Inventing a type of “soil” with the ability to increase the growth rate of plants
Swedish researchers have invented “soil” that increases the growth rate of plants by 50%.
In addition to increasing the growth rate of plants, this culture medium called “electronic soil” has many advantages over conventional methods.
According to Digiato, researchers have created a new culture medium that increases the growth rate of plants by 50%. The substrate, which the researchers call eSoil, is electrically conductive and helps plants grow by electrical stimulation, and is specifically designed for hydroponic agriculture. In general, in hydroponic cultivation, plants grow without soil and only need water, nutrients and a substrate for the growth of roots.
According to an article published in PNAS, researchers from Sweden's Linköping University have shown that barley seedlings grown in electronic soil grew up to 50% more. The researchers stimulated the roots of these seedlings with electricity for 15 days.
Advantages of electronic soil over conventional methods
The world's population is increasing, and climate change sometimes affects farmers. Therefore, it is not possible to meet the food needs of the planet only with existing agricultural methods. With the water culture method, without the need for soil and vast lands, food can be grown in cities as well.
In water culture or hydroponics, water consumption is significantly reduced and all essential nutrients will be available to the plant. This culture is a closed system that allows water to recirculate so that each plant receives exactly the nutrients it needs. Therefore, very little water is used.
Hydroponics also allows vertical cultivation in large towers for maximum use of space. The products that are currently cultivated in this way are mostly vegetables. Cereals are not typically grown hydroponically for forage use. In this study, the researchers showed that barley seedlings can be cultivated using hydroponics, and thanks to electrical stimulation, a better growth rate can be created.
Another advantage of electronic soils is not using mineral wool. Mineral wool is usually used as a growing medium in hydroponics. Not only are these materials non-degradable, but they are produced by a process that requires high energy. The eSoil electronic growing medium is made of cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer, combined with a conductive polymer called PEDOT. Although this combination is not new, it is the first time that it is used to grow plants in this way.
