ISHS Acta Horticulturae 578: International Symposium on Design and Environmental Control of Tropical and Subtropical Greenhouses
CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF GREENHOUSE CROPS USING AEROPONICS |
| Authors: | M.A. Nichols, C.B. Christie |
| Keywords: | aeroponics, tomato, cucumber, continuous production, adventitious roots. |
| Abstract:
Aeroponic production systems offer improved control of the root environment, and the potential to crop many plants, including tomato, cucumber, capsicum, egg plant, watermelon and honeydew and cantaloupe melon continually, without the need to replant on a regular basis. Every time a crop is removed and replanted there is a period of up to 3 months when little or no crop can be harvested. The technology described in this paper provides the opportunity to increase yield potential by up to 25 % per year, without considering any potential advantages of the improved root environment from using aeroponics. The production system also provides a relatively simple technology for the easy management of stem numbers per unit area, so that the “plant density” can be adjusted to compensate for seasonal variations in solar radiation. | |
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