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Concept
Aeroponics
Summary
Aeroponics is the process of cultivating plants in an air or mist environment, eliminating the need for soil or an aggregate medium. The term "aeroponic" originates from the Greek words aer ("air") and ponos ("work"). It falls under the category of hydroponics, as water is employed in aeroponics to deliver nutrients to the plants.
The fundamental principle of aeroponic growing entails suspending plants in a closed or semi-closed environment while spraying their dangling roots and lower stems with a nutrient-rich water solution in an atomized or sprayed form. The upper portion of the plant, including the leaves and crown, referred to as the canopy, extends above. The plant support structure keeps the roots separated. To minimize labor and expenses, closed-cell foam is often compressed around the lower stem and inserted into an opening in the aeroponic chamber. In the case of larger plants, trellising is employed to support the weight of the vegetation and fruits.
The goal is to maintain an environment free from pests and diseases, allowing the plants to thrive and grow faster than those cultivated in a growing medium. However, since most aeroponic environments are not completely sealed off from the outside, pests and diseases can still pose a threat. Controlled environments facilitate the advancement of plant development, health, growth, flowering, and fruiting for various plant species and cultivars.
Due to the sensitivity of root systems, aeroponics is often combined with conventional hydroponics. This serves as a backup nutrition and water supply in case of any failure in the aeroponic system, acting as an emergency "crop saver."
High-pressure aeroponics refers to the method of delivering nutrients to the roots using mist heads with a size range of 20-50 micrometers. This is achieved using a high-pressure diaphragm pump operating at around 80 pounds per square inch (550 kPa).
Air cultures maximize air exposure to facilitate optimal plant growth. The materials and devices used to hold and support aeroponically grown plants must be completely free from disease or pathogens.
Official source
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Related concepts (3)
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a type of horticulture and a subset of hydroculture which involves growing plants, usually crops or medicinal plants, without soil, by using water-based mineral nutrient solutions. Terrestrial or aquatic plants may grow with their roots exposed to the nutritious liquid or the roots may be mechanically supported by an inert medium such as perlite, gravel, or other substrates. Despite inert media, roots can cause changes of the rhizosphere pH and root exudates can affect rhizosphere biology and physiological balance of the nutrient solution by secondary metabolites.
Plant nutrition
Plant nutrition is the study of the chemical elements and compounds necessary for plant growth and reproduction, plant metabolism and their external supply. In its absence the plant is unable to complete a normal life cycle, or that the element is part of some essential plant constituent or metabolite. This is in accordance with Justus von Liebig’s law of the minimum. The total essential plant nutrients include seventeen different elements: carbon, oxygen and hydrogen which are absorbed from the air, whereas other nutrients including nitrogen are typically obtained from the soil (exceptions include some parasitic or carnivorous plants).
Horticulture
Horticulture is the cultivation of plants in gardens or greenhouses, as opposed to the field-scale production of crops characteristic of agriculture. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and non-food crops such as grass and ornamental trees and plants. It also includes plant conservation, landscape restoration, landscape and garden design, construction, and maintenance, and arboriculture, ornamental trees and lawns.