International Journal of Agriculture and Crop Sciences.

Available online at www.ijagcs.com

IJACS/2014/7-11/833-842
ISSN 2227-670X ©2014 IJACS Journal

A Review On The Science Of Growing Crops Without

Soil (Soilless Culture) – A Novel Alternative For
Growing Crops
Aatif Hussain*1, Kaiser Iqbal*1, Showket Aziem*1, Prasanto Mahato*2, A.K. Negi*1
1. Department of Forestry & NR, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttarakhand, India,
2. Department of Horticulture, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttarakhand, India,

Corresponding author: Aatif Hussain

ABSTRACT: Soil-based agriculture is facing some major challenges with the advent of civilization all over
the world, such as decrease per capita land availability. Apart from this, due to rapid urbanization and
industrialization as well as threats from climate change and its related adverse effect, the land cultivation
is going to further facing challenging threats. Under such circumstances, in the near future it becomes
intricate to feed the entire population using the production from soil field system. Naturally, soil-less
culture is becoming more relevant in the present scenario, to cope-up with these challenges. ―Soilless
Culture‖ is the growing of plants that imitate soil- base gardening by using many kinds of growing media
as for example inorganic substance, organic substance and synthetic substrates. Soilless culture is the
fastest growing sector of agriculture, and it could be impetus to food production in the future. The industry
is expected to grow exponentially also in future, as conditions of soil growing becoming difficult. The
application of a soilless culture system using artificial substrates would result in efficient and effective use
of water and fertilizers and minimize the use of chemicals for pest and disease control. Plants grown in
soil less culture has consistently superior quality, high yield, rapid harvest, and high nutrient content. But
in case of under developing countries there is a lack of its customary acquaintance and poor
dissemination of its available technologies. For popularization of soilless culture at global level, it is very
imperative to provide scientific proven technology to gardeners and create mass awareness in potential
areas at global level.
Keywords: Soilless culture, Hydroponics, Solution Culture, Aeroponics, Nutrients.

INTRODUCTION

Soil is usually the most available growing medium for plants. It provides anchorage, nutrients, air, water,
etc. for plant growth (Ellis et al., 1974). However, soils do pose serious limitations for plant growth too, at times.
Some of them are presence of disease causing organisms and nematodes, unsuitable soil reaction, unfavorable
soil compaction, poor drainage, degradation due to erosion etc. (Beibel, 1960). In addition, Open Field Agriculture
is difficult as it involves large space, lot of labour and large volume of water (Beibel, 1960). In most urban and
industrial areas, soil is less available for crop growing, or in some areas, there is scarcity of fertile cultivable arable
lands due to their unfavorable geographical or topographical conditions (Beibel, 1960). Other serious problem
experienced is to hire labour at regular times for conventional open field agriculture (Butler & Oebker, 2006).
Under such circumstances, soil-less culture can be introduced successfully (Butler & Oebker,
2006).Soilless culture is the technique of growing plants in soil-less condition with their roots immersed in nutrient
solution (Maharana & Koul, 2004). Soilless culture systems of cultivation can be classified according to the
techniques employed. It supplies fresh vegetables in countries with limited arable land as well as in small countries
with large populations. It could be useful to provide sufficient fresh vegetables for the indigenous population as well
as for tourists in countries where tourism plays a vital role in their economy. Typical examples of such regions are
the West Indies and Hawaii, which each have a large tourist industry and very little farmland for vegetable
production (Resh, 1993). In soilless culture some cultural practices like soil cultivation and weed control are
avoided, and land not suitable for soil cultivation can be used (Polycarpou et al., 2005). Plants grown by
hydroponics had consistently superior quality, high yield, rapid harvest, and high nutrient content. The key factors
Intl J Agri Crop Sci. Vol., 7 (11), 833-842, 2014

for the better soilless culture production are given in figure 1. Soilless culture could be applied to growing some
popular local crops with the application of food safety standards and at a reasonable price (Paul, 2000). This
system will also helps to face the challenges of climate change and also helps in production system management
for efficient utilization of natural resources and mitigating malnutrition (Butler & Oebker, 2006).
Soilless culture can provide important requirements for plant growth with equal growth and yield results
compared to field soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an
inert medium. 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. The simplest and oldest method for soilless culture is a vessel of water in which inorganic chemicals
are dissolved to supply the nutrients that plants require. Various modifications of pure-solution culture have
occurred in the past. The retention of nutrients and water can be further improved through the use of spaghnum
peat, vermiculite, or bark chips. These are the most commonly used materials, but others such as rice hulls,
bagasse (sugarcane refuse), sedge peat, and sawdust are used sometimes as constituents in soilless mixes. Straw
bales have been used as growing medium in England and Canada and rockwool (porous stone fiber) is used in
Europe.

