Aeroponics

An Artificial Plant Cultivation Technique

Anurag Dutta and Pijush Kanti Kumar

1 Introduction
Aeroponics is the process of growing plants in an air or foggy environment
without the use of soil or aggregate. In other words, it’s the whole plant,
the roots, and everything that floats in the air. The word aeroponics comes
from the two Latin words aero (meaning air) and ponos [1] (meaning work).
The basic principle of aeroponic cultivation is to grow plants suspended in a
closed or semi-closed environment by spraying a sprayed or sprayed nutrient-
rich aqueous solution onto the hanging roots and lower stems of the plant. The
leaves and crowns, often referred to as canopies, extend upwards. Plant roots
are separated by plant support structures. Closed-cell foam is often compressed
around the lower stem and inserted into the opening of the aeroponic chamber,
reducing labor and cost. For taller plants, trellises are used to support the weight
of vegetation and fruit. Ideally, the environment is kept pest- and disease-free,
allowing plants to grow healthier and faster than those grown in media.However,
most aerial environments are not completely closed off from the outside world.
So pests and diseases can still pose a threat. A controlled environment promotes
plant development, health, growth, flowering and fruiting of all plant species
and varieties. Due to the fragile root system, aeroponics is often combined
with traditional hydroponics, which is used as an emergency ”harvester” in the
event of an aeroponics device failure, backing up nutrients and water supplies.
High-pressure aeroponics is defined as delivering nutrients to the roots through
a 20-50 micron fog head using high pressure (80 lbs / square inch (550 kPa)).

2 Types
2.1 Low-pressure units
In most low-pressure aeroponic [2] gardens, plant roots hang in a reservoir of
nutrient solution or in a duct connected to the reservoir. Low-pressure pumps
supply nutrient solutions through nozzles or ultrasonic transducers that drip or
drain into reservoirs. As the plant grows to maturity in these units, it tends
to suffer from the dry parts of the root system, which impedes the intake of
sufficient nutrients. It lacks the ability to properly remove discontinuities, debris
and unwanted pathogens. Such units are usually suitable for tabletop cultivation
and demonstrate the principles of aerial cultivation.

1
2.2 High-pressure devices
High-pressure aeroponic technology, where the mist is generated by high-pressure
pumps, is typically used when growing high-value crops and herbariums that
can offset the high set-up costs associated with this horticultural method. High-
pressure aeroponics systems include technologies for air and water purification,
nutrient disinfection, low-mass polymers, and pressurized nutrient delivery sys-
tems.

2.3 Commercial systems

Commercial aeroponic systems include high voltage equipment hardware and
biological systems. The matrix of biological systems contains enhancements
to increase plant longevity and maturity. Biological subsystems and hardware
components include wastewater control system, disease prevention, pathogen re-
sistance function, precise timing and pressurization of nutrient solution, heating
and cooling sensors, thermal control of solution, efficient photon flux light array
[3], spectrum filtering, fail-safe sensors and protection, reduced maintenance and
labour-saving features, and ergonomic and long-term reliability features. Com-
mercial aeroponic systems, such as high-pressure appliances, are used to grow
high-value crops where multiple crop rotations are achieved on a continuous
commercial basis. Advanced commercial systems include data collection, mon-
itoring, analytical feedback, and internet connectivity to various subsystems.

3 History
3.1 Genesis Machine, 1983
The first commercial aeroponic device was manufactured and sold by GTi in
1983. GTi’s device contained a hydro-powered open-circuit device controlled by
a microchip that pumped a high-pressure hydro-atomized nutrient spray into an
aeroponic chamber. The Genesis machine is plugged into a faucet and outlet.

3.2 Genesis Growing System, 1985

By 1985, GTi introduced its second generation aeroponics hardware known as
the ”Genesis Growing System”. This second generation aeroponics device was a
closed loop system. We used recycled wastewater that was precisely controlled
by a microprocessor. Aeroponics have evolved their ability to aid seed germina-
tion, making GTi[4] the world’s first plant and crop aeroponics system. Many
of these open-circuit and closed-circuit aeroponic systems are still in operation
today.

2
4 Advantages
4.1 Greater control of plant environment
Aeroponics, unlike other plant growth systems, gives better control over the
environment around the root area because the roots of the plant are not always
surrounded by medium

4.2 Improved nutrient feeding

Aeroponics allows a variety of different nutrient solutions to be applied to the
root zone without the need to wash off the solution or matrix in which the roots
were previously soaked. This increased level of control is useful when examining
the effects of different supplies of nutrients on the roots of plant species of
interest. Similarly, aeroponics allow for a wider range of growing conditions
than other nutrient delivery systems. For example, the interval and duration
of nutrient sprays can be fine-tuned to meet the needs of specific plant species.
Aerial tissues may be exposed to an environment quite different from that of
the roots.

4.3 More cost effective

Aeroponics systems are cheaper than other systems. Due to the reduced volume
of solution throughput (discussed above), the system requires less water and
nutrients at once compared to other nutrient delivery systems. The need for a
substrate is eliminated, as is the need for many moving parts.

4.4 More cost effective

Aeroponic systems are cheaper than other system solution due to the reduced
amount of throughput (discussed above), less water and nutrients are needed in
the system at one time compared to other nutrient delivery systems. As with
the need for many moving parts, the need for a board is eliminated.

