked at
100 and 120 mg L−1 N, whereas leaf chlorophyll concentration linearly increased
with increasing N application.
The results indicate that a solution N concentration of 100 and 120 mg L−1 may
be sufficient to improve growth, yield and quality parameters of leafy lettuce
grown in non-circulating hydroponic system.
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth, yield and quality response to nitrogen
fertilization in a non-circulating hydroponic system.
Mahlangu
Journal of Plant Nutrition, Volume 39, 2016 – Issue 12
Case Study
33

34. 3. Aeroponic technique
 The aeroponics system is one of the most advanced types of
hydroponics system
 In this technique, the supplement solution is sprayed to create
a fine mist around the root system inside the chamber
 Mostly leafy vegetables like lettuce, spinach, etc. are grown
 The leading countries in aeroponic technique China and USA
34

35. box
returned
pipe
Medium
pool
plastic pad
plant
supply
pipe
timer
pump
sprayer
filter
How Aeroponic system works
35

36. Aeroponics in lettuce
36

37. 37
Aeroponics in lettuce (Large Scale)

38. Aeroponics in potato
38

39. Aeroponic in Okra
39

40. Aeroponic in Capsicum & Chili
40

41. Aeroponic in water spinach
41

42. Why Aeroponic Technique ?
 Delivers nutrients directly to the
plant roots
 Closed-loop system conserves
water
 Conserves water through runoff
absorption into roots
 Moisture control for better plant
growth
 Can be combined with hydroponics
 Crops are easier to harvest in the
absence of soil
 Higher density crops optimizes
output
 Produces higher quality food in a
controlled environment
 Reduced risk of disease and pest
infestation in a controlled
environment
 Roots are provided with better
exposure to oxygen
 Produces more food with less
effort
42

43. Advantages and Disadvantages of Aeroponic
Technique
Advantages
 Crops are grown close
together, so more crops can
be grown
 Plants are not exposed to
soil disease or bacteria, so
no pesticide is needed
 The crops mature faster,
which means there will be
more harvests
Disadvantages
 A lot of money is needed to
set-up an aeroponics farm
 Many consumers believe that
aeroponically grown plants
are not as nutritious as other
grown plants
 Maintenance of an
aeroponics farm is difficult
43

44. Growth Responses and Root Characteristics of Lettuce Grown in
Aeroponics, Hydroponics, and Substrate Culture.
Qiansheng Li, Xiaoqiang Li, Bin Tang and Mengmeng Gu
Journal of Horticulture, 2018 Volume 75, Issue- 7 (China)
MATERIALAND METHODS
 The research was conducted to know growth response and root
characteristics of lettuce grown in aeroponics , hydroponics and
substrate culture.
RESULTS
 Aeroponics remarkably improved root growth with a significantly
greater root biomass, root/shoot ratio, and greater total root length, root
area, and root volume.
44
Case Study

45.  AP News reported that a team of scientists at Germany’s Neumayer
Station III in Antarctica had successfully grown their first crop
of produce without any soil, sunlight, or pesticides.
 The goal of the project was to explore food growing methods for
use on outer space missions.
 In total the researchers harvested eight pounds of salad greens,
including swiss chard, 18 cucumbers, and 70 radish, grown
through aeroponics
 The plants receive nutrients through a liquid nutrient solution
sprayed onto their roots, and bask in LED lights in air that’s
enriched with CO2.
Scientists in Antarctica Grow Food Without Soil or Sunlight — Get
Ready, Mars By Catherine Lamb - April 9, 2018 “ Eden ISS” project
Newsletter
45

46.  The growing system and greenhouse are part of the “ Eden ISS”
project, in association with the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
 Since they rely on aeroponic mists and LED lights instead of
sunlight and soil, these growing systems can support produce
throughout the entire year, and in variable weather conditions
including, apparently, the -20 °C (-4 °F) chill of Antarctica.
 This update from Antarctica shows that astronauts could replicate
this growing system in space and cultivate a wide variety of fruits
and vegetables in their ships and possibly, someday, even on Mars or
the Moon.
Continue…
46

47. Lettuce grown in International Space Station
47

48. “Eden ISS” project
48

49. Aqua agriculture (Aquaponics)
 In this techniques aquatic animals such as
snails, fish, crayfish or prawns are grown
in tanks with combination of hydroponics
in which plants are grown in water in a
symbiotic environment
 Water from the fish tank is pumped to the
plants
 Bacteria convert ammonia and nitrite to
nitrate
 Plants absorb the nutrient rich water
 Filtered water is returned to the fish tank,
clean
 The leading countries in aquaponics are
Israel, India, China and Africa
49