Suitable
production sites

Contract
Soilless culture Good varieties
market

Good
management
Figure 1. Key factors of soilless culture or hydroponics production

History
Soilless culture is considered as a modern day practice, but growing plants in containers above ground has
been tried at various times throughout the ages. Wall paintings found in the temple of Deir el Bahari appear to be
the first documented case of container-grown plants (Naville, 1913). They transfer mature trees from native
countries of origin to the king‘s palace and then grown as soilless culture, when local soils were not suitable for the
particular plant. Many ancient civilizations have used soilless culture for their agricultural productions. Egyptian
hieroglyphic records dating back several hundred years B.C. shows the growing of plants in water. The Aztecs
used floating gardens for the cultivation of certain crops. The hanging garden of Babylon is also a fine example of
soilless culture.
The earliest published work on soilless culture was the book Sylva Sylvarum published in 1627 by Francis
Bacon, and after that water culture became a popular research technique. In 1699, John Woodward published his
water culture experiments with spearmint. By 1859-65, discoveries of the German botanists Julius von
Sachs and Wilhelm Knop, resulted in a development of the technique of soilless cultivation. It quickly became a
standard research and teaching technique and is still widely used today and is now considered a type of
hydroponics.
In 1929, William Frederick Gerick Berkeley publicly promoting that solution culture is used for agricultural
crop production. Gerick growed tomato vines twenty-five feet high in mineral nutrient solutions rather than soil. He
also coined the term hydroponics in 1937 for the culture of plants in water (from the Greek hydro-, "water",
and ponos, "labour"). One of the early successes of hydroponics occurred on Wake Island, where hydroponics was
used to grow vegetables for the passengers. In the 1960s, Allen Cooper of England developed the Nutrient film
technique. The Land Pavilion at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center opened in 1982 and prominently features a
variety of hydroponic techniques

834
Intl J Agri Crop Sci. Vol., 7 (11), 833-842, 2014

In India, Hydroponics was introduced in year 1946 by an English scientist, W. J. Shalto Duglas and he
established a laboratory in Kalimpong area, West Bengal. He written a book on Hydroponics, named as
Hydroponics The Bengal System. The vegetable production under soil-less culture in India are given in Table
1.Later on during 1960s and 70s, commercial hydroponics farms were developed in Abu Dhabi, Arizona, Belgium,
California, Denmark, German, Holland, Iran, Italy, Japan, Russian Federation and other countries. During 1980s,
many automated and computerized hydroponics farms were established around the world. In recent
decades, NASA has done extensive hydroponic research for their Controlled Ecological Life Support System or
CELSS. Hydroponics intended to take place on Mars are using LED lighting to grow in different color spectrum with
much less heat.

Table1. Vegetable production under soil-less culture in India.

Vegetables Production (g/m2/day)
Carrot 56.5
Cucumber 226
Garlic 57
Ginger 57
Leek 57
Green Bean 113
Lettuce 226
Onion 56.5
Peapod 113
Potato 56.5
Salad greens 226
Tomato 113
Greens 113
Source: Source: Singh and Singh (2012)

Crops Which Can Be Grown In Soil-Less Culture

Almost every plant can theoretically be grown in soilless culture. This technique has been used so far
mostly in the cultivation of vegetables and garden plants, it can also be used in other plant cultivation. Below is a
list of certain crops that have successfully been grown in soilless conditions in table 2.

Table 2. List of crops that can be grown on commercial level using soil-less culture
Type of crops Name of the crops
Cereals Oryza sativa (Rice), Zea mays (Maize)
Fruits Fragaria ananassa (Strawberry)
Vegetables Lycopersicon esculentum (Tomato), Capsicum frutescens (Chilli), Solanum melongena (Brinjal), Phaseolus
vulgaris (Green bean), Beta vulgaris (Beet), Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (Winged bean), Capsicum annum
(Bell pepper), Brassica oleracea var. capitata (Cabbage), Brassica oleracea var. botrytis (Cauliflower), Cucumis
sativus (Cucumbers), Cucumis melo (Melons), Raphanus sativus (Radish), Allium cepa (Onion)
Leafy vegetables Lactuca sativa (Lettuce), Ipomoea aquatica (Kang Kong)
Condiments Petroselinum crispum (Parsley), Mentha spicata (Mint), Ocimum basilicum (Sweet basil), Origanum vulgare
(Oregano)
Flower / Ornamental Tagetes patula (Marigold), Rosa berberifolia (Roses), Dianthus caryophyllus (Carnations), Chrysanthemum
crops indicum (Chrysanthemum)
Medicinal crops Aloe vera (Indian Aloe), Solenostemon scutellarioides (Coleus)
Fodder crops Sorghum bicolor (Sorghum), Medicago sativa (Alphalfa), Hordeum vulgare (Barley), Cynodon dactylon
(Bermuda grass), Axonopus compressus (Carpet grass)
Source: Singh and Singh (2012)

