Plant nutrition and nutrient formulation.

This chapter focuses on plant nutrition and nutrient formulation. Water quality and sources for hydroponic production, reclaimed water sources, water testing, water analysis reports, water treatment options, water usage and supply requirements, plant nutrition in hydroponic systems, essential elements and its function in plants and deficiency symptoms, beneficial elements, nutrient formulation, hydroponic nutrient formulation - nitrogen sources, common hydroponic fertilizers, fertilizer composition and grades, chelation of trace elements, foliar fertilizers, electrical conductivity, pH, conditions which affect nutrient uptake rates, automation and testing equipment, plant tissue analysis, fertilizer and environmental concerns, water and nutrient solution treatment methods, and surfactants are the topics discussed in this chapter.

Plant factories - closed plant production systems.

This chapter focuses on plant factories, which is an indoor, enclosed, crop cultivation system where the growing environment is precisely controlled to maximize production. Topics covered are the history and background of plant factories,advantages of plant factories, criticisms of plant factories, costs and returns of plant factories, domestic and other small-scale plant factories, crops produced including pharmaceuticals, vertical or multilevel systems, including moveable systems, crop nutrition in plant factories, plant factory environments, lighting, environmental control and plant quality in plant factories, and automation and robotization.

Plant health, plant protection and abiotic factors.

This chapter describes (i) major greenhouse pests (including insects, mites and nematodes) and pest control options focusing on integrated pest management (which involves the use of 'ofter' control options such as biological and microbial control combined with physical exclusion, pest trapping, resistant crops and other methods); (ii) selected diseases of hydroponic crops, including those caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses; and (iii) physiological disorders caused by non-living or non-infectious factors such as temperature, light, irrigation water quality and salinity, chemical injury (phytotoxicity), and cultural practices.

Harvest and postharvest factors.

This chapter discusses harvest and postharvest factors. Harvesting involves the gathering or removal of a mature crop, with minimum damage and losses, from where it has been grown and transporting it on either for direct consumption or into the postharvest handling chain for further storage and distribution. Determination of harvest maturity, hand harvesting, robotic harvesting of greenhouse crops, postharvest handling, grading and storage, fresh-cut salad processing, shelf-life evaluation, packaging, postharvest cooling, postharvest handling damage, GAP - Good Agricultural practices in Postharvest Handling, postharvest storage, postharvest disorders, food safety and hygiene, ready-to-eat, minimally processed produce, certification and food safety systems, and postharvest developments are also discussed.

Hydroponic production of selected crops.

While there is a wide range of potentially profitable crops which can be grown in hydroponics under protected cultivation, greenhouse production is dominated by fruiting crops such as tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum and strawberries, and vegetative species such as lettuce, salad and leafy greens, herbs and specialty crops like microgreens. This chapter summarizes information on a selected range of common hydroponic crops to give basic procedures for each and an outline of the systems of production. These crops include tomato, capsicum or sweet bell pepper, cucumber, lettuce and other salad greens, strawberry and rose. Information is given on their hydroponic production systems and environment, propagation, plant density, pruning, pollination, fruit growth, crop nutrition, pests, diseases, disorders, harvesting and postharvest handling.

Harvest and postharvest factors.

This chapter discusses harvest and postharvest factors. Harvesting involves the gathering or removal of a mature crop, with minimum damage and losses, from where it has been grown and transporting it on either for direct consumption or into the postharvest handling chain for further storage and distribution. Determination of harvest maturity, hand harvesting, robotic harvesting of greenhouse crops, postharvest handling, grading and storage, fresh-cut salad processing, shelf-life evaluation, packaging, postharvest cooling, postharvest handling damage, GAP - Good Agricultural practices in Postharvest Handling, postharvest storage, postharvest disorders, food safety and hygiene, ready-to-eat, minimally processed produce, certification and food safety systems, and postharvest developments are also discussed.

The greenhouse environment and energy use.

This chapter discusses the greenhouse environment and its energy use. Its heating, cooling, shading, ventilation and air movement, humidity, carbon dioxide enrichment, automation, energy use and conservation in protected cropping, renewable energy sources for protected cropping such as geothermal energy, solar energy, passive solar energy, wind-generated energy, biomass and biofuels are also discussed.

Background and history of hydroponics and protected cultivation.

Along with new types of protected cropping structures, materials and technology, the range and diversity of hydroponic crops grown are also expanding. While the greenhouse mainstays of nursery plants, tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber, salad vegetables and herbs will continue to expand in volume, newer, speciality and niche market crops are growing in popularity. These include new cut flower species, potted plants and ornamental crops, and a growing trend in the commercial production of medicinal herbs using high-technology methods such as aeroponics. Exotic culinary herbs such as wasabi, dwarf fruiting trees and spices such as ginger and vanilla are now grown commercially in protected cropping structures, while many home gardeners continue to take up hydroponics and protected cropping as both a hobby and a means of growing produce. Protected cropping and hydroponic methods will further their expansion into hostile climates which never previously allowed the production of food.

Plant nutrition and nutrient formulation.

This chapter focuses on plant nutrition and nutrient formulation. Water quality and sources for hydroponic production, reclaimed water sources, water testing, water analysis reports, water treatment options, water usage and supply requirements, plant nutrition in hydroponic systems, essential elements and its function in plants and deficiency symptoms, beneficial elements, nutrient formulation, hydroponic nutrient formulation - nitrogen sources, common hydroponic fertilizers, fertilizer composition and grades, chelation of trace elements, foliar fertilizers, electrical conductivity, pH, conditions which affect nutrient uptake rates, automation and testing equipment, plant tissue analysis, fertilizer and environmental concerns, water and nutrient solution treatment methods, and surfactants are the topics discussed in this chapter.

Propagation and transplant production.

Crop establishment is a fundamental process in greenhouse and hydroponic production. Seed and seedling delivery systems vary considerably between different types of crops and growing situations and with level of mechanization available. This chapter focuses on propagation and transplant production. Crop establishment methods such as propagation from seed, seedling transplant production through containerized and non-containerized delivery methods, seeding of cell flats, trays and other transplant media, transplant production systems, use of plant factories for seedling transplant production, organic transplant production, grafting, vegetative propagation, and tissue culture are discussed in this chapter.