4.5 More user friendly

The design of the aeroponics system makes the plants easier to handle. This is
due to the separation of the plants from each other and the fact that they are
suspended in the air and their roots are not encased in a matrix. Harvesting
individual plants is therefore very easy and straightforward. Likewise, removing
plants that may be infected with any kind of pathogen is easily done without
the risk of uprooting or contaminating nearby plants.

3
5 Case Studies
Aeroponics eventually left the lab and entered the field of commercial cultiva-
tion. In 1966, his B. Briggs, a pioneer of commercial aeroponics, succeeded in
inducing the roots of hardwood cuttings by aerial rooting. Briggs found that
air-rooted cuttings were stronger and harder than soil-formed cuttings, and con-
cluded that the rationale for air-rooting was appropriate. He found that trees
with aerial roots could be transplanted into the soil without being shocked or
impeding normal growth. Transplant shocks are usually found in hydroponic
transplants. L. Nir [5] patented an aeroponic device in Israel in 1982 that used
low-pressure compressed air to supply nutrient solutions to styrofoam-supported
suspended plants in large metal containers. Developed. In the summer of 1976,
British researcher John Prewer conducted a series of aerial experiments near
Newport, Isle of Wight, England. In this experiment, he cultivated lettuce (Tom
he is Sam) in his tube of hardened polyethylene film from seed to maturity in
22 days. Compressed air supplied by a fan. The equipment used to convert
nutrient water into mist droplets was provided by Mee Industries, California.
“In 1984, Kings Nursery, a commercial grower on the Isle of Wight, worked
with John Prewer to grow strawberries using a different aeroponic system de-
sign. The system was especially popular with older customers who appreciated
the cleanliness, quality and flavor of the strawberries and the fact that they
didn’t have to bend over to pick the fruit.” In 1983, R. Stoner[6] applied for a
patent for his interface, the first microprocessor to supply tap water and nu-
trients to a sealed plastic aeroponic chamber. Mr. Stoner founded a number
of companies that research and advance aircraft hardware, interfaces, biologi-
cal controls and components for commercial aircraft crop production. In 1985,
Stoner’s GTi became the first company to manufacture, market and apply large-
scale closed-loop greenhouse aeroponic systems for commercial crop production.
In the 1990s, GHE or General Hydroponics [Europe] considered introducing
aeroponics to the hobby hydroponics market and eventually manufactured the
aeroponics system. However, this could not be classified as ”true” aeroponics
because the aerogarden produced small droplets of the solution rather than a
fine mist of the solution. The fine fog was intended to recreate the real Amazon
rain. In any case, the product was launched and growers could generally claim
to grow hydroponic products in aeroponics. There was a demand for aeroponics
cultivation in the hobby market, and beyond that it was considered the ultimate
hydroponics technique. The difference between true aeroponic mist cultivation
and aeroponic droplet cultivation is very blurry to the eyes of many. In the late
1990s, the British company Nutriculture was encouraged by industry debate
to try true aerial cultivation. These tests showed positive results compared to
traditional cultivation techniques such as Nutrient Film (NFT) and Ebb and
Flow, but had the drawbacks of cost and maintenance. To achieve true mist
aroponics, it was necessary to use a dedicated pump, which also had scalability
issues. With droplet aeroponics easy to manufacture and results comparable
to mist aeroponics, Nutriculture set out to develop a scalable and easy-to-use
droplet aeroponics system. Through experimentation, they found that aerial

4
cultivation was ideal for plant reproduction. The plant could even propagate
and grow without medium. Finally, Nutriculture introduced the plant to the
Amazon, a specially designed droplet aeroponic growth system in which the
plant propagated in an X-stream branded aeroponic greenhouse. I admitted
that if passed, I would get better results.

6 Conclusion
In summary, the biggest advantages of aeroponics are the large-scale growth of
plants and higher yields compared to other systems. However, these benefits
also come with costs. Setting up the system is quite expensive and requires
technical know-how and advanced knowledge (about pH and nutrient density
ratio) to grow this type of plant. International organizations such as NASA
and WHO are well adapted to this approach. They are currently working on
scalable dissemination of this technology in a variety of areas. This method of
growing plants will be of great benefit to humankind in the near future.

7 References
1. Peterson, B. J., S. E. Burnett, O. Sanchez. (2018). ‘Sub-mist is effective for
propagation of Korean lilac and inkberry by stem cuttings’. HortTechnology.
28(3):378–381.
2. Briggs, B.A. (1966). An experiment in air-rooting. International Plant Prop-
agators’ Society.
3. Nir, I. (1982), Apparatus and Method for Plant growth in Aeroponic Condi-
tions., Patent United States
4. The system employed is described in detail in UK patent No.1 600 477 (filed
12 November 1976 - Complete Specification published 14 October 1981 - ti-
tle IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE PROPAGATION OF
PLANTS).
5. Stoner, R.J. and J.M. Clawson (1999–2000). Low-mass, Inflatable Aeroponic
System for High Performance Food Production. Principal Investigator, NASA
SBIR NAS10-00017
6. T.W. Halstead and T.K. Scott (1990). Experiments of plants in space. In
Fundamentals of space biology, M. Asashima and G.M. Malacinski (eds.), pp.
9-19. Springer-Verlag.