Media Of Soil-Less Culture

In soilless culture gardens, soil free growing mediums are used primarily for starting seeds and when
rooting cuttings. The less medium a system requires the easier and less expensive it is to operate. A perfect
medium is able to hold a nearly equal concentration of air and water. The various crops grown in various soilless
culture media are given in table 3.

835
Intl J Agri Crop Sci. Vol., 7 (11), 833-842, 2014

Table 3. Various Soilless Culture media and Crops Grown

Country Year Area Media/System Major Crop Grown Reference
(ha)
Netherlands 2001 10,000 Rockwool Tomato, Lettuce, Cucumber Muskmelons, Cauliflower, Hassall et al.
Gerbera (2001)
Carnation, , Chrysanthemum, Strawberry
Spain 2001 4000 Perlite, Sand, Tomato, Lettuce, Cucumber, Capsicum Hassall et al.
Rockwool (2001)
Canada 2001 2000 Perlite, and Tomato, Cucumber, Capsicum Bradley et al.
Rockwool (2001)
China 2005 1250 NFT, DFT, Tomato, Cucumber, Lettuce, Jiang et al.
Rockwool Roses, Chrysanthemum, Carnation (2007)
France 1996 1000 Rockwool Tomato, Cucumber, Capsicum, Cut flowers Donnan,
(1998)

Perlite
The most common types of media used in containerized systems of soilless culture are perlite (Boodley &
Sheldrake, 1977). Perlite granules are very light and originate from a silicone mineral that forms in volcanoes. This
medium is available from merchants in small to large bags for addition to growing mediums to increase drainage
and aeration in the soil.

Coconut Coir
It is known by various trade names like Ultrapeat, Cocopeat and Coco-tek. It combines the water retention
of vermiculite with the air retention of perlite. It is a completely organic medium made from shredded coconut
husks. The coconut husk serves its seed two purposes: (1) Protection from sun and salt while floating in the ocean;
(2) A hormone-rich and fungus free medium to speed germination and rooting upon landfall. Finely shredded and
steam sterilized, coconut coir offers plants an ideal rooting medium that also offers protection against root diseases
and fungus. And unlike peat moss, which is rapidly becoming depleted from overuse, coir is a completely
renewable resource.

Vermiculite
This compound contains both potassium and magnesium. It holds a lot of water and aids in drainage and
aeration of the soil, though it is less durable than some other mediums, such as sand and perlite.

Peat Moss
Peat moss retains moisture in growing mediums. Many brands of prepackaged potting soil include peat
moss for use in container plants that require excess moisture. Tropical plants require extra moisture and warmth to
grow and flourish.

Sphagnum Moss
Its properties allow wide usage in correcting overly moist and overly dry soil alike. Heavy soils such as clay
enjoy aeration and drainage with sphagnum moss so that the excess water may drain off and the clay does not
absorb as much water. Light sandy soils benefit from sphagnum moss because it will retain moisture and nutrients
by not allowing water to run off.

Table 4. Bulk density and porosity of some growing media

Substrate Bulk density (kg/m3) Total porosity (%v/v)
Light peat 60-100 90-95
Dark peat 100-150 85-90
Vermiculite 90-150 90-95
Perlite 80-120 85-90
Rockwool 80-90 94-97
Expanded clay 600-900 85-90
Pumice 650-900 65-75
Ideal 190-700 50-85
Source: Pardossi et al., 2011

836
Intl J Agri Crop Sci. Vol., 7 (11), 833-842, 2014

Sand
Sand is useful as a growing medium for plants that require a dry environment with loose soil. Excessive
water will produce runoff and not soak into sand as it would in clay. Root plants like carrots and potatoes produce
more vegetables in sand because it is lightweight and easy for them to expand in and does not hold too much
moisture.
The properties of some growing media widely used are given in table 4.

