Space Zoo Patrol – Hydroponic Farming
By Caird Rexroad, USDA Agricultural Research Service
- What is this future technology called?
Hydroponics. (in Latin hydro means water, and ponics means work)
- What does it do?
Hydroponic systems produce food by growing plants with their roots in water instead of soil.
- How does it work?
Plants are placed in a container which is then placed on a tube. Water, with the correct nutrient levels, flows in the tube. Roots from the plant grow down into the water and absorb the nutrients. All the nutrients that plants need to grow are in the water. Usually hydroponic systems are in greenhouses, which provide the right lighting and temperature they need while helping to protect them from pests, diseases, and extreme weather events.
Aquaponics is a type of hydroponic system where the water from fish tanks supplies the nutrients for the plants, and both the plants and fish are produced for food.
- How is it better than the older technology?
Having good soil has been an extremely important part of farming, hydroponic systems make it possible to produce food without soil. This means plants can be grown in locations where good soils and space for farming are not available, such as in cities or in space. Hydroponics uses 90% less water than when plants are grown in soil.
- What classes should I take in school to work on this?
Botany teaches us about plants – how they grow and reproduce.
Biochemistry teaches us about the nutrients plants need to grow.
Chemistry teaches us how to supply plants with nutrients in the water.
Math skills are important for building and operating hydroponic systems, so the plants get all the nutrients they need.
- Pictures
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