Soil vs. Hydroponics Research

Tomatoes are some of the most common hydroponic vegetables.

The University of Arizona describes hydroponics as the act of growing plants in nutrient solutions instead of growing these plants in soil. According to the University of Virginia, research has found that plants can grow well in many different kinds of material in addition to water. Therefore, hydroponics is no longer excluded to the growing of plants in water and also includes the growing of plants in other mediums.

Cost Effectiveness

In the 1960s, the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute researchers discovered how to create a nutrient film, which made it possible for hydroponics to be practiced efficiently today, according to the University of Arizona. Before this discovery, most crops had to be grown in soil due to the cost effectiveness. Hydroponically grown foods are often higher quality than foods that are grown with soil. Therefore, market research has been conducted to determine whether business owners would be more willing to buy hydroponic crops and whether hydroponic crops are cost-effective. Research conducted by Advanced Agribusiness Marketing found that hydroponically grown tomatoes and cucumbers could be grown and sold for a profit, but that hydroponically grown lettuce was too expensive for restaurants to purchase. Therefore, lettuce still must be grown in soil for the lettuce to be affordable.

Soil pH

Research conducted by the Crop Physiology Laboratory on hydroponics plants have disproved that ammonium helps or hurts plants. Plants grew equally well in high ammonium and low ammonium solutions. However, ammonium in soil can be harmful, since it alters the pH level of the soil.

Temperature

Cooling plants in greenhouses can be expensive. High-pressure fog systems have been developed to cool hydroponic systems within greenhouses in a cost-effective manner, according to the University of Arizona. However, the water used to create the fog must be completely free of dissolved and undissolved solids. Plants grown in soil are usually grown in locations that the plant has adapted to grow in.

Conditions

Research has been conducted by various organizations into the use of solar power to generate electricity needed to maintain the conditions necessary in the greenhouse. Collecting and storing solar power have been found to be too expensive, according to the University of Arizona. There are expenses associated with maintaining conditions for soil, but these expenses are not as high.

Nutrients

As of 2010, Jonathan N. Egilla, Ph.D., of the G.W. Carver Research Farm, has been conducting research on specialty plants to determine which specialty plants grow the best in hydroponics systems and which combinations of nutrients are the most beneficial to which plants. These studies are intended to develop growing methods for growers with limited resources in Missouri. These growers do not always have access to space, making vegetable-growing in soil more difficult.

References

• University of Arizona: Hydroponics
• Utah State University: Hydroponics Research
• Virginia Tech: Home Hydroponics
• Lincoln University: Research
• University of Tennessee: Market Analysis of Hydroponic Lettuce in the Nashville Region