Classification Of Soil-Less Culture

The term soilless culture originally meant nutrient solution culture with no supporting medium. However,
plant growing in solid media for anchorage using nutrient solution is also included. This technique is called
aggregate system. Hydroponics systems are further categorized as open (i.e., once the nutrient solution is
delivered to the plant roots, it is not reused) or closed (i.e., surplus solution is recovered, replenished and recycled).
Current hydroponics systems of cultivation can be classified according to the techniques employed. A hydroponic
technique refers to the method of applying nutrient solution to the plant roots. The various soilless culture systems
for crop production used in some countries are given in Table 5.
A). Solution culture or Liquid hydroponics
Circulating methods (closed system)
Nutrient film technique (NFT)
Deep flow technique (DFT)
Non-circulating method (open systems)
Root dipping technique
Floating technique
Capillary action technique
B). Solid media culture (Aggregate systems) –
These can be open systems or closed systems.
Hanging bag technique
Grow bag technique
Trench or trough technique
Pot technique
C). Aeroponics

A). Liquid or solution culture

Circulating Methods (Closed System)
The nutrient solution is pumped through the plant root system and excess solution is collected, replenished
and reused. The various salient findings of solution culture are given in Table 6.

N.F.T. (Nutrient Film Technique)

NFT is a true hydroponics system where the plant roots are directly exposed to nutrient solution. N.F.T.
systems have a constant flow of nutrient solution so no timer required for the submersible pump. The nutrient
solution is pumped into the growing tray (usually a tube) and flows over the roots of the plants, and then drains
back into the reservoir. There is usually no growing medium used other than air, which saves the expense of
replacing the growing medium after every crop. Normally the plant is supported in a small plastic basket with the
roots dangling into the nutrient solution. N.F.T. systems are very susceptible to power outages and pump failures.
The roots dry out very rapidly when the flow of nutrient solution is interrupted.

Deep flow technique (DFT)/ pipe system

In this technique, 2-3 cm deep nutrient solution flows through 10 cm diameter PVC pipes to which plastic
net pots with plants are fitted. The plastic pots contain planting materials and their bottoms touch the nutrient
solution that flows in the pipes. Plants are established in plastic net pots and fixed to the holes made in the PVC
pipes. Old coir dust or carbonised rice husk or mixture of both may be used as planting material to fill the net pots.
A small piece of net is placed as a lining in the net pots to prevent the planting material falling into the nutrient
solution. When the recycled solution falls into the solution in the stock tank, the nutrient solution gets aerated. The
PVC pipes have a slope of drop of 1 in 30-40 to facilitate the flow of nutrient solution. Painting the PVC pipes white
will help reduce the heating up of nutrient solution.

837
Intl J Agri Crop Sci. Vol., 7 (11), 833-842, 2014

Non-Circulating Methods (Open System)

The nutrient solution is not circulated but used only once. When its nutrient concentration decreases or pH
or Ec changes, it is replaced. This system is of following types:

Root dipping technique

In this technique, plants are grown in small pots filled with little growing medium. The pots are placed in
such a way that lower 2–3 cm of the pots is submerged in the nutrient solution. Some roots are dipped in the
solution while others hang in the air above the solution for nutrient and air absorption, respectively.. This ‗low tech‘
growing method is inexpensive to construct and needs little maintenance. Importantly, this technique does not
require expensive items such as electricity, water pump, channels, etc.

Floating Technique
This is similar to box method but shallow containers (10 cm deep) can be used. Plants established in small
pots are fixed to a Styrofoam sheet or any other light plate and allowed to float on the nutrient solution filled in the
container and solution is artificially aerated.

Capillary Action Technique

Planting pots of different sizes and shapes with holes at the bottom are used. The pots are filled pots with
an inert medium and seedlings/seeds are planted in inert medium. These pots are placed in shallow containers
filled with the nutrient solution. Nutrient solution reaches inert medium by capillary action. Aeration is very important
in this technique. Therefore, old coir dust mixed with sand or gravel can be used. This technique is suitable for
ornamental, flower and indoor plants.

B). Solid media culture or aggregate system

The media material selected must be flexible, friable, with water and air holding capacity and can be
drained easily. In addition, it must be free of toxic substances, pests, disease causing microorganisms, nematodes,
etc. The medium used must be thoroughly sterilized before use. The following techniques involving inert solid
media can be practiced using locally available materials. The various salient finding in aggregate system are given
in Table 7.

