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Agronomy
Special Issues
Advanced Hydroponics Technology for Vegetable Production: New Opportunities and Challenges
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Advanced Hydroponics Technology for Vegetable Production: New Opportunities and Challenges

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 3992

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Carlos Eduardo Da Silva Oliveira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departament of Agroomy, Mato Grosso do Sul State University, Cassilândia 79540-000, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Interests: hydroponics; plant nutrition; salt stress; drought stress; plant physiology; plant growth promoting bacteria; crop breeding; soil science; horticulture; agriculture; cover crops; microbiology
Dr. Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Protection, Rural Engineering and Soils, São Paulo State University (UNESP)—Campus of Ilha Solteira, Ilha Solteira, SP, Brazil
Interests: plant nutrition; fertilization; soil fertility; efficiency-enhanced fertilizers; plant growth-promoting bacteria associated with reduced fertilization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the quest for sustainable agriculture and efficient food production, hydroponics technology has emerged as a revolutionary method for the rapid and continuous cultivation of vegetables. Hydroponics offer a highly controlled environment that maximizes yield and reduces resource usage in a soilless nutrient-rich water solution. This advanced cultivation technique is gaining traction due to its potential to address several agricultural challenges, including land scarcity, water conservation, and climate change. The following is the scope and cutting-edge research approaches that will be adapted during hydroponic technologies.

  • Technological Innovations: New technologies and methodologies in hydroponic systems, including advancements in nutrient delivery systems, lighting solutions, automation, plant nutrition, nutrient uptake, and new fertilizers.
  • Sustainability and Resource Efficiency: Studies focusing on the sustainability aspects of hydroponics, including water use efficiency, nutrient use efficiency, food biofortification, use of biostimulants to reduce fertilizer use, energy consumption, and the environmental impact of hydroponic farming.
  • Crop Performance and Yield Optimization: Research on optimizing plant growth conditions, nutrient formulations, and management practices to maximize crop yield and quality.
  • Integration with Other Systems: Exploration of the integration of hydroponics with other agricultural systems, such as aquaponics, vertical farming, and controlled environment agriculture.
  • Challenges and Solutions: Identification of the current challenges faced by hydroponics industry and potential solutions to overcome these hurdles, including technical, economic, and social aspects.
  • Abiotic Stress and Climate Change: Research on the resilience of hydroponic systems to abiotic stresses such as salinity, and extreme temperatures. Studies on how hydroponics can mitigate the impacts of climate change on vegetable production and contribute to food security under changing environmental conditions.

Dr. Carlos Eduardo Da Silva Oliveira
Dr. Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • optimized food cultivation
  • nutrient use efficiency
  • food biofortification
  • food safety

