THE ROOT AND ITS ENVIRONMENT IN THE NUTRIENT FILM TECHNIQUE OF WATER CULTURE

Interesting features of the root environment in NFT include the continuous flow of nutrient solution past the roots, the fact that only part of the root is submerged, the ease with which nutrition and root temperature can be adjusted, and the consequences of the closed cycle of nutrient solution,

For large installations in summer there is the equivalent of a daily replacement of the nutrient solution due to plant uptake of salts and water. This is relevant when considering the development of nutrient imbalance due to selective uptake and the accumulation of contaminants such as sodium chloride from the water supply.

Whilst root growth is generally excellent in NFT, root browning and senescence gradually increase with age of crop as the roots grow more slowly. This is normal and is not peculiar to NFT. For a time during early fruiting root growth ceases and this may result in reduced uptake of certain nutrients and reduced growth substance production.

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