Hanging bag technique (Open system)

About 1 m long cylinder shaped, white (interior black) UV treated, thick polythene bags, filled with sterilized
coconut fibre are used. These bags are sealed at the bottom end and tied to small PVC pipe at the top. These bags
are suspended vertically from an overhead support above a nutrient solution-collecting channel. Therefore, this
technique is also known as ‗verti-grow‘ technique. Seedlings or other planting materials established in net pots are
squeezed into holes on the sides of the hanging bags. The nutrient solution is pumped to top of each hanging bag
through a micro sprinkler attached inside the hanging bags at the top. This micro sprinkler evenly distributes the
nutrient solution inside the hanging bag. Nutrient solution drips down wetting the coconut fibre and plant roots.
Excess solution gets collected in the channel below through holes made at the bottom of the hanging bags and
flows back to the nutrient solution stock tank. This system can be established in the open space or in protected
structures. In protected structures, the hanging bags in the rows and amongst the rows must be spaced in such a
way that adequate sunlight falls on the bags in the inner rows. This system is suitable for leafy vegetables,
strawberry, and small flower plants. Black colour tubes will have to be used for nutrient solution delivery to prevent
mould growth inside.

Grow bag technique

In this technique 1 – 1.5 m long white (inside black), UV resistant, polythene bags filled with old, sterilized
coir-dust are used. These bags are about 6 cm in height and 18 cm wide. These bags are placed end to end
horizontally in rows on the floor with walking space in between. The bags may be placed in paired rows depending
on the crop to grow. Small holes are made on the upper surface of the bags and squeeze seedlings or other
planting materials established in net pots into the coir-dust. 2-3 plants can be established per bag. Two small slits
low on each side of the bags are present for drainage or leaching. Fertigation with black capillary tube leading from
main supply line to each plant is practiced. Entire floor is covered with white UV resistant polythene before placing
the bags. This white polythene reflects the sunlight to the plants. It also reduces the relative humidity in between
plants and incidence of fungal diseases.

838
Intl J Agri Crop Sci. Vol., 7 (11), 833-842, 2014

Trench or trough technique

In this open system, plants are grown in narrow trenches in the ground or above ground troughs
constructed with bricks or concrete blocks. Both trenches and troughs are lined with waterproof material (thick UV
resistant polythene sheets in two layers) to separate the growing media from rest of the ground. The width of the
trench or trough can be decided depending on the ease of operation. Wider trenches or troughs will permit two
rows of plants. The depth varies depending on the plants to grow and a minimum of 30 cm may be necessary. Old
coir dust, sand or gravel, peat, vermiculite, perlite, old sawdust or mixture of these materials can be used as the
media for this culture. The nutrient solution and water are supplied through a drip irrigation system or manual
application is also possible subject to labour availability. A well-perforated pipe of 2.5 cm diameter may be placed
at the bottom of the trough or trench to drain out excess nutrient solution. Tall growing vine plants (cucumber,
tomato, etc.) need additional support to withstand the weight of the fruits.

Pot technique
Pot technique is similar to trench or trough culture but growing media is filled in clay or plastic pots. Volume
of the container and growing media depend on the crop growth requirements. The volume ranges generally from
01 to 10 litres. Growing media, nutrient solution supply, providing support to plants, etc. is similar to that of trough
or trench culture.

Aeroponic
Aeroponic is a method of growing plants where they are anchored in holes in Styrofoam panels and their
roots are suspended in air beneath the panel. The panels compose a sealed box to prevent light penetration to
encourage root growth and prevent algae growth. The nutrient solution is sprayed in fine mist form to the roots.
Misting is done for a few seconds every 2 – 3 minutes. This is sufficient to keep roots moist and nutrient solution
aerated. The plants obtain nutrients and water from the solution film that adheres to the roots. The aeroponic
culture is usually practiced in protected structures and is suitable for low leafy vegetables like lettuce, spinach, etc.
The principal advantage of this technique is the maximum utilization of space. In this technique twice as many
plants may be accommodated per unit floor area as in other systems. Another potential application of this
technique is in the production of plants free of soil particles from cuttings for exports.
The aeroponic system is probably the most high-tech type of hydroponic gardening. Like the N.F.T. system
above the growing medium is primarily air. The roots hang in the air and are misted with nutrient solution. Because
the roots are exposed to the air like the N.F.T. system, the roots will dry out rapidly if the misting cycles are
interrupted.

