Hydroponics

production
Module - 4

1
 Contents
 Tomato Production in Hydroponics
 Sweet Pepper Production in Hydroponics
 Eggplant Production in Hydroponics

 Introduction
 Crop cycle
 Types & Varieties
 Seedling Production
 Transplantation & Spacing
 Nutrient management
 Crop stages
 Cultural practices
 Pests and diseases
 Harvesting
2
 Tomato
Production
in
Hydroponics

3
 Introduction
 Scientific name:
Solanum lycopersicum

 Health benefits:
rich source of vitamins, minerals and lycopene

 Since the year 1999, area under hydroponic salad tomato

production has constantly increased

 Increase in production is directly related to increase in

demand for quality vegetables and consumption pattern
4
 Crop Cycle
Tomato:
- 6 months
- 2 crop cycles/year
- seedling: 1 month
- vegetative: 1 month
- harvest: 4 months (or more)

5
 Types

ROUND
TYPE

Beefsteak/slicers Salad tomatoes

Cherry/grape
tomatoes

PLUM/
ROMA
TYPE

6
 Varieties
 Hybrid varieties
 Indeterminate varieties

Tomato varieties:
 Beef steak/Salad - Valouro, Bizance, Cetia
 Cherry – 0222,0223,1319
 Plum – Star 9086,THN 988/986

7
 Seedling Production
&Transplantation

 Seedlings are ready to be

transplanted when 2 -3 true
leaves are well developed

 Tomato is ready to transplant

3 weeks after sowing

8
 Transplantation
 Double rows of coconut coir are used with three seedlings per
one metre bag
 Per plant: One trellising rope, one/more tomato clip and one
hook per plant, one dripper placed at least one and a half inch
from base of plant

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 Spacing
Plant density:

 2.5 plants / m2
 For improved aeration & ventilation

10
 Crop Stages
• Seedling : 1 month
• Vegetative /flowering : 1 month
• Harvest : 4 months (or more)
Stage 1:
From transplantation to appearance of 3rd cluster of
flowers (1 month)
Stage 2
From appearance of 4th cluster of flowers up to harvest
of 2nd bunch of fruits (2 months)
Stage 3
After harvest of 2nd bunch of fruits to end of crop cycle
(3 months)

11
 Preparation of Nutrient Solution
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Fertiliser salts Amount (kg) Amount (kg) Amount (kg)

Nutrient Potassium nitrate 2.351 3.396 2.090

Solution
A Monoammonuim 0.233 0.116 0
phosphate
(50L)
Magnesium 4.375 3.750 3.750
sulphate
Potassium 0 0.940 1.880
sulphate
Monopotassium 2.048 2.048 2.731
phosphate
Nutrient Potassium nitrate 2.351 3.396 2.090
Solution
B Calcium nitrate 11.579 9.474 10.526
(50L)
Microlements 1.0 L 1.0 L 1.0 L
12
 Fertigation Programming
Stage Amount of nutrient Remark
solution/plant/day
At Transplantation 400 – 500 mL
stage (Increase amount by Depend on
(on transplanting 100 mL each week) crop stand
day or the day and climatic
after) conditions
At Fruiting stage Up to 1400 - 1500 mL

At Bearing stage Up to 2000 mL

The amount of nutrient solution to be applied has already

taken into consideration an excess of 20 % which is needed
as drainage.
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 Nutrient solution management
 Split fertigation
 First fertigation: 1 hr after sunrise
 Last fertigation: 1 hr before sunset

 Using Coir as substrate:

Fertigation carried out at
 At 30 mins interval, or

 At 1 hour interval

14
 Cultural Practices in Tomato

 Trellissing
 Desuckering
 Pollination
 Fruit tipping

15
 Cultural Practices in Tomato
1. Trellissing
Overhead wire
Indeterminate tomato plant
Hook
can reach up to 10-15 m Trellising
and is fragile rope

Trellising helps to:

 Support the plant
 Guide the plant in an
upright position towards
light
Clip

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 Cultural Practices in Tomato
1. Trellissing

•Cut strings 6-10 m long, so there is enough slack to allow

the plant to be leaned and dropped when it reaches the
height of the wire.

•The trellising rope is twined on a hook. Around 16-20 turns

are made around the hook to cater for lowering of plant at a
later stage.
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 Cultural Practices in Tomato
1. Trellissing
• The trellising rope is first
clamped in the hinge of a tomato
clip, which is snapped around the
base of the plant, below a true
leaf
• The trellising hook/ pulley is
placed on the overhead wire ---
run parallel to the direction of
the rows and 1.8-2 m off the
ground.

