scholarly journals Hydroponic Greenhouse Basil Production: Comparing Systems and Cultivars

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 645-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kellie J. Walters ◽  
Christopher J. Currey

Basil (Ocimum sp.) is the most popular fresh culinary herb. However, there is a lack of data characterizing the effect of hydroponic production systems and cultivars on the yield of hydroponically produced basil. Our objectives were to quantify productivity and characterize growth of basil cultivars grown in two hydroponic production systems. Thirty-five basil cultivars, including selections of sweet basil (O. basilicum), holy basil (O. tenuiflorum), and lemon basil (O. ×citriodorum and O. basilicum) were chosen. Seedlings were transplanted into nutrient film technique (NFT) or deep flow technique (DFT) systems and grown for 3 weeks. There was no interaction between basil cultivars and hydroponic production system. Fresh weight of plants grown in DFT systems was 2.6 g greater compared with plants grown in NFT systems. Basil cultivars differed greatly in fresh weight. In general, holy, lemon, and sweet basil cultivars produce moderate to high fresh weight, but vary greatly. Dissimilarly, bush (O. basilicum var. minimum), cinnamon (O. basilicum), large-leaf (O. basilicum), and thai basils (O. basilicum var. thyrisiflorum) produce moderate fresh weight and purple basil (O. basilicum) cultivars produce the least fresh weight. The yield of basil seems to be affected more by cultivar selection than hydroponic production system. Therefore, hydroponic basil producers should select basil cultivars based on flavor and yield, while hydroponic systems should be selected based on operational preferences.

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hardeep Singh ◽  
Bruce Dunn ◽  
Mark Payton ◽  
Lynn Brandenberger

Nutrient-film technique (NFT) trials were conducted to quantify the effect of two different water-soluble hydroponic fertilizers (5N–4.8P–21.6K and 5N–5.2P–21.6K) on different cultivars of lettuce (Lactuca sativa), basil (Ocimum basilicum), and swiss chard (Beta vulgaris). Results indicated swiss chard yield was affected only by cultivars, with Fordhook Giant producing the greatest fresh weight across fertilizer treatments. For lettuce production, interaction between fertilizers and cultivars was significant. ‘Mirlo’ and ‘Rubysky’ had greater growth compared with other cultivars in both fertilizers, whereas Dragoon performed well using 5N–4.8P–21.6K, but not 5N–5.2P–21.6K. For basil, dry weight production showed a significant interaction between fertilizers and cultivars. ‘Largeleaf’ produced greater dry weight with 5N–4.8P–21.6K, whereas ‘Lemon’ produced greater dry weight with 5N–5.2P–21.6K. For nutrient concentration of leaves, the concentrations were within the recommended range for lettuce when fertilized with 5N–5.2P–21.6K. Nutrient concentrations varied by nutrient from the recommended range for basil, but there was no significant difference between fertilizers. For swiss chard, the nutrient concentrations were in the recommended range and there was no difference between fertilizers. Therefore, growers may need to use more than one type of fertilizer for different lettuce and basil cultivars for optimum production, whereas swiss chard cultivars can be selected based on yield regardless of fertilizer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abd Chalim Asnawi ◽  
Saimul Laili ◽  
Tintrim Rahayu