Table 5. Soilless culture systems for crop production in some countries

Countries NFT DRFT DFT Aeroponic Substrate culture
Thailand √ √ √ √ √
Singapore √ √ - √ √
China √ - √ √ √
Korea √ - √ √ √
Japan √ - √ √ √
New Zealand √ - - - √
Australia √ - - - √
NFT = Nutrient film techniques, DRFT = Dynamic root floating techniques, DFT = Deep flow techniques.
Source: Wattanapreechanon et al., 2012

Table 6. Salient Findings of Solution Culture

Crop Place Salient finding Reference
Tomato France ―Shier filter‖ is a dynamic filtration system, control the diseases Deniel et al.
caused by microorganisms. (2006)
Lily Jordan Urea above 296 mg/L reduced flower bud length and weight. Daood et al.
(2007)
Strawberry Italy Fruit yield, quality and fruit average weight were highest at EC 2.5 Anna et al. (2003)
ms cm-1.
Lettuce Spain The oxyfertigation technique has improve rhizosphere oxygen Marfa et al. (2005)
availability in plants by supplying dissolved oxygen in the irrigation
water

839
Intl J Agri Crop Sci. Vol., 7 (11), 833-842, 2014

Table 7. Salient Finding in Aggregate System

Crop Place Salient finding Reference
Tomato Iran Stem diameter of tomato with sawdust higher than in those supplemented with perlite. Delshad, (2006)
Anthurium Italy Cheers the longest (averaging 72 cm) and Choco the shortest (56 cm on average). Cristiano et al.
(2007)
Rose Netherlands Red France and Dallas gave the highest cut flower yield i.e. 24.8 and 24.1 flowers per plant, Fascella et al.
respectively. (2007)
Grape Italy Higher quality, berry yields, 20 days earlier harvesting and extended the harvesting Lorenzo et al.
compared to conventional greenhouse culture. (2005)

Nutrient Solution For Soilless Culture

Plants require 17 essential elements for their growth and development. Without these nutrients plants
cannot complete their life cycles and their roles in plant growth cannot be replaced by any other elements. All
essential nutrients are supplied to soilless culture plants in the form of nutrient solution, which consists of fertilizers
salts dissolved in water. The soilless culture grower must have a good knowledge of the plant nutrients, as
management of plant nutrition through management of nutrient solution is the key to success in soilless culture
gardening. The soilless culture methods enable growers to control the availability of essential elements by
adjusting or changing the nutrient solution to suit the plant growth stage and to provide them in balanced amounts.
As the nutrients are present in ionic forms in the nutrient solution and also, not needing to search or compete for
available nutrients as they do in soil, soilless culture plants reach maturity much sooner. Optimization of plant
nutrition is easily achieved in soilless culture than in soil.

Nutrient Solution Management

While optimum nutrition is easy to achieve in soilless culture, incorrect management of the nutrient solution
can damage the plants and lead to complete failure. The success or failure of a soilless culture garden therefore,
depends primarily on the strict nutrient management programme. Carefully manipulating the nutrient solution pH
level, temperature and electrical conductivity and replacing the solution whenever necessary, will lead to a
successful soilless culture garden.

Ph Level
The pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity on a scale of 1 to 14. In a nutrient solution, pH determines the
availability of essential plant elements. The optimum pH range for soilless culture nutrient solution is between 5.8
and 6.5. The further the pH of a nutrient solution from recommended pH range, the greater the odds against the
success. Nutrient deficiencies will become apparent or toxicity symptoms will develop if the pH is higher or lower
than the recommended range for individual crops. The pH values for different soilless crops are given in Table 8.

Table 8. pH values for different soilless culture crops

Plant pH Range Plant pH Range
Beans 6.0-6.5 Onions 6.5-7.0
Broccoli 6.0-6.5 Peas 6.0-6.8
Cabbage 6.5-7.5 Pineapple 5.0-5.5
Carrots 5.8-6.4 Pumpkin 5.0-6.5
Cucumbers 5.8-6.0 Radish 6.0-7.0
Garlic 6.0-6.5 Strawberries 5.5-6.5
Lettuce 6.0-6.5 Tomatoes 5.5-6.5

Source: Hydroponic Food Production by Howard M. Resh Woodbridge Press, 1987

Electrical Conductivity (Ec)

The electrical conductivity indicates the strength of nutrient solution, as measured by an Ec meter. The unit
for measuring Ec is dS/ m. A limitation of Ec is that it indicates only the total concentration of the solution and not
the individual nutrient components. The ideal Ec range for hydroponics is between 1.5 and 2.5 dS/m. Higher Ec will
prevent nutrient absorption due to osmotic pressure and lower Ec severely affect plant health and yield. When
plants take up nutrients and water from the solution, the total salt concentration, i.e., the Ec of the solution
changes. If the Ec is higher than the recommended range, fresh water must be added to reduce it. If it is lower, add
nutrients to raise it.

