FOREWORD

International Society for Soilless Culture and of the

International Society for Horticultural Science

I will express my congratulations to Dr. Rudd-Jones, director of the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute, for his initiative and to his collaboration for the excellent job fulfilled in the interest of both societies.

Mr. Hurd as convener and the final editors Hurd, Adams, Massey and Price have done their work with 35 authors and 8 presentators of posters in an excellent way and in a short time, for which I am grateful.

I hope that this successful symposium may be followed by more joint activities for the members of both societies in the final interest of crop and flower producers and consumers.

Ir. H.H. van der Borg

Editor Acta Horticulturae


INTRODUCTION

It is my pleasant duty to welcome you to the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute for this, the first, international symposium on "Research in recirculating water culture". We chose this title in order to cover a wider field of interest than our own special concern with the "Nutrient Film Technique" (NFT) although it should come as no surprise that this is the subject of most of the contributions. Our own interest in this method of hydroponic culture goes back to 1966 in connection with researches on the root environment and its control, but of course others before us had used flowing water culture as a research tool. It was Dr. Allen Cooper who first saw the commercial possibilities and, in seeking to promote this research, I found myself in a similar situation to Dr. Hutchison, the Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station in Berkeley, California, before the war. Recognising the intense interest in hydroponics at that time, he persuaded Hoagland and Arnon to work on this topic and later to publish "The Water Culture Method for Growing Plants Without Soil" as a Circular for growers in 1938 (revised in 1950). I made a similar request to my staff, setting up a Nutrient Film Working Party early in 1975; our first Bulletin on this topic has just been completed by Drs Winsor, Hurd and Price, and will be available during the symposium as a Growers' Bulletin No. 5. The present symposium is a logical extension of this publication and results from the continuing and widespread enthusiasm for the technique expressed by many growers, research workers, advisers and, not least, the equipment and instrumentation industry.

We originally envisaged a small meeting of specialists in water culture methods in general. This specifically excluded cultural techniques involving artificial media since these are to be covered in another symposium under the auspices of ISHS which is to be held in Scotland next week. However, the popularity of the topic made us increase the scale of the meeting whilst keeping to the original theme, so that I am happy to report an attendance of 140 from 22 countries.

The timing of the meeting presented problems. We would have preferred it in the Spring when protected crops are at their best, but it clashed with other meetings. Clearly the decision to hold the meeting in the Autumn has not prevented you from coming; indeed the timing may be more convenient for those in universities and it should not interfere with the programme of experiments for most research workers.

A word of explanation is also necessary about the joint sponsorship of the symposium. The International Society for Soilless Cultivation was founded in 1955, when it was known as the International Working Group on Soilless Culture. It was set up to promote research in subjects such as that of the present symposium. ISOSC acts as an information centre and holds international meetings at 3–4 year intervals, the next one being in May 1980 in Holland. The International Society for Horticultural Science on the other hand has been supporting symposia on a range of horticultural subjects for many years; the proceedings of the present symposium will in fact appear as the 98th volume of the Society's Acta Horticulturae. In 1974 these two societies signed an agreement that "when appropriate and if possible, they shall arrange joint scientific and technical meetings" to prevent unnecessary overlap. The present symposium results from this agreement and is the first to appear in the name of both societies. I am pleased to say that representatives of both societies are present, including the Vice-Chairman of one ISHS Commission involved, Professor Strømme, and Ing. Steiner, the Secretary-General of ISOSC.