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 Cultural Practices in Tomato
1. Trellissing
 One turn of rope is then made
around each inter-node of the plant
in a clockwise direction
 Always wrap in the same direction

 Finally, one row of plant is slightly inclined in one

direction and the other row in the opposite direction.

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 Cultural Practices in Tomato
2. Desuckering

• Suckers (lateral shoots) are formed

at the point where each leaf
originates from the main stem, just
above the leaf petiole
• Desuckering /pruning – removal of
suckers at an early stage
• As pruning is done to one main stem,
wrap it around the support string

20
 Cultural Practices in Tomato
3. Pollination

Field tomatoes are pollinated by wind.

 In the greenhouse, wind is not strong enough to shake the

flowers sufficiently to transfer the pollen.
 In GHs, each flower cluster is gently tapped everyday for
pollination
 With ideal conditions, fertilisation occurs 48 hours after
pollination and fruit set follows.

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 Cultural Practices in Tomato
3. Pollination
•Tomato have clusters of hermathrodite flowers, each with
male and female parts

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 Cultural Practices in Tomato
3. Pollination
Poor pollination:
• Reduces the number of fruit set per plant,
• Cause off-shaped fruits, smaller fruits

Factors affecting pollination:

 Cold or hot temperature
 Drought
 High humidity
 Nutrient deficiencies
 Nutrient toxicities
 Lack of pollen transfer
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 Cultural Practices in Tomato
4. Fruit Tipping

 Leave approx 4-5 fruits per cluster

 Remove the misshapen or deformed fruits

 Then remove smallest fruits

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25
 Nutrient deficiencies in tomato
Element Deficiency Remedial
symptoms Action

Calcium Brown scar- Foliar spray-

bottom end of calcium nitrate
fruit (10g/L)

26
 Nutrient deficiencies in tomato
Element Deficiency symptoms Remedial Action

Magnesium Interveinal yellowing Foliar spray of

Symptom gradually magnesium
progress up the plant sulphate -12g/L

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 Nutrient deficiencies in tomato
Element Deficiency symptoms Remedial Action

Iron Apical leaves – pale Foliar spray of iron

Chlorosis starts at margin chelate -0.03%
of terminal leaves and every 3-4 days
spreads entire leaves

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 Pests & Diseases - Tomato
Pests Disease
Mites Damping off of seedling
Thrips Bacterial wilt
White fly Powdery Mildew
Leaf miners Stemphyllium blight
Mealy Bugs Virus(TYLCV, etc)
Aphids Phytophthora Blight
Collar/Stem Rot
Early / Late blight
Brotrytis

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 Harvesting

 Harvest at mature ripe stage

 Use a knife/secateur to cut off fruit at stem
 Place in crates

 Yield: 12.5 – 15 kg/m²/crop cycle

Months 1 2 3 4 5 6
Kg/m2 - - 2.5 5.0 5.0 2.5

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Sweet Pepper
Production
in
Hydroponics

31
 Introduction
 Scientific name:
Capsicum annuum

 Health benefits:
rich source of vitamins & minerals

 Second most grown crop in hydroponics after tomatoes

32
 Crop Cycle
Sweet Pepper
- 6 months
- 2 crop cycles/year
- seedling: 1 month
- vegetative: 1 month
- harvest: 4 months (or more)

33
 Types & Varieties
 Green is the immature fruit
 Can colour up to yellow,
red, orange, black, brown.
 White and purple usually
don’t have the green colour
 Speciality peppers with high
brix ex Triyellow

 Ex: Vivaldi , Inspiration, Citrine, Boogie, Elloinga, Cannon,,

Liliana;,; Pada, Tomer

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 Seedling Production
&Transplantation
 Seedlings are ready to be
transplanted when 2 -3 true are
well developed

 Sweet Pepper:
4 - 6 weeks after sowing

35
 Transplantation & Spacing
 Double rows of coconut coir are used with three
seedlings per one metre bag

 Plant density: 2.5 plants / m2

 Per plant: two/more trellising rope ( two or more

stems/plant)

36
 Crop Stages
• Seedling : 1 month
• Vegetative /flowering : 1 month
• Harvest : 4 months (or more)
Stage 1:
From transplantation to appearance of 3rd flower
(1 month)
Stage 2:
From appearance of 4th flower up to harvest of 2nd fruit
(2 months)
Stage 3:
After harvest of 2nd fruit to end of crop cycle
(3 months)

37
 Preparation of Nutrient Solution
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Fertiliser salts Amount (kg) Amount (kg) Amount (kg)