840
Intl J Agri Crop Sci. Vol., 7 (11), 833-842, 2014

Advantage Of Soil-Less Culture

There are many advantages of growing plants under soilless culture over soil-based culture (Savvas, 2004).
Soilless culture offers opportunities to provide optimal conditions for plant growth and therefore, higher yields can
be obtained compared to open field agriculture, gardening is clean and extremely easy, requiring very little effort
(Silberbush & Ben-Asher, 2001). Soilless culture averages compared with ordinary soil yields are given in Table
9.Soilless culture or soil less culture offers a means of control over soil-borne diseases and pests, which is
especially desirable in the tropics where the life cycles of these organisms continues uninterrupted and so does the
threat of infestation. It is also effective for the regions of the World having scarcity of arable or fertile land for
agriculture (Sonneveld, 2000). It reduces the cost and time taken for various tasks which are avoided in soilless
culture of cultivation. It offers a clean working environment and thus hiring labour is easy.

Table 9. Soilless culture averages compared with ordinary soil yields

Name of crop Hydroponic equivalent per acre Agricultural average per
acre
Wheat 5,000 lb. 600 lb.
Oats 3,000 lb. 850 lb.
Rice 12,000 lb. 750-900 lb.
Maize 8,000 lb. 1,500 lb.
Soybean 1,500 lb. 600 lb.
Potato 70 tons 8 tons lb.
Beet root 20,000 lb. 9,000 lb.
Cabbage 18,000 lb. 13,000 lb.
Peas 14,000 lb. 2,000 lb.
Tomato 180 tonnes 5-10 tonnes
Cauliflower 30,000 lb. 10-15,000 lb.
French bean 42,000 lb. of pods for eating -
Lettuce 21,000 lb. 9,000 lb.
Cucumber 28,000 lb. 7,000 lb.
Source: Singh and Singh (2012)

Limitation Of Soilless Culture

Despite of many advantages, soilless culture has some limitations (Sonneveld, 2000). Application on
commercial scale requires technical knowledge and higher initial capital expenditure. This will be further high if the
soilless culture is combined with controlled environment agriculture (Sonneveld, 2000). High degree of
management skills is necessary for solution preparation, maintenance of pH and Ec, nutrient deficiency judgment
and correction, ensuring aeration; maintenance of favourable condition inside protected structures, etc. Great care
is required with respect to plant health control. Finally energy inputs are necessary to run the system (Van Os et
al., 2002). Considering the significantly high cost, the soil-less culture is limited to high value crops of the area of
cultivation.

CONCLUSION

Soilless culture is rapidly gaining momentum and popularity and fastest growing sector of agriculture.
Soilless culture is more popular and accepted in some countries, especially in commercial production of vegetables
and is quickly catching on in other parts of the world. Soilless culture could well dominate food production in the
future. As population increases and arable land declines due to poor land management, people will turn to new
technologies like soilless culture of crop production. There has already been a great deal of buzz throughout the
scientific community for the potential to use soilless culture in third world countries, where water supplies are
limited. Though the upfront capital costs of setting up soilless culture is currently a barrier but in the long-run, as
with all technology, costs will decline, making this option much more feasible. In developing countries, this
technique could not get popularity among gardeners till the date. The main bottleneck behind this is lack of its
standard knowledge and poor dissemination of its available technologies. Although, more literature on soilless
culture is available but standard, precise and authentic information's are still lacking. Since the soilless culture
industry is still rather small, and there are not sufficient marketing, but for popularization of soilless culture, it is very
important to provide scientific proven technology of soilless culture to gardeners and create mass awareness in
potential areas at national level. Continuing research and development may lead to more cost-efficient structures
and materials; to reduced requirements of purchased energy; to new cultivars more appropriate to controlled

841
Intl J Agri Crop Sci. Vol., 7 (11), 833-842, 2014

environments and mechanized systems; to better control (including improved plant resistance) of diseases and
pests.

