Commercial Hydroponic Vegetable Production
Commercial Hydroponic Crop Production
[pic]
Elizabeth Jones
HORT 425
Introduction According to an article by National Geographic News, food production takes up nearly half of the Earth’s surface and an area roughly the size of South America is used for crop production alone (Owen, 2005). Imagine the demands that this large scale food production puts on our planet. According to the Natural Resources Management and Environment Department, Agricultural practices are the number one source of water quality impairment in the united states effecting lakes, rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters (Ongley, 1996). Runoff of excess fertilizers that aren’t taken up by plants can cause problems both to the environment and our health. “The potential health effects of high nitrate levels are diverse, including reproductive problems (Kramer et al.1996), methemoglobinemia, and cancer. Infants are especially at risk for methemoglobinemia (“blue-baby” syndrome)…” (Townend, Horarth, and Bazzaz, 2003).
Hydroponic agriculture, which is the growing of plants without soil, is another means of producing food. With land becoming more valuable as time goes by and as harmful pesticides and fertilizers are leached into our water, hydroponic crop production is a viable alternative to traditional farming,
History
Hydroponics began with the use of “greenhouse like” systems which have been in use for at least 2,000 years. As early as the first century, the earliest greenhouse production began in the Roman Empire where, in the off season, cucumbers were grown under “transparent stone” to shelter plants from temperate weather (ag.arizona.edu, 2000) After this period, this or similar practices were not known to be used until about 1500 years later when, in the 1600’s, several techniques were used to protect crops such as glass lanterns and bell jars (ag.arizona.edu, 2000).
In the seventeenth century, wooden frames were covered with an oiled translucent paper
[pic]
Elizabeth Jones
HORT 425
Introduction According to an article by National Geographic News, food production takes up nearly half of the Earth’s surface and an area roughly the size of South America is used for crop production alone (Owen, 2005). Imagine the demands that this large scale food production puts on our planet. According to the Natural Resources Management and Environment Department, Agricultural practices are the number one source of water quality impairment in the united states effecting lakes, rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters (Ongley, 1996). Runoff of excess fertilizers that aren’t taken up by plants can cause problems both to the environment and our health. “The potential health effects of high nitrate levels are diverse, including reproductive problems (Kramer et al.1996), methemoglobinemia, and cancer. Infants are especially at risk for methemoglobinemia (“blue-baby” syndrome)…” (Townend, Horarth, and Bazzaz, 2003).
Hydroponic agriculture, which is the growing of plants without soil, is another means of producing food. With land becoming more valuable as time goes by and as harmful pesticides and fertilizers are leached into our water, hydroponic crop production is a viable alternative to traditional farming,
History
Hydroponics began with the use of “greenhouse like” systems which have been in use for at least 2,000 years. As early as the first century, the earliest greenhouse production began in the Roman Empire where, in the off season, cucumbers were grown under “transparent stone” to shelter plants from temperate weather (ag.arizona.edu, 2000) After this period, this or similar practices were not known to be used until about 1500 years later when, in the 1600’s, several techniques were used to protect crops such as glass lanterns and bell jars (ag.arizona.edu, 2000).
In the seventeenth century, wooden frames were covered with an oiled translucent paper
References: Dodson, Mardi, Janet Bachmann, and Paul Williams. "Organic Greenhouse Tomato Production." National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. 2002. 5 Apr. 2010. . "Growing Hydroponic Tomatoes." Ag.arizona.edu. University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, 10 July 2000. 5 Apr. 2010 . Heiney, Anna. "NASA - Farming for the Future." NASA - Home. 27 Aug. 2004. 4 Apr. 2010. . Heyden, Linda. "Hydroponics in Commercial Food Production." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. 4 Apr. 2010. . Hickman, Gary W. Greenhouse Vegetable Production Statistics. Rep. Cuesta Roble Greenhouse Consultants. 2010. "Hydroponics: Advantages & Disadvantages." Hydroponics, Gardening, Greenhouse, Agriculture, Horticulture, Aquaculture. 9 Mar. 2006. 6 Apr. 2010 . Marr, Charles W. Greenhouse Vegetable Production: Hydroponics. Tech. Kansas State University, 1994. Print. Ongley, Edwin D. "Control of Water Pollution from Agriculture." Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (1996). Print. Owen, James. "Farming Claims Almost Half Earth 's Land, New Maps Show." Daily Nature and Science News and Headlines | National Geographic News. 9 Dec. 2005. 5 Apr. 2010. . Parrington, Tammi. "The Advantages of Hydroponics Over Conventional Farming." Garden Guides, Your Guide to Everything Gardening. Demand Media. 6 Apr. 2010. . Stone, Jerry J. "New York City 's First Rooftop Hydroponic Farm To Yield 30 Tons Of Produce Annually." TreeHugger. 16 June 2009. 3 Apr. 2010. . Townsend, Alan R., Robert W. Horarth, and Fakhri A. Bazzaz. "Human Health Effects of a Changing Global Nitrogen Cycle." Front Ecol Environ 1.5 (2003): 240-46. 4 Apr. 2010. .