Tomorrow's Agriculture (eBook)

Stephanie Mohammed is both a staff and student at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad. Early in her career she began her journey by learning about the wonders of physics and chemistry from which she was able to build her own hydroponic system for experimentation at the age of 25. She has produced a publication on hydroponics, won a scientific award and obtained a grant for her work in this field. Stephanie has had a great passion and craving for a better world and believes in “feeding the nation in any way you one can” whether through food or knowledge. She encourages everyone to contribute meaningfully in their best way possible and encourages people to grow within their budget in a green and healthy way for a sustainable future. She also advises people to conduct proper research before venturing into hydroponics and assures that it is very affordable and the harvest reaped from it is more promising.

Preface 6
Acknowledgement 7
Abstract 8
Contents 9
List of Figures 11
List of Tables 12
Chapter 1: Introduction 13
1.1 What Is Hydroponics? 13
1.2 Common Scientific Terms 13
1.3 Importance of Nutrient Solution 14
1.4 Mechanical Support Medium 15
1.5 Classification of Hydroponics 16
1.5.1 Drip System 16
1.5.2 Water Culture 16
1.5.3 Aeroponics 17
1.5.4 Wick System 17
1.5.5 Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) 18
Chapter 2: Introduction to Nutrient Film Technique 19
2.1 Advantages and Disadvantages of Hydroponics 19
2.1.1 Disadvantages 21
2.2 Variety of Crops That Can Be Grown Hydroponically 21
2.3 Practice of NFT Worldwide 22
Chapter 3: Designing of NFT Hydroponic System 24
Chapter 4: Nutrient Film Technique Greenhouse Set-up 26
4.1 Hydroponic (NFT) Greenhouse Set up for Small-Scale Production 26
4.2 Example of Cultivation System in Trinidad 34
Chapter 5: Formula for Nutrient Film Technique 36
5.1 A Hydroponic Formula for Good Results 36
5.1.1 Composition (Micro, Macro and Trace Elements) 36
Chapter 6: Climatic Conditions for Crop Production 38
6.1 Best Conditions for the Leafy Vegetable Plant Growth 38
Chapter 7: Management Practices 39
7.1 Problems Encountered in Growing Hydroponic Lettuce, Chive and Celery 39
Chapter 8: Developing a Business Plan 42
8.1 Using Hydroponics to Bring an Income: First Develop a Business Plan 42
8.2 Business Concept 42
8.3 Input = Output 42
8.4 Aim 43
8.5 Vision 43
8.6 Goals and Objectives 43
8.7 Advantages 43
8.8 Financial Analysis 44
Chapter 9: Conclusion 46
Summary of Nutrient Film Technique 47
Appendix 48
References 53
Index 55