Question 1 Give other examples of hydroponic system and how it works.

Types Water culture growing system Description 1. A very simple to use hydroponic system 2. A styrofoam platform typically holds the plants and floats on the nutrient solution 3. An air pump is used to supply air to a bubbling stone that releases the nutrient solution and supplies oxygen to the plant roots 4. Leaf lettuce is the predominant plant grown in this type of system, very few other plants grow well in the Water Culture System Advantages of Water Culture Systems
o o

Picture

Water loving plants willwell, love it Straightforward design that doesn't require a lot of components Cheap to make

Disadvantages of Water Culture Systems

o

Plants that aren't specifically keen on loads of water will do much better with other hydroponic vegetable growth systems Large plants cannot be grown in it

Ebb and Flow growing system

1.

This system works by temporarily flooding the grow tray with nutrient solution and then draining the solution back into the reservoir, which is controlled by a submeresed pump on a timer Several times a day, the timer comes on and allows the pump to release the nutrient solution into the grow tray When the timer shuts off the nutrient solution is collected back into the reservoir This system can be modified in many ways such as filling the grow tray with grow

2.

3.

4.

rocks or gravel
5.

One main disadvantage of this system is the possibility of a power outage and/or pump timer failures, due to the growing medium that is used

Advantages of Flood and Drain Systems

o

Can be used with a large array of growing mediums Can sustain large amounts of vegetables, or larger ones since there's no risk that they run short of nutrients when the flood cycle occurs

Disadvantages of Flood and Drain Systems

o

The system is more vulnerable to power outages You have less control over the pump, so in case you get a broken pump or timer, things could get messy If the flood/drain cycle is interrupted by some reason, the roots of the vegetables will be dried out

Nutrient Film Technique (N.F.T.) Growing System

1.

The most commonly hydroponic system

thought

of

2.

N.F.T. systems have a constant flow of nutrients, therefore no timer is needed for the submersed pump The nutrient solution is pumped into the grow tray over the plant roots and is then drained into the reservoir The only grow medium that is used is air The plants are typically supported in small plastic baskets, with the roots dangling into the nutrient solution This system faces the possibility of power outages and pump failures

3.

4. 5.

6.

Advantages of NFT Systems

Continuous flow, so no extra work is needed in setting timers Uses air as the growing medium, which eliminates the need to change the medium after each crop, like you would with other hydroponic vegetable systems

Disadvantages of NFT Systems

o

Because they're suspended in air, plant roots can dry out very fast if a problem occurs and there's no more solution pumped in the tray Less control over the entire system Vulnerable to power outages and pump failures

o o

Hydroponic Drip Growing System

1.

The most widely used type of hydroponic systems A timer controls a submersed pump that releases a nutrient solution onto the base of each plant In a Recovery Drip System, the excess nutrient solution is collected and reused The Recovery Drip System is more sustainable, however the pH and nutrient strength levels may vary because the nutrient solution is reused In a Non-Recovery Drip System, it does not collect the excess solution The Non-Recovery Drip System must have a precise timer to ensure that the least amount of nutrient solution is wasted

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Advantages of the Drip System

o

Very efficient, since it reuses nutrients that end up being in excess in the tray The timer handles everything automatically, so this system will require less attention Can grow larger amounts of vegetables

Disadvantages of the Drip Systems

o

Recovering extra nutrients that get in the tray is a double edged sword, since when these come back, they alter the pH of the general solution over time More expensive than the Wick and Water Culture hydroponics vegetable growth systems

Wick growing system

1. 2.

The simplest of all hydroponic systems The Wick System is a passing system, meaning it has no moving parts The nutrient solution is released into the grow tray through a wick There are several different growing mediums that can be used in this hydroponic system

3.

4.

Advantages of the Wick

o

easy to create, even if you're not a technical person cheap can use a variety of growing mediums the system is passive

o o o

Disadvantages of the Wick

o

the system cannot support larger amounts of plants (or large plants) due to the fact that the wick cannot transport the nutrient solution as fast and in the quantity needed not a lot of room for improvements when compared to other hydroponics vegetable growth systems

Aeroponic growing system

1. 2. 3.

One of the most high tech growing systems The growing medium is primarily air The roots hang in the air and are misted with nutrients every few minutes A timer must be used to control the nutrient pump to ensure the plants are properly misted with the nutrients

4.

Advantages of Aeroponic Systems

o

Simple design, although it's hard to produce it on your own Nutrients in mist are sucked in faster by roots

Disadvantages of Aeroponic Systems

o

Being suspended in the air, roots will dry out fast if the mist pump breaks down Timer needs to be checked out regularly, since the pump needs to work on short cycles

Question 2 What are the examples of netting and what are the functions of some specific colour.

Colour of netting Red

Description of netting -The early blooming for almost all varieties under the red shade net consists of a great hint that the proportion of R/FR radiation can decrease the periods of mild temperatures required for the flower induction in this species. -Promoted early season fruit yield in pepper growth - Promoted the average stem length in rose cultivation

Yellow Black Blue

-The stimulating effect of the Yellow is mostly expressed in longer, wider stems and caused huge plants. -Induced an additional fruit cycle at the end of winter in pepper growth. -Cause dwarfing in Helianthus annuus and Trachelium

-Influences the chlorophyll and other pigments biosynthesis through the regulation of the expression of some genes and the variegation is best. Grey Green White -Enhanced branching and bushiness, and also reduced leaf size and variegation suchas in Pittosporum -Produce large leaf size. -Significantly lowered both aphid infestation and the incidence of PVY and CMV probably due to their reflectivity of sunlight, deterring pest landing.

The effects of the Blue, Yellow and Red nets result from their enriching/reducing the relative content of blue, yellow and red spectral bands of the transmitted light, and might be related to similar effects reported for photoselective films and artificial illumination (reviewed by Rajapakse and Shahak, 2007). The effects of the Grey net might relate to its distinct absorption in the IR range.