Understanding Hydroponics - What is It and How Useful Is It?

The need to feed the ever-growing human population has without a doubt played a key role in propelling the world into its current state. Agricultural technologies have also evolved with time accommodating the changing needs of mankind. Hydroponics in Chennai is one such technology that has changed with time. Examples of the use of this technology can be drawn from ancient civilisations of Babylon, Mexico, China, India, and Egypt. The art and science of hydroponics has undergone significant changes to achieve today’s sophistication. But what exactly is it? How does it work? Are there any benefits by harnessing it?

Hydroponics - The Definition

The art and science of hydroponics are centered on the use of water to support plant growth as opposed to the use of soil. The literal meaning of the word is working water. The name was derived from the combination of the Greek term for labor (ponos) and the English word hydro that relates to water. This agricultural technology allows you to grow plants that in no way interact with the soil.

Where is it Applicable?

The applicability of hydroponics is dated as far back as the mid 17th century. The ability to grow food without being over-reliant on the soil’s condition gives agriculturalists a new found freedom. Space is, therefore, not as big an issue in the use of hydroponics as it is with soil-based agriculture. This technology has found its use especially in those areas that have little soil or poor quality soil. Troops in the Second World War were well fed with fresh produce grown using hydroponics.

In recent years, hydroponics has seen its way into being a viable option for commercial agriculture purposes. On the other hand, NASA toying with the idea of outer space inhabitation by mankind, the idea of hydroponics agriculture is seemingly more appealing. If we as a race are going to send out our fellow humans to occupy other planets in our solar system or the moon for that matter, we need to be in a position to feed them. What better way to deal with the risk of crop failure due to plant- soil incompatibility than to use good old water and dictate the minerals that go into plant growth?

Advantages of Hydroponics

The human population is ever growing. Technology that helps us take better care of our bodies has given us the ability to prolong our lives as compared to those in past times. The overall effect - more is demanded of the agricultural resources to produce enough food to sustain humans for longer. Hydroponics offers a few innovative solutions in this regard. Unlike its soil dependent counterpart, hydroponics makes use of vertical rather than horizontal space to achieve growth. You can now have a multistoried garden so to speak leaving the rest of the space free for other uses.

Food production is also faster with hydroponics. It offers a chance to match the rate of food production with that of population growth. Overhead costs of an agricultural enterprise under hydroponics in Chennai are lower than that of conventional agriculture. This is attributable to a decrease in labor demands to carry out husbandry practices and a decrease in the prevalence of pests and diseases, thus reducing significantly the cost of pesticides.

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