ABSTRACT
Aeroponics involves the use of aerospace within a chamber for crop production. Aeroponic systems utilize nutrient rich aerosols. The aerosols are held within a closed chamber. The nutrient medium prepared in water is atomized on to roots held in a chamber or larger enclosures. It ensures that nutrients reach root surface. Aeroponic systems are not plausible in the open fields, yet. A point to note here is that in natural open field conditions, roots try to reach moisture and nutrients held in soil phase. However, in aeroponics, nutrients are supplied carefully right on to the surface of roots. It improves efficiency of water and nutrient supply and their acquisition.
Aeroponics have been commercialized. Crops like spinach, tomatoes, and potatoes have been produced in large-scale aeroponic systems held in closed garages. Basic requirement of a modest-sized aeroponic installation useful in vegetable production has been mentioned. Advantages and disadvantages of adopting aeroponics have been discussed. Indeed, several different types of aeroponic assemblies are available all over the world. There are aeroponic systems that spray nutrient aerosols on to both roots and shoots, that is, foliage. Foliar mode of nutrition involves absorption of moisture and dissolved nutrients via stomata, hydathode, and lenticel. Leaf characteristics are important when nutrients are supplied as aerosols to foliage.
Whatever the suggestion or arguments, aeroponics is an effcient system of crop production, particularly, vegetables, and few other species. Several nations in Europe utilize hydroponics/aeroponics to produce clean vegetable for human consumption. Aeroponics helps avoid diseases, pests, and loss 392of crops due to natural disasters. This is because it does not involve open agrarian felds vulnerable to natural forces. Aeroponics has been utilized to produce roots for sensitive experimental purposes, for example, to study root physiology/biochemical manifestation. Roots generated under aeroponics are clean. So, biochemical analyses are not confounded by the soil phase. Crops grown in aeroponics are useful in studying pathogens and symbiotic organisms without the interference of atmosphere or soil factors.
