Sometimes the seedlings are planted by any means other than soil and the food is sprayed on it to produce the crop in a hydroponic manner. It is a sophisticated crop cultivation method. Countries in Europe, America, Japan, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and the Middle East have long been producing vegetables and fruits commercially using hydroponic methods. Bangladesh is also moving fast in crop production using this method.
There are some Advantage and Disadvantages of hydroponic cultivation. These are:
Advantages of hydroponic cultivation:
- Arable land does not require cultivable land.
- Hydroponic methods can be used to produce crops on the roof, backyard, veranda and open space using water in a rectangular box made of plastic.
- As this method is a soilless farming method, it does not cause soil borne diseases and worm borne diseases.
- Crops can be planted in a controlled environment throughout the year or even in the off-season.
- In this method the crop is produced in a controlled environment so the pest attack is less. As a result, it is possible to produce non-toxic vegetables in this way.
- This method can be used to produce healthy and clean crops in small and large scale.
- Profitable, economical and quality crops can be produced in this method.
- It is an environmentally friendly method of soilless crop production.
Some disadvantages of hydroponic cultivation: - This type of farming method is largely dependent on human control.
- It is not crop production in the traditional way. Requires some experience and expert knowledge. For a slight mistake, all the trees could die.
- In this method water and electricity are used together. Mistakes can lead to life-threatening situations.
- If the power goes out for a long time, a complicated situation may arise. Because, the whole system is electricity dependent.
- Initially commercial hydroponic farms require a lot of capital. However, once completed, the cost is gradually reduced.
- Since there is no use of soil in this method, there are no diseases or pests coming from the soil. In particular, bacterial plant diseases grow very fast and can kill all your crops overnight.
As like everything. It has also 2 part, Advantage and Dis-advantage. But it has many Advantage and Nature-friendly.
10 Benefits of Hydroponics:
- It is possible to plant a large number of trees in a very small area, as a result of which the yield of trees per unit area increases a lot.
- This type of cultivation method does not cause any weed problem. This stops the use of labor-intensive weed cleaners and harmful weed-killing chemicals. As a result, the cost of cultivation is reduced a lot.
- Among the traditional crop cultivation methods, many types of soil-borne diseases, pests and insects are infested.
- In the case of hydroponic farming methods, there is no shortage of water for the plants. Humidity sensors are usually installed near the roots of the plant and the whole process is automatically computerized.
- The fruits produced in this method are quite hardy and their durability is increased.
- During the traditional method of cultivation, it has been observed that 50-80 percent of the amount of fertilizer that we apply at the base of the tree goes to the soil. In other words, this huge amount of fertilizer is of no use to the plant and is wasted. This fertilizer also contaminates the groundwater table. But in the hydroponic method, a very small amount of fertilizer is required and its equivalent reaches the roots of each tree. This greatly increases the effectiveness of fertilizers.
- Many saplings die in the soil while planting new saplings. The hydroponic method does not disturb the seedlings and they can easily adapt to the new environment.
- If you cultivate in a poly house or greenhouse, you may have to change the soil completely after a few years. Because of the many trees planted in that small area, the fertile energy and structure of the soil is easily lost. No need to use harmful chemicals to disinfect repeatedly.
- Compared to conventional farming, the yield is much higher in hydroponic farming. Tomato, if you do it through hydroponic method, it is possible to get a yield of 25-30 kg per plant per year. It has even been observed that in the Netherlands, about 70 kg of tomatoes were harvested from a single plant by hydroponic methods in a greenhouse.
- Since hydroponic crops are grown indoors, the weather does not have much control over the crops.
It’s Impact on Agriculture:
It has had a huge impact on agriculture. It is possible to cultivate a lot in a small area. Just as the farmers are benefiting by selling the higher yields, they are also taking the country’s economy forward by meeting the food needs of the people. This method saves both time and effort in cultivation. Besides, the quality of the crop is also improved.