Aeroponic and Hydroponic Systems for Medicinal Herb, Rhizome, and Root Crops

536 Fig. 1. Aeroponic A-frame unit opened to show Anemopsis californica (yerba mansa) roots (Native American Botanics Corp, Tucson, Ariz.). of the crop are suspended in a spray chamber where they are fully accessible for monitoring and harvesting, permitting multiple harvests of roots from a single crop (Fig. 1). The aeroponic systems were designed and constructed by Native American Botanics Corp., each measuring 6 ft wide, 36 ft long, and holding up to 1,200 gal of recirculating nutrient solution in a reservoir directly under the plants. The aeroponic units were built in an A-frame shape, with multiple the plants hydrated. NFT is a gutter (channel) system without any aggregate medium, and where the fertilizer solution is trickled past the roots. Ebb and flow systems are large shallow trays on benches or the floor where fertilizer solution is delivered to the plants by filling the trays (also called flood and drain). Ebb and flow systems may or may not use an aggregate medium. Aeroponics systems do not use aggregate media. In aeroponics, the roots Additional index words. Arctium, Urtica, Anemopsis, Zingiber, Scutellaria, greenhouse