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Design and evaluation of wick type and recirculation type substrate hydroponic systems for greenhouse tomatoes
Abstract
In this study, two different types of substrate hydroponics systems have been designed and evaluated for growing greenhouse tomatoes. The first system is wick type self-operating hydroponic system which does not require any external energy for supplying water and nutrients to the potted plants. The other system is re-circulation type hydroponic system which uses pump energy to supply water and nutrient to the potted plants. A 1.5 m × 1 m angle iron frame was fabricated with a provision of holding 05 pots each in two rows at 30 cm above the ground. All 10 pots were filled with soilless porous root media consisting of cocopeat, vermiculite and perlite in 3:1:1 ratio respectively. Sufficiently thick cotton wicks (four in numbers) were inserted in each pot of first row. These wicks were long enough to protrude through the bottom of each pot and reached up to the bottom of the nutrient rich water container placed below the pot for direct absorption through capillary action. The other row of pots was fixed with PVC flexible pipe having drippers fitted at the top of each pot for supply of nutrient rich water solution. A re-circulation pump was immersed in a 20 liter size bucket to supply water and nutrients to the plants with a timer controlled operation. Provision was made in such a way that excess solution comes back to the same bucket in a recirculation mode and excessive percolated nutrient rich solution through each pot was collected in a container placed below each pot and reused. Water consumed by wick type plants and pump type plants was very less compared to plants grown under conventional soil system. It was observed that on an average 30 times more quantity of water was used by soil type plants as compared to other two methods. The total cumulative yield from the wick type plants was 1905 grams per plant, 2095 grams from plants grown under pumping system and 1250 grams from plants grown under soil conditions.
In now a day’s soil based cultivation is major difficulties due to different man made reason such as urbanization and industrialization. Hydroponic system such as the deep flow technique, nutrient film technique and aeroponic systems are essential tools in plant factories more over sudden natural disaster, climate change and unlimited use of chemical for agriculture purpose lead to reduction in soil fertility and quality. That’s why scientist have evolved a new alternative approach to the agriculture system is called as hydroponic system. Hydroponic is a technique of growing plants in a water based and nutrient rich solution by hydroponic large number of crops for plants can be grown easily. The quality of yield and nutritive value of end products produced by hydroponically is generally greater than the natural soil based cultivation. This type of cultivation is diseases free, eco-friendly and growing popularity across the whole world including the both developed and developing countries.
The present study was carried out to determine the influence of wick and drip substrate hydroponic systems and different ratios of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) in the nutrient solution on fruit yield and quality (titratable acidity, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid, total soluble sugars, firmness, lycopene, carotenoids) in tomato. Summer and winter tomato crop was raised under two substrate hydroponic systems. Four nutrient solutions (N:K ratios in four combinations) were tested in both the growing seasons at vegetative and reproductive stages of plant development. Among the different nutrient solutions, the solution containing N and K in the ratio of 1.4:3 at vegetative and 1.7:3.5 at reproductive stage increased the total fruit yield and quality of tomato irrespective of hydroponic system or season. Among the hydroponic systems, wick system produced higher fruit yield and better quality in terms of firmness, ascorbic acid, and total soluble sugars in winter crop.
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