There is a growing interest among local growers and the public in general for soilless culture. Until now very little research has been carried out in this field in Mauritius. The following study was undertaken in order to provide some useful information on this new technology. The project objectives were:
⢠To show that hydroponics can be an acceptable alternative to conventional method of vegetable production
⢠To provide a part-time activity to the housewife
⢠To provide an opportunity to the public to produce fresh vegetable for self-consumption
The project activities consisted of trials to:
⢠evaluate the possibility of using locally available substrates as soilless media to investigate two different systems of production, namely the planting bed method, which can be constructed over unproductive land or on house-tops, and the wick method, wh ich can be set up in restricted areas in households. The substrates that were evaluated included sugar-cane by-products, gravel and sawdust with soil as a control. The planting bed method was set up on marginal land at Reduit Crop Research Station where the following crops were grown: lettuce, sweet pepper, bean and cauliflower. The wick method was set up under a covered structure at Wooton Crop Research Station where crops like tomato, strawberry, sweet pepper and bean were grown. Except for bean, which was directly sown, all the other crops were first sown in field and roots of seedlings were washed to remove all soil particles before transplantation. The plants were fertilized using commercially available hydroponics solution. Results obtained from trials set on both the planting bed and the wick system showed that organic media like flyash and scum, used singly or in combination with bagasse or an inert substrate (like gravel) can be used as rooting media in soilless culture. Substrates differed in such characteristics as water holding capacity and decomposition rate. Organic media like scum and flyash retained moisture for a longer period but had a faster rate of decomposition as compared to gravel. In general scum and flyash gave better yields than gravel but had to be replaced each year because they decomposed more rapidly. Gravel had the advantage of being inert, (did not decompose), was easily available and could be sterilized after each cultivation. The low nutrient retention capacity of gravel could be overcome by a regular application of small quantities of hydroponics nutrient solution. It can be concluded that the planting bed method is more appropriate for marginal lands owned by small commercial growers or in households, whilst the wick method is more suitable for backyard activity or home gardening.
Keywords
Hydroponic Production System,Home Gardening,Local Growers,Soilless Culture