Open AccessHydroponics for the Cultivation of Medicinal Herbs
Author(s) -
Subikshaa Persuding
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of recent technology and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2277-3878
DOI - 10.35940/ijrte.d1138.1284s219
Subject(s) - hydroponics , agriculture , medicinal plants , agroforestry , urbanization , population , balanites aegyptiaca , business , environmental science , agronomy , biology , botany , ecology , medicine , environmental health , alternative medicine , pathology
Increased population, sub urbanization of forest, improper agricultural practices like excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers have lead to the decrease in fertility of the soil. Also due to the global warming and climate changes there is a very less rain fall which has lead to water scarcity. Apart from these problems the forest remains the only source of many herbal medicines and we find it difficult to get these herbal plants because of the urbanization of the forest. As a solution for the above mentioned complications hydroponics is said to be a better alternative. Hydroponics is the soil less growth of plants in which water mixed with nutrients is used for the cultivation of plants. Hydroponics has been used for the cultivation of food crops in western countries. As the consumption of herbal medicine is increasing worldwide, hydroponics can be used for the cultivation of medicinal plants without losing its originality and medicinal values. This method of cultivation will decrease the necessity to relay on forest as the only source for herbal medicine. The hydroponics is considered to be a costly approach so we are planning to build a cost efficient system having a better yield. We have chosen three plants for this study namely Karisalankanni, Siriyanangai, and Marigold. We are also planning to build a cost efficient hydroponic system. We have designed natural media for the hydroponics suitable to grow the plants.