c
 

 
 (from the Greek words !
 (water) and  (labour)) is a method
of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions instead of soil. Terrestrial plants
may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert
medium, such as perlite, gravel or mineral wool.
Plant physiology researchers discovered in the 19th century that plants absorb
essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ions in water. In natural conditions, soil acts
as a mineral nutrient reservoir but the soil itself is not essential to plant growth.
When the mineral nutrients in the soil dissolve in water, plant roots are able to
absorb them. When the required mineral nutrients are introduced into a plant's water
supply artificially, soil is no longer required for the plant to thrive. Almost any
terrestrial plant will grow with hydroponics, but some will do better than others. It is
also very easy to do; the activity is often undertaken by very young children with
such plants as watercress. Hydroponics is also a standard technique in biology
research and teaching.

  

The two main types of hydroponics are:-
1) - It does not use a solid medium for the roots, just the
nutrient solution. The three main types of solution culture are:-
2) tatic solution culture, continuous flow solution culture and aeroponics. The
medium culture method has a solid medium for the roots and is named for the
type of medium, e.g. sand culture, gravel culture or rockwool culture. There
are two main variations for each medium, subirrigation and top irrigation. For
all techniques, most hydroponic reservoirs are now built of plastic but other
materials have been used including concrete, glass, metal, vegetable solids
and wood. The containers should exclude light to prevent algae growth in the
nutrient solution.

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, which come from the soil, are dissolved in water and absorbed through a
plant's roots. There are not always enough of these nutrients in the soil for a plant to grow healthy. This
is why many farmers and gardeners use fertilizers to add the nutrients to the soil.
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 are those elements essential for plant growth which are needed in only very small
(micro) quantities . These elements are sometimes called minor elements or trace elements, but use of
the term micronutrient is encouraged by the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society
of America. The micronutrients are 

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and 
. Recycling organic matter such as grass clippings and tree leaves is an
excellent way of providing micronutrients (as well as macronutrients) to

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a ›itrogen is a part of all living cells and is a necessary part of all proteins, enzymes
and metabolic processes involved in the synthesis and transfer of energy.
a ›itrogen is a part of chlorophyll, the green pigment of the plant that is responsible
for photosynthesis.
a ‘elps plants with rapid growth, increasing seed and fruit production and
improving the quality of leaf and forage crops.
a ›itrogen often comes from fertilizer application and from the air (legumes get
their › from the atmosphere, water or rainfall contributes very little nitrogen)

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 a üike nitrogen, phosphorus (P) is an essential part of the process of
photosynthesis.
a |nvolved in the formation of all oils, sugars, starches, etc.
a ‘elps with the transformation of solar energy into chemical energy; proper plant
maturation; withstanding stress.
a ^ffects rapid growth.
a ^ncourages blooming and root growth.
a Phosphorus often comes from fertilizer, bone meal, and superphosphate.

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a Potassium is absorbed by plants in larger amounts than any other mineral

element except nitrogen and, in some cases, calcium.
a ‘elps in the building of protein, photosynthesis, fruit quality and reduction of
diseases.
a Potassium is supplied to plants by soil minerals, organic materials, and fertilizer.

  


a àalcium, an essential part of plant cell wall structure, provides for normal
transport and retention of other elements as well as strength in the plant. |t is also
thought to counteract the effect of alkali salts and organic acids within a plant.
a Sources of calcium are dolomitic lime, gypsum, and superphosphate.

‰ 
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a ‰agnesium is part of the chlorophyll in all green plants and essential for
photosynthesis. |t also helps activate many plant enzymes needed for growth.
a Soil minerals, organic material, fertilizers, and dolomitic limestone are sources of
magnesium for plants.

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a ^ssential plant food for production of protein.

a Promotes activity and development of enzymes and vitamins.
a ‘elps in chlorophyll formation.
a |mproves root growth and seed production.
a ‘elps with vigorous plant growth and resistance to cold.
a Sulfur may be supplied to the soil from rainwater. |t is also added in some
fertilizers as an impurity, especially the lower grade fertilizers. The use of gypsum
also increases soil sulfur levels.


 
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Problems with calcium (àa) nutrition are often first noticed as disorders within rapidly
developing, low-transpiring plant organs. ‰ore severe àa deficiencies will be noticed in
other plant organs and growth parameters as well. |n order to prevent these disorders,
such as blossom-end-rot (B^R) in tomatoes, peppers and melons, tip-burn in lettuce, bitter
pit in apples, internal browning (|B) in pineapples, twins in pineapples, internal brown
fleck in potatoes and many other àa-related disorders, it is important to understand the
functions as well as all the conditions that may affect the uptake and translocation of àa
within the plant. Since àa is needed to strengthen cell walls and to maintain membrane
integrity, àa deficiencies lead to the collapse of cells, resulting in tissue enzymatic
browning, caused by polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase enzymes, as well as tissue
susceptibility to secondary infections, such as „
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spp. üeaky membranes may also lead to chlorophyll losses or water-soaked areas. Since àa
ions are passively taken up by the roots with water and transported in the xylem with the
transpiration stream, any factor affecting the uptake of water, such as climatic conditions,
root functioning, salinity and so on, will affect the uptake of àa. Several conditions may
enhance the development of àa-related disorders and may be grouped as: insufficient àa
uptake by the plant due to inadequate root-zone moisture, low available soil àa and
cation imbalances in the soil or fertigation solution, poor root growth and saline root
zones; inadequate àa distribution to low transpiring, rapidly developing plant organs due
to poor xylem development, high transpiration rates in leaf canopies and low night-time
root pressures; intraplant factors such as strong carbohydrate sinks, high growth rates and
auxin and enzyme activities; and cultivar differences



 



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veins remaining green to produce a ͚chequered͛ effect. The plant may seem to grow away
from the problem so that younger leaves may appear to be unaffected. Brown spots may
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a  is believed to be involved in carbohydrate transport in plants; it also assists in metabolic

regulation. Boron deficiency will often result in bud dieback.

a   

a  is necessary for osmosis and ionic balance; it also plays a role in photosynthesis.

a 
is essential to plant health. àobalt is thought to be an important catalyst in nitrogen
fixation. |t may need to be added to some soils before seeding legumes.

a uu is a component of some enzymes and of vitamin A. Symptoms of copper deficiency

include browning of leaf tips and chlorosis.

a | is essential for chlorophyll synthesis, which is why an iron deficiency results in chlorosis.
a ‰ activates some important enzymes involved in chlorophyll formation. ‰anganese
deficient plants will develop chlorosis between the veins of its leaves. The availability of
manganese is partially dependent on soil p‘.

a ‰  is essential to plant health. ‰olybdenum is used by plants to reduce nitrates into
usable forms. Some plants use it for nitrogen fixation, thus it may need to be added to some
soils before seeding legumes.

a  

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a  participates in chlorophyll formation, and also activates many enzymes. Symptoms of zinc
deficiency include chlorosis and stunted growth.