L’elettricità pronta a supercaricare la crescita delle colture idroponiche

La prossima rivoluzione agricola

Farming is as old as human civilization. And for the longest time, it has been done without controlling most factors, like rainfall, temperature, soil composition, insect attacks, fungal diseases, etc.

Modern farming and the “Green Revolution” have partially changed that, with fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, irrigation, greenhouses, and even GMO seeds. Still, open-air cultivation is far from a perfectly controlled environment.

This is why efforts are made toward making commercially viable hydroponic farming and vertical farming, something we discussed in our articles “Un’analisi approfondita dell’agricoltura verticale e del suo impatto globale”, “I robot impollinatori possono avere un ruolo nell’agricoltura verticale?” and “5 migliori aziende di agricoltura verticale”.

Elettrificare l’agricoltura verticale

Indoor and hydroponic farming could have further advantages than just a controlled environment and lower fertilizer and water consumption. New methods to boost plant growth could be implemented by providing direct control over the growth medium.

One such nascent idea is exposing the plants to a small electric current—something that would be impossible in a field but easier to apply in vertical farms and hydroponic cultivation.

Researchers have previously shown this to stimulate plant growth, but it requires high voltage, making it unlikely to be economical, safe, or green. Researchers at la Università di Linköping in Svezia, sotto la direzione di Eleni Stavrinidou, might have found how to improve this idea.

Bassa tensione – alta crescita

The researchers of the “Electronic Plants group” have used a substrate made of cellulose (the main component of paper) mixed with a conductive polymer called PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)) to produce an “eSoil”.

Fonte: PNAS

This stimulates plant growth with safe, low voltage, and very low energy consumption.

“…i germogli di orzo coltivati nel “suolo” conduttivo sono cresciuti fino al 50% in più in 15 giorni quando le loro radici sono state stimolate elettricamente” – Linköping University

The exact mechanism by which electric currents stimulate growth is still unknown. So, there is likely still some time before we can optimize such a procedure for commercial vertical farming. One potential reason could be improved nutrient intake by converting nitrite into biomass more efficiently.

More research needs to be conducted on the effect of electric current on large plants instead of just seedlings.

Un potenziale enorme

L’esperimento è stato condotto sull’orzo e potrebbe potenzialmente rappresentare un modo per rendere le colture di cereali più praticabili in un contesto idroponico, finora principalmente utilizzato per la coltivazione di cannabis, verdure a foglia, pomodori e bacche.

È anche possibile che altre specie di piante, o varietà specifiche, siano più sensibili alla stimolazione con corrente elettrica, rendendo il processo ancora più interessante in questi casi.

Variare l’intensità e la frequenza della corrente elettrica, o il substrato idroponico conduttivo, potrebbe anche contribuire a migliorare gli effetti della stimolazione.

In ogni caso, ciò dimostra che l’agricoltura idroponica ha molto più potenziale rispetto al semplice risparmio di spazio o acqua e potrebbe creare metodi completamente nuovi e non basati su sostanze chimiche per stimolare la crescita delle piante.

Azioni correlate

Were “electric cultivation” to become a standard procedure in hydroponic farming, we can assume that the existing leaders in providing hydroponic systems would be among the top providers of eSoil and electric systems.

1. GrowGeneration Corp.

GRWG Grafico dei prezzi

GrowGeneration (GRWG ) is the largest hydroponic products retailer in the US. It sells for both home growing and commercial scale facilities. It also has a large and recognized centro risorse educative per la coltivazione idroponica.

Its product offer is adapted to all scales of cultivation, from hobbyist to industrial-scale facilities.

Fonte: Grow Generation

2. Hydrofarm Holdings Group, Inc.

HYFM Grafico dei prezzi

Hydrofarm is the leading manufacturer of hydroponic cultivation systems. The company owns outright 70 brands and also distributes 80 others.

It sells through many retailers and distribution channels, including online and offline, B2B and B2C (including GrowGeneration mentioned above).

Fonte: HydroFarm

3. Urban-gro, Inc.

The company offers turnkey solutions per la coltivazione indoor e l’agricoltura verticale.

Integrating vertically all the various jobs and licensing required for construction can improve the process efficiency and speed.

Fonte: Urban-gro

4. Agrify Corporation

With a market cap of $2.647 million, Agrify Corporation (NASDAQ: AGFY) offers vertical farming units as well as the Agrify Insights Software-as-a-Service software.

The company also sells LED grow lights and purifiers targeting the cannabis space.