New look at hydroponic culture

Thirty years ago, few dictionaries had the word "hydroponic". But today soilless growth has become a part of crop production. A recent world review on hydroponic development showed that there are over two million big soilless installations operating in many areas of the globe.

One of the main reasons why hydroponics is spreading so quickly is that new and simplified systems of soilless culture have been created. A set of rules has been worked out which makes hydroponics reliable for growers to use. Having one acre under hydroponics only takes up a man's time for a maximum of 40 working hours a month, or 10 hours if the unit is mechanized, while the gains may be very high. The larger the installation the lower are the unit costs, so that one fulltime individual can control 100 acres as easily as he could five acres, with mechanised aids.

Hydroponic machinery and equipment have the following categories:

1) machinery and equipment for supplying nutrients;

2) apparatus for irrigation;

3) prefabricated troughs¹ and units.

Future developments may require computer control of hydroponic units, and we shall see vast complexes of food plants doing without direct human help.

Pumps, time-clocks, irrigation systems, piping, sprayers, tools of many kinds, heating apparatus for cold climates, and other machinery as well as various apparatus are required for hydroponic growth. Lighting and other electrical equipment are used in large units to increase production. Engines are needed to provide motive power, and there is a place for very low-geared tractors² which can move at speeds of as little as one m.p.h., for nutrient application.

Irrigation machinery is important in hydroponics. So also are prefabricated troughs. Suitable materials for troughs include metal, wood, plastics, and any similar materials which do not give toxicity. Then there are many things such as polythene sheeting³, containers with automatic watering or feeding devices, tanks, tools, testing apparatus, photothermostats and humidity indicators, ventilation systems, etc. and, no doubt, computers.

Notes and Commentary

¹ prefabricated troughs – лотки заводського виготовлення

² low-geared tractors – низькошвидкісні трактори

³sheeting – обшивка

AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS

The seed-bed preparation¹ begins with stubble-cleaning which is made by means of stubble cleaners. These machines turn up the ground, mix it with the stubble and partly turn it over. Now comes ploughing. In modern practice ploughing is effected by gang-ploughs which are generally trailers but may be also tractor-mounted. The foot cuts the soil, after which the share goes into the ground more deeply, while the mouldboard throws the slices aside. Seed-bed preparation is effected by refining with the help of sweepers, next with tine and disc harrows, then by levelling, cultivation and occasionally rolling.

After that comes seeding which is at present practically always effected by means of tractor-driven² drills. Not unfrequently fertilizers are applied at the same time as drilling takes place. This is known as ferti-seeding³. Otherwise tractor drawn spreaders⁴ are used. With some crops, cluster-pocket (or checkrow) planting is employed⁵ After that shoots⁶ begin to show. In the case of some crops hilling is necessary. The extraction of weeds by means of weeders is of great importance for they may stifle crop or, at least, arrest the growth.

When the crop is ripe harvesting sets in. Swath or subsequent pick-up harvesting⁷ is now a recommended practice. Harvesting grain is everywhere made by harvester-combines which can cut, thresh, winnow and bin the corn in one operation. Combines are practically always self-propelled, though they are occasionally tractor-drawn with power take-off (pto)⁸. Not outdated, however, are also reapers, which are often of great importance helping during the hot time of harvesting. The best of them are windrowers and self-binding reapers, making ready sheaves on the fields.

Notes and Commentary

¹ seed-bed preparation - допосівна підготовка

² tractor-driven – який приводиться в роботу від трактора

³ ferti-seeding – внесення насіння з добривами

⁴ tractor drawn spreader - причепний розкидач добрив

⁵ cluster-pocket planting is employed – використовується квадратно-гніздовий метод посіву (висадки)

⁶ shoots – паростки

⁷ swath harvesting - роздільне збирання врожаю

⁸ with power take-off - з відбором потужності

MINIMUM TILLAGE

Why is minimum tillage possible?

In order to use machines and labour effectively and more economically in preparing the soil for planting, many farmers use the method that has become known as a "minimum tillage" system. This system has been tested on corn more than on any other crop. Under this system the land is prepared for planting and planted in one or two operations, that is, by going over the field once or twice instead of four or six times under the common or conventional method. The purpose of minimum tillage is to reduce soil compaction and the cost of preparing the soil for planting but to produce a good seedbed. Field experiments have shown that crop yields are the same and sometimes higher than those obtained by conventional methods.

Large and heavy machines used many times in preparing the soil destroy soil structure and compact the soil. This results in the reduction in yields.

Under the minimum tillage system the plow and the planter are used by the tractor at the same time. The planter follows the plow and plants as the soil is plowed.

The scientists believe that some form of the minimum tillage will replace the conventional methods as more and more farmers begin to use the minimum tillage system. They are doing less disking and harrowing than they did some years ago due to the fact that there are chemical weed killers, especially preemergence weed killers that reduce the number of times the farmer has to go over the fields.

The whole problem of plowing, minimum tillage and "no-tillage" is under active discussion these days. There is no question that for corn less working of the soil is needed than it was thought a few years ago.