Hydroponics is agricultural cultivation without using soil media, where the media can be replaced with husk charcoal or cocopeat media. However, hydroponics is actually the use of nutrients in a solution so that the nutritional needs of the plant are as desired. Accordingly, plant growth can be maximized. The use of media other than soil does not inhibit plant growth because both charcoal husk and cocopeat can store nutrients so that plant growth is not disturbed. This study aims to determine the response of red spinach (Alternanthera amoena Voss.) to Cocopeat and husk charcoal, and also to determine the use of DFT (Deep Flow Technique) and NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) hydroponic systems on the growth and development of red spinach. The method used was RBD where Rockwool media as a control, with 6 treatments and 4 replications. From the research results, the cocopeat media and husk charcoal media gave different results where the cocopeat growing medium was greater than the husk charcoal growing medium and the DFT and NFT systems gave significantly different results where the NFT yield was greater than DFT.Keywords: Hydroponics, Red Spinach, Cocopeat, Husk Charcoal, DFT, NFTABSTRAKHidroponik adalah lahan budidaya pertanian tanpa menggunakan media tanah, dimana media dapat digantikan dengan media arang sekam ataupun cocopeat. namun hidroponik sesungguhnya yakni penggunaan nutrisi dalam larutan sehingga kebutuhan nutrisi pada tanaman sesuai keinginan. Maka pertumbuhan tanaman bisa lebih maksimal. penggunaan media selain tanah tidak menghambat pertumbuhan tanaman karena baik media arang sekam maupun cocopeat dapat menyimpan unsur hara sehingga pertumbuhan tanaman tidak terganggu. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui respon pada tanaman bayam merah (Alternanthera amoena Voss.) terhadap media tanam Cocopeat, dan Arang sekam, dan juga untuk mengetahui penggunaan sistem hidroponik DFT (Deep Flow Technique) dan NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) terhadap pertumbuhan dan perkembangan bayam merah. Metode yang digunakan adalah RAK dimana media rockwool sebagai kontrol, dengan 6 perlakuan dan 4 ulangan. Dari hasil penelitian Media tanam cocopeat dan media arang sekam memberikan hasil yang berbeda dimana media tanam cocopeat lebih besar dari pada media tanam arang sekam dan pada sistem DFT dan NFT memberikan hasil yang berbeda nyata dimana hasil NFT lebih besar dari pada DFT.Kata kunci : Hidroponik, Bayam Merah, Cocopeat, Arang sekam, DFT, NFT


Author(s):  
Rodrigo A. Jordan ◽  
Evaldo F. Ribeiro ◽  
Fabricio C. de Oliveira ◽  
Luciano O. Geisenhoff ◽  
Elton A. S. Martins

ABSTRACT This study had as objective to evaluate the effect of the substrate on the yield of lettuce grown in aquaponic and hydroponic systems. The study was conducted at the Federal University of Grande Dourados, located in Dourados, MS. A randomized complete block design was used, with three treatments and 16 replicates. The cultivation systems were analyzed independently. The substrates analyzed were: coconut shell fiber, phenolic foam and expanded vermiculite. The plants were grown in two systems (aquaponic and hydroponic), using the NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) system. The crop used was lettuce cv. ‘Alcione’. The parameters analyzed were: crop yield and percentage of roots per plant. In addition, macronutrient contents were analyzed in the leaves. The substrate composed of coconut shell fiber was more suitable for lettuce production, since it led to higher yields for both aquaponic (2.88 kg m-2) and hydroponic (2.58 kg m-2) systems. The use of phenolic foam as growing substrate led to lower mean crop yields in both production systems analyzed, 1.94 and 2.15 kg m-2 for aquaponic and hydroponic systems, respectively.


Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Yi-Ju Wang ◽  
Amanda J. Deering ◽  
Hye-Ji Kim

Our previous study reported that fresh produce grown in aquaponic and hydroponic systems can pose potential food safety hazards due to an accidental introduction of contaminated fish and cross-contamination between the systems. In this study, we examined the effects of plant species and age on the likelihood and level of internalization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in aquaponic and hydroponic systems. Four plant species, basil (Ocimum basilicum L. cv. Genovese), cilantro (Coriandrum Sativum L.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. Cherokee), and kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica), received root damage treatment as seedlings before transplanting or mature plants at three weeks after transplanting by cutting off 1-cm tips of one-third of the roots. Enrichments and selective media were used for the isolation, and presumptive positive colonies were confirmed by PCR for the presence of stx1 gene in plant tissues, recirculating water, and fish feces collected at four weeks after transplanting. In hydroponic systems, STEC was found neither in the solution nor in the roots and leaves of all four plant species, possibly through improved sanitation and hygiene practices. However, consistent with our previous findings, STEC was found in the water, on the plant roots, and in the fish feces in aquaponic systems, even after thorough sanitation prior to the study. Regardless of plant age, STEC was internalized in the roots of all plant species when the roots were damaged, but there was no difference in the degree of internalization with STEC among plant species. STEC was present in the leaves only when seedlings received root damage treatment and were grown to maturity, indicating that root damage allows STEC to internalize in the roots within a week, but a longer period is required for STEC to internalize into the leaves. We concluded that root damage on seedlings can cause the internalization of E. coli O157:H7 in the edible parts of leafy vegetables and herbs in soilless production systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-172
Author(s):  
Shankar G. Shanmugam ◽  
Normie W. Buehring ◽  
Jon D. Prevost ◽  
William L. Kingery

