Authors:
Unal Senel, Ilkay Senel, Ridvan Yildirim, Mustafa Cemek, Ibrahim Isildak, Ismail Agir |
Abstract:
Hydroponic greenhouse farming has attracted much attention because of numerous advantages it presents to growers compared to the conventional form of farming, even though hydroponic greenhouse systems are faced by a number of challenges. The main challenges include the high start up and running cost, being skilled-labor intensive and requiring more time commitment, as well as the quick spread of infections to plants in the circulating system. Other key challenges facing this method of farming include the fact that hydroponic greenhouse systems are influenced by power cut, deficiency of some elements such as oxygen can result to low production, and a failure of the system that can result in a rapid plant death since there is no soil to act as a buffer. Moreover, plants in hydroponic greenhouses react quickly to changes in the surrounding with some reactions being almost irreversible such as hot weather or narrow oxygenation.
The challenge of high startup capital is minimized by using homemade greenhouse kits that are constructed using improvised materials that serve similar purposes with the material used in ready-made kits. The issue of high running cost that is primarily caused by the high cost of energy and purchase of readily-mixed solution recipes is minimized by using relatively cheap alternative sources of energy like wood chips and home-made solution recipes. The issue of demanding much commitment and management skills can slightly be minimized by automating the system and by using apps that would enable sensors to send their readings to devices such as phones and computers. These problems among others are discussed in this paper along with the best solutions of managing the challenges. |