Nutrient Potassium nitrate 2.351 3.396 2.090

Solution
A Monoammonuim 0.233 0.116 0
phosphate
(50L)
Magnesium 4.375 3.750 3.750
sulphate
Potassium 0 0.940 1.880
sulphate
Monopotassium 2.048 2.048 2.731
phosphate
Nutrient Potassium nitrate 2.351 3.396 2.090
Solution
B Calcium nitrate 11.579 9.474 10.526
(50L)
Microlements 1.0 L 1.0 L 1.0 L
38
 Fertigation Programming
Stage Amount of nutrient Remark
solution/plant/day
At Transplantation 400 – 500 mL
stage (Increase amount by Depend on
(on transplanting 100 mL each week) crop stand
day or the day and climatic
after) conditions
At Fruiting stage Up to 1400 - 1500 mL

At Bearing stage Up to 2000 mL

The amount of nutrient solution to be applied has already

taken into consideration an excess of 20 % which is needed
as drainage.
39
 Nutrient solution management
 Split fertigation
 First fertigation: 1 hr after sunrise
 Last fertigation: 1 hr before sunset

 Using Coir as substrate:

Fertigation carried out at
 At 30 mins interval, or

 At 1 hour interval

40
Cultural Practices in Sweet Peppers

 Trellissing
 Training/Pruning

41
Cultural Practices in Sweet Peppers
1. Trellissing
Two main types can be adopted:
(1) V system
 Consists of forming a 2-stem plant by selective
pruning of branches
(2) Spanish system
 Stems and lateral branches are not pruned, allowing
the plant to develop a canopy with 2 to 4 main stems
with lateral branches
 Plant canopies are supported vertically from both
sides by horizontal twines to poles distributed along
the rows of plants

42
Cultural Practices in Sweet Peppers
1. Trellissing /Training – V System

43
 Cultural Practices in Sweet Peppers
1. Trellissing/Training – V System
 All lateral stems are removed for the first five to seven
nodes above the ground
 Above this, plants are allowed to branch from the 2 main
stems
 Remove crown flower- Encourage vigorous initial
vegetative growth capable of supporting later fruit
production
 Plants should be pruned to the 2 strongest stems, and
these should be supported by tying to a wire suspended
1.5 – 2.0 m above the plants
 1st two of flowers are removed

44
Cultural Practices in Sweet Peppers
1. Trellissing / Training – V System

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Trellising/Training of sweet peppers

Two-stem training Tipping of leaves

46
Cultural Practices in Sweet Peppers
1. Trellissing – Spanish System

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Nutrient deficiencies in sweet pepper

Ca Mg Fe
48
 Disorders in Sweet Pepper
Sun Scald
Exposure to sun

Sun Scald Blossom End Rot

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 Pests & Diseases – Sweet Pepper
Pests Disease
Mites Damping off of seedling
Thrips Bacterial wilt
White fly Powdery Mildew
Mealy Bugs Anthracnose
Aphids Phytophtora blight
Virus
Collar /stem rot
Botrytis

Powdery Mildew

50
 Harvest & Yield

Sweet Pepper
Market requirements?
Green
Or Coloured

Yield: 7.5 -10 kg/m²/crop cycle

Months 1 2 3 4 5 6
Kg/m2 - - 1.25 2.50 2.50 1.25

51
 Eggplant
Production
in
Hydroponics

52
 Introduction
 Scientific name: Solanum melongena
 Eggplant is a common greenhouse crop in many
temperate countries
 A strong, vegetative growth habit makes eggplant fairly
adaptable to greenhouse conditions using varieties bred
for this growing environment
 High yield potential, rapid growth, and improved quality
possible

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 Crop Cycle

 Cycle: 6/more months

 From transplantation to first flower: 3-4 weeks
 First flower to first harvest: 4 weeks
 Duration of harvest: 4 months to 6 months

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 Types & Varieties

Depending on the varieties they may be of different

shapes namely: round, oval, elongated and piriform.

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 Choice of varieties
 Varieties bred for production under greenhouse should be
chosen as they have specific flower characteristics for fruit set
under these protected conditions

 A number of varieties have been evaluated until now namely:

Brigitte, Sharapova, Angela, Sabelle and Black-Beauty

 Black-Beauty which is an open-field variety has been used as

control

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 Varieties evaluated at FAREI

Brigitte Sharapova Angela

Black Beauty Sabelle

57
 Flowers
 The eggplant flowers are hermaphrodite; they are single or
arranged in inflorescences composed of 2–7 flowers each
 The flower is white to purple
 The eggplant fruits are multi-chamber berries of different
shapes