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3632 KiB  
Article
Effect of Lighting Type on the Nitrates Concentration, Selective Bioactive Compounds and Yield of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) in Hydroponic Production
by Małgorzata Mirgos, Anna Geszprych, Jarosław L. Przybył, Monika Niedzińska, Marzena Sujkowska-Rybkowska, Janina Gajc-Wolska and Katarzyna Kowalczyk
Agronomy 2025, 15(4), 966; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040966 - 16 Apr 2025
Viewed by 449
Abstract
The effect of lighting basil with LED DR/B LB (Light Emitting Diode deep red/blue low blue) lamps throughout the cultivation cycle or for only 7 days before harvest, after the period of using HPS (High Pressure Sodium) lamps, was studied in comparison with [...] Read more.
The effect of lighting basil with LED DR/B LB (Light Emitting Diode deep red/blue low blue) lamps throughout the cultivation cycle or for only 7 days before harvest, after the period of using HPS (High Pressure Sodium) lamps, was studied in comparison with the use of HPS lamps only, at the same light intensity. Plants of two Genovese type basil cultivars, recommended for pot and hydroponic cultivation, were used for the experiment. Plant growth observations were made and herb and leaf yields, dry matter, nitrates, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, total sugars, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid, chlorophylls, and carotenoids were determined. Plants of both tested basil cultivars grown under LED lighting were characterized by a higher content of ascorbic acid, carotenoids, and sugars and a lower content of nitrates than those grown under HPS lights. In plants grown under LED lighting only, nitrate content was on average 31% lower than under HPS lamps. The use of LEDs for the last 7 days of cultivation resulted in a significant reduction in nitrate content in only one of the studied cultivars. Further research on the effect of lighting type on sweet basil yield and quality, depending on other factors, both genetic and environmental, is recommended. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydroponics Technology for Vegetable Production: New Opportunities and Challenges)
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17 pages, 1474 KiB  
Article
Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Requirements to Improve Portulaca oleracea L. Growth, Nutrient and Water Use Efficiency in Hydroponics
by Antonios Chrysargyris and Nikolaos Tzortzakis
Agronomy 2025, 15(1), 111; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15010111 - 4 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1123
Abstract
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is an herbaceous species that is traditionally consumed across the world due to its nutraceutical quality, boasting anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic properties. These traits render purslane an attractive wild edible species for research and commercial exploitation. The current [...] Read more.
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is an herbaceous species that is traditionally consumed across the world due to its nutraceutical quality, boasting anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic properties. These traits render purslane an attractive wild edible species for research and commercial exploitation. The current study examined the effect of different nitrogen (N) concentrations (100–200 mg L−1; as N100, N200) in combination with different levels (decreased 0.66-fold: dec, recommended 1-fold: rec, or increased 1.5-fold: inc) of phosphorus (P; 47–70–105 mg L−1) and potassium (K; 250–350–525 mg L−1) in the nutrient solution (NS) used in hydroponic nutrient film technique (NFT) cultivation. The N200_PKinc NS resulted in improved crop growth compared to N200_PKrec NS, suggesting a positive correlation between optimal N levels (i.e., 200 mg L−1) and increased P and K levels (105 and 525 mg L−1, respectively). Plants grown in N200_PKinc revealed decreased antioxidant activity (e.g., DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS), phenols and flavonoids, while simultaneously increased total soluble solids levels. The recommended levels of P and K mirrored low levels in lipid peroxidation, mainly due to the increase in catalase enzymatic activity. Higher nutrient use efficiency was observed when both N100_PKinc and N200_PKinc were applied, resulting in higher yield and enhanced plant growth, while N100_PKinc produced plants with increased antioxidant activity. These findings suggest that both (N200_PKinc and N100_PKinc) NS have potential benefits for the hydroponic cultivation of purslane, with the latter NS offering additional advantages in terms of higher produce quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydroponics Technology for Vegetable Production: New Opportunities and Challenges)
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21 pages, 1127 KiB  
Article
Effects of Light Intensity and Spectrum Mix on Biomass, Growth and Resource Use Efficiency in Microgreen Species
by Saad Mir, Roberts Krumins, Liva Purmale, Vaibhav Pradip Chaudhary and Bhim Bahadur Ghaley
Agronomy 2024, 14(12), 2895; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14122895 - 4 Dec 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1824
Abstract
Light spectrum and intensity is one of the key factors in the production of microgreens in controlled-environment agriculture and is directly related to plant growth and biomass accumulation. Hence, the objective of this research study was to investigate the biomass, growth, and resource [...] Read more.
Light spectrum and intensity is one of the key factors in the production of microgreens in controlled-environment agriculture and is directly related to plant growth and biomass accumulation. Hence, the objective of this research study was to investigate the biomass, growth, and resource use efficiencies (RUEs) in 14 different species of microgreen grown in two light recipes with 209.5 (OSRAM LED) and 45 µmol m−2 s−1 (INSTAGREEN LED) with a 16/8 h light/dark photoperiod in a growth chamber. Under both LEDs, fresh biomass accumulation and the SPAD content were highest in sunflower. Nasturtium recorded the maximum hypocotyl length under both LEDs. The leaf area index (LAI) was significantly higher in mungbean under the INSTAGREEN LED compared to other microgreens, while the maximum LAI was measured in lentils under the OSRAM LED. This shows that the two different LEDs had species-specific effects. The RUE of the cheaper INSTAGREEN LED was more efficient in terms of light and energy use efficiency, while OSRAM LED was more efficient in terms of water and surface use efficiencies. Overall, the results showed that different species of microgreens exhibit different responses to fresh biomass accumulation and SPAD contents in the leaves, demonstrating the diversity of their growth responses. Across both LEDs (OSRAM LED and INSTAGREEN LED), the top performing microgreen in terms of biomass accumulation as well as SPAD contents in the leaves was sunflower. Consequently, a high chlorophyll content in sunflower led to a higher biomass production by enhancing photosynthesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydroponics Technology for Vegetable Production: New Opportunities and Challenges)
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