50. 50

51. Aquaponics in Lettuce
51

52. Why Aquaponics Technique?
 Uses a fraction of the water, about 10% of soil growing
 No need to purchase fertilizer
 No soil-borne diseases, no tilling, no weeds
 Grow two food products together, protein and produce high fish stocking
density, high crop yield.
 No pesticides or herbicides, only fish fertilizer
 Works in draught or places with poor soil quality
52

53. Advantages of Aquaponic Technique
 Reduce labour
 Not required farm land and soil
 Fish feed is the only nutrient inputs
 Aquaculture waste products are used
 It protect our river and lakes
 Heath and Nutrition rate
 Provides income from two separate products
53

54. Disadvantages of Aquaponic
Technique
 High initial cost
 Difficult to grow root crops
 Require high skills and experience
 Constant monitoring of water parameter
 Limitations concerned with fish species reared
 Competitive market prices
 Required electric energy to maintain and recycle water within the
system
54

55. RESULTS
 Aquaponics (AP) and Hydroponics (HP) treatments exhibited similar
plant growth, whereas the shoot weight of the CAP treatment showed
a significant growth rate increase of 39% on average compared to the
HP and AP treatments.
 Additionally, the root weight was similar in AP and complemented
aquaponic (CAP) treatments, and both were significantly higher than
that observed in the HP treatment.
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. Sucrine) Growth Performance in
Complemented Aquaponics Solution Outperforms Hydroponics
Boris Delaide, Simon Goddek, James Gott, Helene Soyeurt and Haissam Jijakli
Water (2016) : 8: 467
55
Case Study

56. Crop Nutrition in Soil less
Cultivation
 All essential plant nutrients supplied through the nutrient
solution, with the exception of carbon, taken up from the air as
CO2
 To prepare nutrient solutions containing all essential nutrients,
inorganic fertilizers are used as nutrient sources, except for
iron, which is added in chelated form to improve its availability
for the plants
56

57. Macro-Elements:
1. Nitrogen
2. Phosphorous
3. Potassium
4. Calcium
5. Magnesium
6. Sulphur
Essential elements for the plant
growth & Development
Microelements:
1. Iron
2. Manganese
3. Copper
4. Zinc
5. Boron
6. Chlorine
7. Molybdenum
8. Nickel
57

58. Fertilizer Nutrient(%)
Ammonium nitrate N: 35
Calcium nitrate N: 15.5, Ca: 19
Potassium nitrate N: 13, K: 38
Magnesium nitrate N: 11, Mg: 9
Nitric acid N: 22
Monopotassium phosphate P: 23, K: 28
Phosphoric acid P: 32
Potassium sulphate K: 45, S: 18
Magnesium sulphate Mg: 9.7, S: 13
Potassium bicarbonate K: 39
Iron chelates Fe: 6–13
Manganese sulphate Mn: 32
Zinc sulphate Zn: 23
Copper sulphate Cu: 25
Boric acid B: 17.5
Water soluble fertilizers commonly used in soilless
culture
58

59. Physical and chemical characteristics of soilless mediums
( Abad et al., (2005) and Asiah et al., (2004)).
Substrate Bulk density Water
retention
Porosity Cation exchange
capacity
Decomposition
rate (C:N)
Bagasse Low High Low Medium High
Sawdust Low High Medium High High
Rice hulls Low Low High Medium Medium
Vermiculite Low High Medium High Low
Peat moss Low High High High Medium
Bark Low Medium Medium Medium Medium
Coconut / Coir
Dust
Low High High Medium Low
Sand High Low Medium Low Low
59

60. Vermiculite
Coco coir
Bagasse
Perlite Peat Moss
Bark
60

61. 61
Pea Gravel
Rockwool
Sawdust
Vermiculite
Hydroton
Rice husk

62. Irrigation management in soilless
culture
 Continuous supply of water is maintained by submerged motor
pump inside the culture vessel
 Water is transport to the root zone
 Should have good knowledge “when” to irrigate and “how much”
to apply.
When the flow of water is interrupted , the roots of crops dry out
very rapidly
62

63. Impact of irrigation on yield and
quality
 Controlled watering could be used to balance vegetative growth
with generative development in fruiting vegetables and to
regulate fruit size (Tomato , Brinjal ,etc)
 Water availability and irrigation timing may also influence the
flavour of vegetables
 Overall, water shortage generally tends to increase the ascorbic
acid content in fruit; increasing the water supply reduces lycopene,
ß-carotene, vitamins and minerals, as well as total antioxidant
capacity (Gruda, 2009)
63

