Prospects of Aeroponics in Agriculture

Aeroponics growing is considered to be safe and ecologically friendly for producing natural, healthy plants and crops. The main ecological advantages of aeroponics are the conservation of water and energy. These systems have been successfully established for commercial production of horticultural crops such as (Potato, tomato, lettuce and ginger). Little is known on aeroponics cultivation of staple food crops such as rice and the related genotypic, plant nutritional and technical challenges for future intensive food production. Plants and agricultural crops grown using aeroponics spend 99.98% of their time in air and 0.02% in direct contact with hydro-atomized nutrient solution. The hydro-atomized mist also significantly contributes to the effective oxygenation of the roots. Aeroponics allows more control of the environment around the root zone unlike other plant growth system. Aeroponically produced inoculums showed tremendous impact on plant growthand health which, permit a satisfactory reduction of chemical fertilizer and pesticide inputs, and can become a key aspect for sustainable agriculture.