Hydroponic Culture for the Tropics: Opportunities and Alternatives

Hydroponics is perhaps the most intensive method of crop production in today’s agricultural industry. It uses advanced technology, is highly productive, and is often capital-intensive. Since regulating the aerial and root environment is a major concern in such agricultural systems, production takes place inside enclosures that give control of air and root temperature, light, water, plant nutrition and protect against adverse climatic conditions. While most greenhouse horticultural crops are grown in soil, the last 12 years has produced an avalanche of reports in hydroponics. There are many types of hydroponic systems as well as many designs of greenhouse structures and methods of control of the environment therein. Not every system may be cost effective in any location. The future growth of hydroponics depends greatly on the development of systems of production competitive in cost with systems of open field agriculture.