Description
Horticulture has expanded into different regions, enabling farmers to produce high yields and produce high quality crops, even under adverse growing conditions. Plant production in hydroponics and soilless culture is rapidly expanding throughout the world, raising a great interest in the scientific community.
This book as the name suggests “Soilless Culture” covers both theoretical and practical aspects as well as research studies of growing plants in the absence of soil. It covers the state-of-the-art in this area, while offering a clear view of providing plants with nutrients other than soil. It focuses on key topics such as nutrient analysis and key irrigation technologies and substrate choice of soil and soilless horticulture grown in a greenhouse. Furthermore, effect of different growing substrates on physiological processes as well as a comparison between hydroponic and soil-grown strawberries is also presented. The contents mainly includes influence of different substrates on horticultural crops grown under soilless culture, production of vegetables and ornamental crops in water shortage area, comparative evaluation of commercial inert substrate used for growing high value horticultural crops. This book provides the reader with an understanding of the properties of the various soilless media and how these properties affect plant performance in relation to basic horticultural operations, such as irrigation and fertilization. The chapters contributed by eminent authors, researchers and field experts are from around the globe and brought together to produce a resource for teachers, researcher, advanced students of biological science, agronomists, horticulturalists, greenhouse and nursery managers, and individuals involved with the production of plants.