58
 Flowers
 The position of the stigma relative to the anther cone is the
main criterion for the classification of the different types of
eggplant flowers.
 Three main types flowers namely:
 Long styled flowers (stigma protruding well above the
anther pores)
 Medium-styled flowers (stigma rests at almost the same
level as the anther pores
 Short-styled flowers (stigma lying below the anther
pores)

59
Long-styled flower Medium-styled flower

Small-styled flower 60
 Seedling Production/Transplantation
 Substrate: Peat
 Trays: 32-50 alveoli
 Seed rate: One seed per alveolus

Transplantation
 After 3-4 weeks
 Single rows (Alternate sides) with 3 plants
per bag is the most appropriate method Seedling ready for
transplantation
 One dripper per bag and at least one and a
half inch from base of plant

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 Fertigation management
 Excess water in the root zone is detrimental to the
proper growth of eggplant seedlings
 At transplantation 200 ml of nutrient solution is
supplied to the plant
 Volume of nutrient solution can be increase by 100
ml each week
 At bearing stage a maximum of 1000 ml is supplied
per plant on a daily basis
 EC at transplantation: 1.8 ms/cm
 EC at bearing stage: 2.5 ms/cm

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 Trellising/Training of Eggplant
 Trellising of eggplant is a bit similar to that of sweet pepper
 After transplanting, one clip is placed on the lower portion of the
plant before it branches

63
 Trellising/Training of Eggplant
 About 4 weeks after transplanting, three
to four of the strongest stems are
selected and they are attached to the
support strings with plant clips
 It is preferred to alternate between
twining the string around the stems and
using plant clips...This practice helps to
prevent slippage of the plant on the
string.
 Prune all side shoots back to two leaves
 Remove the crown(first) flower where
the first branching takes place

64
 Defiolation

 Leaves should be removed to

control light penetration in
the canopy and to control
proliferation of pests and
diseases
 Light penetration is very
important for the good
coloration of eggplant
 Leaves removal is a
continuous process during
the whole crop cycle

65
 Harvest & Yield
 Harvest starts around two
months after transplantation
 Harvest is carried once a week
in the morning
 Pruning shears are used for
harvest

66
 Fruit characteristics
Varieties Av. Av. Wt of Av. Cir of Av. length Picture
yield Fruit(g) fruit(cm) of
(kg/plt) Fruit(cm)

Angela 8.0 478.3 27.0 23.1

Sharapova 8.0 368.0 26.3 22.7

Sabelle 5.1 372.3 33.2 17.1

Brigitte 6.4 281.4 20.1 23.3

Black - 390.1 34.1 18.4

Beauty
67
Cost of Production for Hydroponic eggplant in a 204m2
greenhouse
Unit Cost
Items Units/Amount Cost(MRU) (MRU)
Seeds 234 20 4680
Trays ( 50 alveoli) 5 60 300
Peat 1/4 bag(70L) 500 125
Coco peat 80 bags 95 7600
Labour
(i) Greenhouse preparation &
disinfection prior to start of crop cycle 3 WMD 250 750
(ii) Preparation of seed trays and sowing 1/2 WMD 250 125
(iii)Irrigation and monitoring of seedlings 4 WMD 250 1000
(iv) Transplantation of seedlings 1 /2WMD 250 125
(V) Cleaning of greenhouse, flushing of
drippers and cleaning of drippers 5 WMD 250 750
(vi) Preparation of Nutrient solution 7.5 WMD 250 1875
(vii) Cultural practices 30 WMD 250 7500
(viii) Pesticide application 5 MD 350 1750
(ix) Harvest 10 WMD 250 2500
Trellising rope 1 Roll 1500 1500
clips 1000 0.7 700

68
 Unit Cost
Items Units/Amount Cost(MRU) (MRU)
Fungicide
(i) Proplant 25 ml 250 ml/350 35
(ii) Topsin 90 ml 250ml/425 153
(iii)Dash 50 45 ml 100 ml/100 45
Insecticides
(i) Agrimec 30 ml 50 ml/175 105
(ii) Actara 10g 50g/460 92
(iii)Tracer 10 ml 500 ml/7465 149
(iv) Steward 15 g 250 g/2650 159
(v) Karate 30 ml 1000 ml/1300 39
Electricity 600/month 3600
Water 175 m3 1300
Transport 1000/month 6000
Hydroponic Solutions ( A+ B) 10 preps/cycle 890/preparation 8900
Total 51857

69
Cost/Benefit analysis
Cost of production (Rs) Revenue (Rs) Profit (Rs)
51,857 149,760 97,903

(234*8kg/plant*Rs 80/kg)

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THANK YOU

71