Aeroponics What is aeroponics? Why do people choose aeroponics? What are the advantages of aeroponics? What are the disadvantages of aeroponics? Aeroponics in Singapore ALGAE(36) Good morning/ afternoon Mrs. Tan and fellow classmates. Today I’m going to present to you one of the high-tech farming methods that man have invented which is Aeroponics.

What is AEROPONICS? Aeroponics is the growing of plants in air or misty conditions without using soil or any other medium. This is similar to hydroponics (growing of plants in water) just that air substitutes water in this cultivation. Everyone of you here must have heard of hydroponics. Well, hydroponics is growing plants without having to use soil. Instead, water is used to replace soil. So, aeroponics is replacing soil and water with air.

How does Aeroponics work? The plant is kept suspended above the ground. Its roots doesn’t touch any soil. Nutrient-filled water is then sprayed onto the plant’s roots. So how does this work? The root and part of the stem of the plant is kept under covers and nutrient-filled water is sprayed onto the roots for the plants to absorb. The upper part of plant including the leaves might or might not be kept under covers, depending on the structure of the cultivation.

How does Aeroponics work? This is an animation to show you how aeroponics work.

What’s the advantage of aeroponics? More ecologically friendly as less water and energy is used Since less water is used, more plants can be grown on the same plot of land Nearly insect-free as plants don’t have contact with soil are kept in a closed space No use of pesticides Limited transmission of plant diseases as plants are not interconnected to each other by soil Plants grow better as they have more access to carbon dioxide as they grow in air So, what is the advantage of such a high-tech farming? Basically, aeroponics have lesser negative impact on the environment as they save water and energy. And since the plants have no contact with soil, these plants tend to be insect-free. So, there is no need for pesticides and this eliminates all the water pollution that such pesticides will cause. Apart from being pest-free, plant diseases are also unlikely to spread as the plants do not touch each other directly through soil. Here, not only the environment will be affected by the goodness of aeroponics. Farmers can also grow more plants on the same plot of land. There will also be better quality of the plants are they are exposed to more carbon dioxide which increases the rate of photosynthesis.

Advantages of aeroponics Not affected by the four seasons, droughts or floods Improved nutrient feeding to increase the quality of the plant No crop rotation needed because no soil is used Able to cultivate plants out of the atmosphere There will also be a constant harvest as the cultivation is not affected by the four seasons or any natural occurrences in the weather such as droughts and floods. Farmers can also reap more because there is no need for crop rotation unlike shifting cultivation as no soil is used. Another factor that contributes to better quality of plants is that more nutrients are added for the plant to absorb.

What are the disadvantages of aeroponics? It is difficult to maintain the state-of-the-art machinery required in aeroponics The machines must be in tip top conditions because the plant relies heavily on the nutrients supplied by the machineries Since aeroponics is a state-of-the-art kind of technology, it is difficult to maintain and the plants rely heavily on the machineries for survival so the machineries have to be in tip-top condition all the time.

Why do people choose to use aeroponics? This state-of-the-art technology in cultivating vegetables is used when countries face a scarcity of land and water. Read from slide.

Singapore and Aeroponics There is one Aeroponics farm in Singapore called ‘Green Rose’. This is one and only one of its kind. It covers 5.3 ha of land and produces vegetables and herbs that are sold in local supermarkets. Read from slide.

History of Aeroponics Commercialization of aeroponics began in 1966 The first aeroponically-grown vegetables were sold in grocery stores in 1986 However, aeroponics were first introduced in labs in 1940s So, aeroponics have come a long way since plants in the lab to vegetables are cultivated world-wide In 1940s, the idea of aeroponics had already been conceived by W.Carter. However, it was only in 1957 when F.W.Went thought of spraying nutrients on the plants to aid growth. So, by 1966 project commercialization had begun. And finally after 20 years in 1986, Stoner sold his aeroponics vegetables to a supermarket in America. So, don’t be fooled that aeroponics is a very new system of cultivation. Actually, it nearly has 70 years of history already! Corn grown through aeroponics in 2005

Space plants America have been trying to cultivate plants in outer-space where there is no soil. So, they experiment with hydroponics and aeroponics. In 1960, plants to sent out of the Earth’s orbit to test the sutability of cultivating plants out of the Earth’s atmosphere. However, plants have shown slow growth due to the lack of gravity. But results also have shown that the plants will have higher levels of potassium and phosphorus if grown in outer-space. Read from slide.

Credits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroponics#Commercialization http://www.oswego.edu/nova/facts/hydroponics/hydroponics.html http://aerogreentech.com.sg/aero/what_is_aeroponics.htm Credits

Thanks for paying attention!