Soilless Culture Management

1 History.- 2 Types of Hydroponics and Nomenclature.- 2.1 Advantages and Disadvantages.- 3 Nutrients.- 3.1 The Elemental Composition of Plants.- 3.2 Macroelements.- 3.3 Microelements.- 3.4 Nonrequired Elements.- 3.5 Deficiency Symptom Considerations.- 3.6 Interaction Between Nutrients.- 3.7 Methods of Expressing Solution Concentration.- 3.8 Composition of the Nutrient Solution.- 3.9 Mixed Fertilizers.- 3.10 pH.- 3.11 Mobile and Immobile Nutrients.- 3.12 Nutrient Concentration and Yield.- 3.13 Preparation of Nutrient Concentrates.- 3.14 Foliar Nutrition.- 3.15 Nutrient Solution Analysis.- 4 Culture Methods.- 4.1 General Outlines.- 4.2 The Supporting Media.- 4.3 Sand Culture - Open System.- 4.4 Rockwool Culture - Open System.- 4.5 Gravel Culture - Closed System.- 4.6 Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) and Water Culture - Closed System.- 4.7 Water Culture - Closed System.- 4.8 Bag Culture - Open Systems.- 4.9 Other Systems.- 5 Water.- 5.1 General.- 5.2 The Process of Osmosis.- 5.3 Transpiration.- 5.4 Irrigation.- 5.5 Saline Water.- 5.6 Wastewater (Sewage).- 6 Carbon Dioxide.- 6.1 General Observations.- 6.2 CO2 Sources.- 6.3 Economics of CO2 Enrichment.- 7 Root Environment.- 7.1 Root Functioning.- 7.2 Relations of Nutrient Absorption.- 8 Plant Growth Effects and Plant Tests.- 8.1 Photosynthetic Efficiency.- 8.2 Harvest Index.- 8.3 Root-Shoot Relationships.- 8.4 Plant Tests: Choice of Tissue.- 8.5 Plant Analysis.- 8.6 Disease Control.- 9 Controlling Systems.- 9.1 Controllers.- 9.2 Temperature.- 9.3 Light.- 9.4 Automated Fertilizer Application.- 9.5 EC Controller (Conductivity).- 9.6 CO2 Controllers.- 9.7 DO Controller.- 10 Culture and Cultivation.- 10.1 Plants Adaptable to Hydroponic Culture.- 10.2 Tomato.- 10.3 Cucumber.- 10.4 Lettuce.- 10.5 Flowers.- 11 Establishinga Commercial Soilless Culture Unit.- 11.1 Economic Considerations.- 11.2 Increased Technical Demands on the Management.- 12 Some Future Aspects.- 12.1 Plant Nutrients.- 12.2 Initial Investment.- 12.3 Growth