Sailendra Kumar*, Anamta Rizvi, Madhurima Yadav, Sangeeta Saxena*
Department of Biotechnology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow-226025, India
Cite this article: Yadav, M., Kumar, S., Rizvi, A., Saxena, S., 2023. Vertical hydroponics for sustainable soilless farming revolution in strawberry cultivation for urban dwellers. J. Appl. Sci. Innov. Technol. 2 (2), 96-102.
Highlights
- Vertical hydroponics can be a boon to city dwellers as it provides higher yield per unit area.
- The vertical hydroponics set-up is a cost-efficient system and it requires a very small area.
- Jaggery solution showed better results as compared to commercially available hydroponic solution.
Abstract: Hydroponics is a soilless cultivation method and it has revolutionized traditional farming by delivering nutrients directly to plant roots through a water-based, controlled environment. Its adaptability to diverse crops has prompted exploration into tailored nutrient solutions. Vertical hydroponics, a variant of this technique, amplifies space efficiency by stacking plant beds vertically, optimizing land usage and enabling high-density crop cultivation. In this study, vertical hydroponics was employed to cultivate strawberry plants for approximately 100 days. Three distinct nutrient systems were established in triplicates, each with 16 strawberry saplings. The first system utilized NPK solution (19:19:19) supplemented with commercially available hydroponic solutions. The second system relied on kitchen waste solution, while the third one incorporated jaggery solution. The research aimed to evaluate the multifaceted benefits of these nutrient sources on plant growth, flowering, fruiting, average fruit weight, and the time required to achieve an optimal attributes. The findings offer comprehensive insights in elucidating their roles in enhancing nutrient uptake, plant vigor, yield and fruit quality. This research contributes significant guidance for optimizing nutrient strategies in vertical hydroponic strawberry cultivation.
Keywords:
Vertical hydroponics; Nutrient solutions; Strawberry; Growth
Scope: Agricultural Science & Engineering