Our understanding on the effects of tillage intensity on the soil microbial community structure and composition in crop production systems are limited. This study evaluated the soil microbial community composition and diversity under different tillage management systems in an effort to identify management practices that effectively support sustainable agriculture. We report results from a three-year study to determine the effects on changes in soil microbial diversity and composition from four tillage intensity treatments and two residue management treatments in a corn-soybean production system using Illumina high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Soil samples were collected from tillage treatments at locations in the Southern Coastal Plain (Verona, Mississippi, USA) and Southern Mississippi River Alluvium (Stoneville, Mississippi, USA) for soil analysis and bacterial community characterization. Our results indicated that different tillage intensity treatments differentially changed the relative abundances of bacterial phyla. The Mantel test of correlations indicated that differences among bacterial community composition were significantly influenced by tillage regime (rM = 0.39, p ≤ 0.0001). Simpson’s reciprocal diversity index indicated greater bacterial diversity with reduction in tillage intensity for each year and study location. For both study sites, differences in tillage intensity had significant influence on the abundance of Proteobacteria. The shift in the soil bacterial community composition under different tillage systems was strongly correlated to changes in labile carbon pool in the system and how it affected the microbial metabolism. This study indicates that soil management through tillage intensity regime had a profound influence on diversity and composition of soil bacterial communities in a corn-soybean production system.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1036 ◽  
pp. 864-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Zemczak ◽  
Damian Krenczyk

The paper presents the task scheduling issue, which main aim is to establish a proper sequence of tasks, that would maximize the utilization of companys production capacity. According to the literature sources, the presented sequencing problem, denoted as CSP (Car Sequencing Problem) belongs to the NP-hard class, as has been proven by simple reduction from Hamiltonians Path problem. Optimal method of solution has not yet been found, only approximate solutions have been offered, especially from the range of evolutionary algorithms. Regardless of specific production system, while considering reception of new tasks into the system, current review of the state of the system is required in order to decide whether and when a new order can be accepted for execution. In this paper, the problem of task scheduling is limited to the specific existing mixed-model production system. The main goal is to determine the effective method of creation of task sequence. Through the use of computational algorithms, and automatic analysis of the resulting sequence, rates of production are able to be checked in a real time, and so improvements can be proposed and implemented.


2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 60-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sławomir Kłos ◽  
Peter Trebuna

Abstract This paper proposes the application of computer simulation methods to support decision making regarding intermediate buffer allocations in a series-parallel production line. The simulation model of the production system is based on a real example of a manufacturing company working in the automotive industry. Simulation experiments were conducted for different allocations of buffer capacities and different numbers of employees. The production system consists of three technological operations with intermediate buffers between each operation. The technological operations are carried out using machines and every machine can be operated by one worker. Multi-work in the production system is available (one operator operates several machines). On the basis of the simulation experiments, the relationship between system throughput, buffer allocation and the number of employees is analyzed. Increasing the buffer capacity results in an increase in the average product lifespan. Therefore, in the article a new index is proposed that includes the throughput of the manufacturing system and product life span. Simulation experiments were performed for different configurations of technological operations.