REFERENCES

Beibel JP. 1960. Hydroponics -The Science of Growing Crops Without Soil. Florida Department of Agric. Bull. p. 180.
Boodley JW, Sheldrakejr R. 1977. "Cornell peatlite mixes for commercial plant growing." Informational Bulletin 43. New York State College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Bradley P, Marulanda C. 2001. Simplified hydroponics to reduce global hunger. Acta Horticulturae. 554:289-296.
Butler JD, Oebker NF. 2006. Hydroponics as a Hobby— Growing Plants Without Soil. Circular 844. Information Office, College of Agriculture,
University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801
Cristiano Giuseppe C, Maria A, Rustici M, Sancilio A. 2007 Anthurium per reciso, valutazione di cultivar allevate in fuori suolo . In Colture
Protette.
D'Anna FD, Incalcaterra G, Moncada A, Miceli A. 2003. Effects of different electrical conductivity levels on strawberry grown in soilless
culture. Acta Horticult 609: 355–360
Daood BH, Karam NS. 2007. Response of asiatic lily (lilium x hybrida) 'zsa zsa' to concentration of urea in a closed soilless culture.
Delshad M, Kashi AK, Babalar M. 2006. Possibility of Using Organic Media and Finding Suitable Nutrient Solution for Soilless Culture of
Greenhouse Tomato. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Science, 37 (2), (176-186). (In Farsi).
Deniel F, Renault D, Tirilliy Y, Barbier G, Rey P. 2006. Dynamic biofiltration in tomato soilless greenhouse: evolution of microbial communities of
filtering media and control of potentially suppressive and pathogenic microorganisms, Argon. Sustain. Dev. 26, 185-193.
Donnan R. 1998. Hydroponics around the world. Practical Hydroponics & Greenhouses, juillet- août, p.18-25.
Ekasit W, Patana S. 2012. Development of Soilless Culture for Crop Production in Thailand. Kasetsart J. (Soc. Sci) 33: 475 - 485
Ellis NK, Jensen M, Larsen J, Oebker N. 1974. Nutriculture Systems—Growing Plants Without Soil. Station Bulletin No. 44. Purdue University,
Lafayette, Indiana
Fascella G, Zizzo GV, Agnello S. 2007. Evaluating the productivity of red rose cultivars in soilless culture. Acta Horticulturae 751: IV
International Symposium On Rose Research And Cultivation
Hassall, et al. 2001. "Hydroponics as an Agricultural Production System: A report for the Rural Industries Research and Development
Corporation". Publié en Novembre 2001 (Publication de RIRDC No 01/141) (Projet RIRDC No HAS-9A)
Jiang WJ, Yu HJ. 2007. Twenty years development of soilless culture in Mainland China. Acta Hort. 759, 181–186.
Lorenzoni I, Pidgeon N, O'Conor R. 2005. Dangerous Climate Change: The Role for Risk Research. Risk Anal. 25(6), 1387-1398.
Maharana L, Koul DN. 2011. The emergence of Hydroponics. Yojana (June). 55: 39-40.
Marfà O, Cáceres R, Guri S. 2005. Oxyfertigation: A New Technique for Soilless Culture under Mediterranean Conditions Acta Hort. 697 ISHS.
Naville EH. 1913. The Temple of Deir el-Bahari (Parts I–III), Vol. 16. London: Memoirs of the Egypt Exploration Fund. pp. 12–17.
Pardossi A, Carmassi G, Diara C, Incrocci L, Maggini R, Massa D. 2011. Fertigation and Substrate Management in Closed Soilless Culture.
Departmento di biologia delle painte Agrarie, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Polycarpou P, Neokleous D, Chimonidou D, Papadopoulos I. 2005. A cl osed system for soil less culture adapted to the Cyprus conditions. In :
Hamdy A. (ed.), El Gamal F. (ed.), Lamaddalen a N. (ed.),Bogliotti C. (ed.), Gu ellou bi R. (ed.). Non-conventional water use:
WASAMED project. Bari : CIHEAM /EU DG Research, 2005. p. 2 37 -2 41 (Option s Méditerranéennes : Série B. Etudes et Recherches;
n .53)
Pual C. 2000. Heath and hydroponic. Practical Hydroponic & Greenhouse, 53(4), 28-30.
Resh HM. 1993. Hydroponic food production. California: Woodbridge Press Publishing Company.
Savvas D. 2002. Nutrient solution recycling in hydroponics. In: HydroponicProduc tion of Vegetables and Ornamentals (Savvas D; Passam H C,
eds), pp 299–343. Embryo Publications, Athens, Greece
Silberbush M, Ben-Asher J. 2001. Simulation study of nutrient uptake by plants from soilless cultures as affected by salinity buildup and
transpiration. Plant and Soil, 233, 59–69
Singh S, Singh BS. 2012. Hydroponics – A technique for cultivation of vegetables and medicinal plants. In. Proceedings of 4th Global
conference on ―Horticulture for Food, Nutrition and Livelihood Options Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India. p.220.
Sonneveld C. 2000. Effects of salinity on substrate grown vegetables and ornamentals in greenhouse horticulture. PhDThesis, University of
Wageningen, The Netherlands
Van Os EA, Gieling ThH, Ruijs MNA. 2002. Equipment for hydroponic installations. In: Hydroponic Production of Vegetables and Ornamentals
(Savvas D; Passam H C, eds), pp 103 141. Embryo Publications, Athens, Greece

842