scholarly journals Increasing Sustainability of Growing Media Constituents and Stand-Alone Substrates in Soilless Culture Systems

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazim Gruda
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Soilless Culture ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
Growing Media ◽  
Culture Systems ◽  
Closed Loop Systems

Decreasing arable land, rising urbanization, water scarcity, and climate change exert pressure on agricultural producers. Moving from soil to soilless culture systems can improve water use efficiency, especially in closed-loop systems with a recirculating water/nutrient solution that recaptures the drain water for reuse. However, the question of alternative materials to peat and rockwool, as horticultural substrates, has become increasingly important, due to the despoiling of ecologically important peat bog areas and a pervasive waste problem. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive critical review of current developments in soilless culture, growing media, and future options of using different materials other than peat and rockwool. Apart from growing media properties and their performance from the point of view of plant production, economic and environmental factors are also important. Climate change, CO2 emissions, and other ecological issues will determine and drive the development of soilless culture systems and the choice of growing media in the near future. Bioresources, e.g., treated and untreated waste, as well as renewable raw materials, have great potential to be used as growing media constituents and stand-alone substrates. A waste management strategy aimed at reducing, reusing, and recycling should be further and stronger applied in soilless culture systems. We concluded that the growing media of the future must be available, affordable, and sustainable and meet both quality and environmental requirements from growers and society, respectively.

Soilless culture systems and growing media in horticulture: an overview

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Nazim S. Gruda ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Culture System ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Soilless Culture ◽  
Growing Media ◽  
Culture Systems ◽  
Controlled Environments ◽  
Sustainable Materials

Soilless culture plant production presents a sector with unlimited potential for the horticulture industry. Soilless culture systems are environmentally friendly, resource-efficient, and support sustainable intensification in agriculture. Soilless culture system (SCS) crops in climate-controlled environments lead to higher crop production for the unit area and thus to a decrease in land usage in comparison to other cultivation methods. Here, we present the state-of-the-art of growing media and soilless culture and an outlook on further developments. For the future, it remains vital to identify and further develop sustainable materials, technologies and approaches, while keeping energy and production costs low and transportation distances short. The following chapters of this book provide further information and precise details, explaining step by step all these issues.

scholarly journals Erratum: Sabatino, L. Increasing Sustainability of Growing Media Constituents and Stand-Alone Substrates in Soilless Culture Systems. Agronomy 2020, 10, 1384

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1768
Author(s):  
Leo Sabatino
Keyword(s):  
Soilless Culture ◽  
Growing Media ◽  
Culture Systems ◽  
Published Paper

The author would like to make the following correction to the published paper [...]

scholarly journals Mineral and organic growing media have distinct community structure, stability and functionality in soilless culture systems

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Grunert ◽  
Emma Hernandez-Sanabria ◽  
Ramiro Vilchez-Vargas ◽  
Ruy Jauregui ◽  
Dietmar H. Pieper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Structure Stability ◽  
Soilless Culture ◽  
Growing Media ◽  
Culture Systems

scholarly journals VERTICAL FARMS

World Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veselin Rangelov ◽  
Daniela Staykova
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Resource Consumption ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Social Environmental

The urbanized population is increasing year by year, leaving fewer and fewer inhabitants in the province. This inevitably leads to increased energy and resource consumption, leading to environmental problems. All this, combined with climate change, calls for a more holistic approach to the provision of raw materials and resources in future cities, both in the main aspects of sustainable development, social, environmental and economic. From this point of view, vertical farms can be an instrument that addresses these aspects.

Developments in alternative organic materials for growing media in soilless culture systems

2021 ◽  
pp. 73-106
Author(s):  
Nazim S. Gruda ◽  
◽  
Neil Bragg ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Organic Materials ◽  
Tree Bark ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
Soilless Culture ◽  
Growing Media ◽  
Culture Systems ◽  
The Future ◽  
Available Information

There is increasing pressure on both growing media manufacturers and horticulturists to significantly reduce their reliance on peat as a constituent of substrates. This chapter distils down the available information on alternative organic materials which have emerged as the major contenders for peat dilution or replacement. We discuss materials coming from residues of manufacturing processes, for instance, wood, tree bark and coconut fibres and coir; waste and composted materials, for instance, green compost; and materials specially cultivated for use as growing media components, for instance, Sphagnum and Miscanthus. The future of growing media will be based on blends of different components which will be renewable and locally produced materials with better life cycle assessment.