2009 ◽  
Vol 62-64 ◽  
pp. 275-292
Author(s):  
R.H. Weston

With increased product dynamics world-wide, the average economic lifetime of production systems is falling. Industrial robots are widely assumed to be inherently flexible and therefore that they can function as a programmable building block of response production systems. This paper reviews common capabilities of contemporary industrial robotic systems and investigates their capability to extend the useful lifetime of production system by coping with different types of product dynamic. Also considered are relative capabilities of conventional programmable robots and an emerging generation of programmable and configurable component-based machines.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagan Mohan Reddy K. ◽  
Neelakanteswara Rao A. ◽  
Krishnanand Lanka ◽  
PRC Gopal

Purpose Pull production systems have received much attention in the supply chain management environment. The number of Kanbans is a key decision variable in the pull production system as it affects the finished goods inventory (FGI) and backorders of the system. The purpose of this study is to compare the performance of the fixed and dynamic Kanban systems in terms of operational metrics (FGI and backorders) under the demand uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the system dynamics (SD) approach was used to model the performance of fixed and dynamic Kanban based production systems. SD approach has enabled the feedback mechanism and is an appropriate tool to incorporate the dynamic control during the simulation. Initially, a simple Kanban based production system was developed and then compared the performance of production systems with fixed and dynamic controlled Kanbans at the various demand scenarios. Findings From the present study, it is observed that the dynamic Kanban system has advantages over the fixed Kanban system and also observed that the variation in the backorders with respect to the demand uncertainty under the dynamic Kanban system is negligible. Research limitations/implications In a just-in-time production system, the number of Kanbans is a key decision variable. The number of Kanbans is mainly depended on the demand, cycle time, safety stock factor (SSF) and container size. However, this study considered only demand uncertainty to compare the fixed and dynamic Kanban systems. This paper further recommends researchers to consider other control variables which may influence the number of Kanbans such as cycle time, SSF and container size. Originality/value This study will be useful to decision-makers and production managers in the selection of the Kanban systems in uncertain demand applications.


Soil Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 778
Author(s):  
G. S. A. Castro ◽  
C. A. C. Crusciol ◽  
C. A. Rosolem ◽  
J. C. Calonego ◽  
K. R. Brye

This work aimed to evaluate the effects of crop rotations and soil acidity amelioration on soil physical properties of an Oxisol (Rhodic Ferralsol or Red Ferrosol in the Australian Soil Classification) from October 2006 to September 2011 in Botucatu, SP, Brazil. Treatments consisted of four soybean (Glycine max)–maize (Zea mays)–rice (Oryza sativa) rotations that differed in their off-season crop, either a signal grass (Urochloa ruziziensis) forage crop, a second crop, a cover crop, or fallow. Two acid-neutralising materials, dolomitic lime (effective calcium carbonate equivalent (ECCE) = 90%) and calcium-magnesium silicate (ECCE = 80%), were surface applied to raise the soil’s base saturation to 70%. Selected soil physical characteristics were evaluated at three depths (0–0.1, 0.1–0.2, and 0.2–0.4 m). In the top 0.1 m, soil bulk density was lowest (P < 0.05) and macroporosity and aggregate stability index were greatest (P < 0.05) in the forage crop compared with all other production systems. Also, bulk density was lower (P < 0.05) and macroporosity was greater (P < 0.05) in the acid-neutralising-amended than the unamended control soil. In the 0.1–0.2-m interval, mean weight diameter and mean geometric diameter were greater (P < 0.05) in the forage crop compared with all other production systems. All soil properties evaluated in this study in the 0.2–0.4-m interval were unaffected by production system or soil amendment after five complete cropping cycles. Results of this study demonstrated that certain soil physical properties can be improved in a no-tillage soybean–maize–rice rotation using a forage crop in the off-season and with the addition of acid-neutralising soil amendments. Any soil and crop management practices that improve soil physical properties will likely contribute to sustaining long-term soil and crop productivity in areas with highly weathered, organic matter-depleted, acidic Oxisols.


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