WHY HYDROPONICS

Hydroponics: A background

The word hydroponics been derived from the Greek word “water working”, is directed to growing plants without soil (Hydro means water and Ponic means working)

Hydroponics is the science of soilless growing of plants in nutrient rich solutions. It is a technique where the physiological requirements of plants can be met without use of soil or natural sunlight. Hydroponics techniques have proven itself to be very useful and efficient for producing food for livestock. The advantages of hydroponics agriculture include control over plant nutrition and therefore increased production, stable harvests of high quality fresh feeds which is available all the year and can be produced on an industrial scale; the food that is available is free from undesirable materials such as weeds, insects, dust, insecticides, germicides, carcinogens and radioactive substances.

Hydroponics culture is probably the most intensive method of crop production in today’s agricultural industry.  With the possibility of adjusting air and root temperature, light, water, plant nutrition and adverse climate, hydroponics agriculture can be made highly productive, conservative of water and land and protective of the environment.

Significance of Green Feed in Livestock

FRESH GREEN FEED is the natural food for all ruminant animals. Grasses are also good source of protein. Fodder crops provide all the critical elements like highly digestible protein, carbohydrates, fats and minerals. Green fodders are very good source of β-carotene (precursor of vitamin A). This vitamin is necessary to maintain the health and reproduction in livestock. However, due to climatic conditions, succulent grass is only available for a short period in a year and is not available in many arid and semi-arid regions of the country. The shortage of green feed & its low quality are the main cause of low reproduction and production in animal. Thus, if hydroponics green feed is made available to livestock, it will not only address the concern of low availability but also help in improving livestock health. We refer hydroponically produced green fodder as feed because protein content is about three times higher and Energy values are almost double in Hydroponics feed. The conventionally harvested green feed consists only of cut grass, but the Hydroponics feed consists of grass, along with grains and roots. This method of producing green feed has many advantages for the farmers, the ecology and the environment.