Recently, researchers have made a major breakthrough in the field of agricultural innovation with the development of a conductive cultivation substrate called "e-soil" designed to promote crop growth and optimize hydroponics. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by a team of researchers from Link Ping University in Sweden.
In recent years, in the face of global population growth and the challenges posed by climate change, traditional agricultural methods have been unable to meet the planet's food needs. Eleni St**rinidou, associate professor and head of the Electron Plant Group at Link Ping University's Organic Electronics Laboratory in Sweden, highlighted the potential of hydroponics to solve this problem. "With hydroponics, we can grow food in a very controlled environment in an urban environment," she said.
St**Rinidou's research team has succeeded in developing a conductive cultivation medium specifically for hydroponics, which they call "e-soil". The results showed that the growth rate of barley seedlings grown in this conductive "soil" increased by more than 50% on average over 15 days after receiving electrical stimulation.
Researchers say the hydroponics is a soilless cultivation technique that requires only water, nutrients and a substrate to which the plant's roots can attach. It is a closed system that recycles water resources and ensures that each seedling receives the nutrients it needs, greatly reducing the need for water and keeping all the nutrients in the system, which is not possible with traditional farming methods.
It is understood that hydroponics also has the advantage of high space efficiency and can be planted vertically in large columns. Currently, lettuce, herbs, and some vegetables have been successfully grown hydroponically. Although cereals are not usually grown in hydroponics as separate feed, this study proves that barley seedlings can be grown hydroponics and that they grow faster due to electrical stimulation.
In this way, we can make the seedlings grow faster with fewer resources. "We found that the seedlings were more efficient at handling nitrogen, but it's unclear how electrical stimulation affects this process." ”
Traditionally, mineral wool has been used as a substrate for hydroponic cultivation, but its production process is energy-intensive and non-biodegradable. In contrast, ESOIL, a new e-cultivation medium, is made from a blend of cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer on the planet, and a conductive polymer called PEDOT. While this combination is not new, it is the first time it has been applied to plant cultivation and creates a unique environment for the plant to grow.
Unlike previous studies that used high pressure to stimulate roots, Link Ping's researchers' "e-soil" consumes very little energy and is not at risk of high pressure. St**Rinidou believes that this new research will open up new areas of research for the further development of hydroponics. The researchers emphasize that although this hydroponic method cannot completely solve the problem of food security, it can undoubtedly play an important role in areas where arable land is scarce and environmental conditions are harsh.
Overall, this innovative technology offers new possibilities for the future of agriculture, with the potential to increase food production and efficiency on a global scale.
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