64. Raising seedlings of vegetable crops
using protrays
 Combination of 3 ingredients like cocopeat, vermiculite and perlite are
used as rooting medium for raising the nursery
 These ingredients are mixed in 3:1:1 ratio before filling in the required
containers
 Media contains coarse textured peat which provides better drainage and
aeration therefore , promotes better root development of transplants
64

65. Filling Protrays with Soilless Media
65

66. Raising seedlings in soilless media using protrays
66

67. Why Soil less Pro-trays Seedlings?
 Proper germination
 Provides independent area for each seed to germinate
 Reduce mortality rate
 Maintain uniform and healthy growth of seedlings
 Easy to handle and store
 Reliable and economical in transportation
67

68. Soil less cultivation of major
vegetable crops
Types of crops Name of the crops
Fruit Vegetables Tomato, Chilli, Brinjal, Green Bean, Beet, Winged Beans,
Bell Pepper, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Melons, Radish,
Onion
Leafy Vegetables Lettuce, Water Spinach/Kang Kong, Spinach, Coriander
68

69. Chilli Turnip Cucumber
Potato Lettuce Tomato 69

70. Work Done
in
Himachal Pradesh
70

71. Aeroponic technology for potato seed production at
ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla
 Since 2011, the aeroponics system has been commercialised to
several companies by CPRI.
 Currently CPRI produces 3,186.82 tonnes seed of 25 varieties,
 70 percent is through conventional net house and field system and
30 percent through high tech and tissue culture based system.
 The institute has generated revenue of Rs one crore as licensing fee
by commercialization of this technology to 14 firms from different
states such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab and Haryana.
 Each firm was licensed to produce 10 lakh mini tuber by aeroponic
system.
71

72. MATERIALS AND METHODS
15 different combinations were used comprising five growing media
 Three fertigation levels of 150 kg NPK/ha, 200 kg NPK/ha and 250 kg
NPK/ha followed through water soluble fertilizer.
RESULTS
 Vermicompost + sand (2:1) Azotobacter +Phosphate Solublizing Bacteria
with 250 kg NPK/ha of fertigation developed superior quality of capsicum
with increased yield
Effect of different soilless growing media and fertigation levels on sweet
pepper production under protected conditions
Saurabh
Dr.Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan
(Thesis 2013)
Case study
72

73. Success story
Aranha.2019.Mumbaikar Quits Singapore Job to Grow Soil-Less Food,
Earns Rs 15 Lakh/Year Teaching Others.
 Alternative farming journey began with a small 100 sq ft hydroponic unit
on his terrace in Navi Mumbai & later increased upto 150 sq ft where,
produces about 1.2 tons of leafy greens in a year.
 success led him to purchase a 15-acre land in Raigad and moved on to
establish the Center for Research in Alternative Farming Technologies
(CRAFT) which trained over 2,000 farmers in hydroponics and aquaponics.
 Presently, he trains 30 people each month, charging between Rs 3,000-
5,500. This amounts to nearly Rs 15-20 lakh annually
https://www.thebetterindia.com › Stories
73

74. Advantages of soil less vegetable
cultivation
 Early nursery raising and easy management,
 Production of healthy vegetable seedlings (Free from biotic and
abiotic stresses)
Protect from adverse weather conditions
Off season and year round production
Higher productivity and uniform quality
Management of insect-pests, diseases and weeds is easier
74

75. Disadvantages of Soil less Vegetable
Cultivation
 Cost of initial investment on hydroponic systems is high
 Hydroponic production is management, capital and labor
intensive
 A high level of expertise is required
 Daily attention is necessary
 Specially formulated, soluble nutrients must always be used
 Pests and diseases remain a big risk
 Some water born diseases can spread rapidly in recirculation
system
75

76. Conclusion
 Gradual decline of arable land all around the world it becomes necessary to
seek new alternate technologies for mass production of crop.
 Soilless farming has tremendous potential in the coming future.
 The technologies & techniques involved in soil less culture can be called as
next-generation crop science because, if it is explored and evaluated properly
it will open a doorway to establish a new civilization in outer space.
76

77. Way to forward…
 More and more research work should be done on the subject.
 Government should take more interest to encourage the producer for
investing in these types of cultivations.
 Various types of funding should be made available for promoting
establishment of soilless cultivation by Government on large scale.
 Educational seminars on the topic should be arranged through out the
country to educate more and more farmer so as to increase the soilless type
of cultivation.
 Separate topic should be included in the curriculum of agriculture to
implement the new thinking about agriculture in young generation.
77

78. Thank You!
Any query Please……
78