scholarly journals Circular economics in agriculture: conceptual bases and implementation possibilities in Belarus

2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-291
Author(s):  
N. N. Batova ◽  
I. E. Tochitskaya ◽  
P. V. Sachek
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Production Model ◽  
Industrial Complex ◽  
Agricultural Producers

Achieving sustainable economic growth has become an important point on the global agenda today. Harmonious coordination of sustainable development components, ensuring economic growth, social stability and ecological balance, can be achieved in the long term using the concept of circular economy, which, in turn, serves as a practical tool for transition to green economy. Despite the fact that implementation of circular economy is becoming global and competitive advantages of implementing this concept are becoming more obvious, in general, it has not been widely developed in Belarus yet. The paper reviews conceptual basis of circular agriculture, reveals peculiarities and principal differences from the traditional production model. Based on study of world experience, the importance of state support and scientific support for circular transformation of the industry has been substantiated. Sectoral specifics of plant production and livestock waste use is revealed. The results of agricultural producers survey regarding use of waste in various areas are presented: transfer for processing, sale, use of third-party secondary raw materials. Information, economic and technological barriers retaining circular transformation of Belarusian agriculture are revealed. Prospects of implementing principles of circular economy for large agricultural producers and small farm households have been substantiated. The issues covered in the paper are of interest when preparing projects of state social and economic development programs, sectoral programs for development of agro-industrial complex, strategies for ensuring environmentally safe production and efficient use of natural resources for the period until 2025. Practical use of the proposed results and proposals for implementation of circular economy principles in agriculture will ensure more efficient use of raw materials within production cycles and achieve sustainable development of agriculture in general.

Profitability of dairy farming in relation to the type of feeding system

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Frelich ◽  
Martin Šlachta ◽  
František Střeleček ◽  
Jana Lososová
Keyword(s):  
Arable Land ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Feeding Strategies ◽  
Feeding System ◽  
Financial Health ◽  
Profit Rate ◽  
Permanent Housing ◽  
Cow Performance

Profitability of dairy farming in relation to the type of feeding systemWe investigated the profitability of dairy farms in relation to the type of feeding system (seasonal pasture vs. permanent housing). An economic analysis was carried out of data on the structure and financial health of 50 farms in 2007 using questionnaires filled in by the farmers. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to reveal causal relationships between a number of characteristics of the farms. The two axis of PCA explained 40.48% and 16.13% of the variability among the selected farm characteristics. Profitability related more to the number of subsidies, the area of arable land, the number of livestock and to the milk and plant production than to the area of meadows and pastures. Although a better cow performance was achieved on farms with confined herds, the profit per agricultural area and profit rate did not differ significantly between the two feeding strategies (P>0.05). The profit was 3,259 and 3,655 CZK/ha on average and the profit rate 7.9% and 5.6% on average on farms with pastured herds and on farms with confined herds, respectively. A lowering of input costs and a more effective utilisation of grasslands may further enhance profitability.

Calculation of the Glaze Recipe for Porcelain Feldspar Products Based on their Molecular Formula Rationalization

2008 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-134
Author(s):  
Ion Teoreanu ◽  
Roxana Lucia Dumitrache ◽  
Stefania Stoleriu
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Computer Programs ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Molecular Formula ◽  
Design Equation ◽  
Material Sources

Any change of the raw material sources for glazes, economically, ecologically motivated, and also from the glaze quality point of view, is conditioned by the molecular formula rationalization and by the variation limits of the molecular formula, respectively. The proper glaze compositions are placed within their limit variation intervals with optimized processing and utilization properties. For this purpose, the rationalization criteria and procedures of molecular formulas are summarized in the present paper, as well as the results referring to their rationalization obtained in the authors� previous work. Thus, one starts from a base of raw materials that are selected, usable and also accessible for the design and producing of the glazes. On these bases the groundwork and the design equation for the glaze recipes are developed, exemplified for a single glaze. For an easy access to results, computer programs are used for an easy access to results.

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