Lukas Setyo Agung
 Aeroponic is one of hydroponic cultivation method. The aeroponic is not as familiar as other hydroponic method such as NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) or DFT (Deep Floor Technique).
Originally, aeroponic word derived from aero+phonic. Aero means air, phonic means cultivation method. Literally, aeroponic means growing plants in the air. It is a methodology how to cultivate plants without media (soil) but by feeding the plants through mist spraying (containing nutrition/fertilizers) where the roots hung in the air.
The aeroponic systems was observed for the first time and then developed by Dr. Franco Massantini of University of Pia, Italy. In Indonesia, pioneer of this system is Amazing Farm in 1998 at Lembang (Bandung).
Why aeroponic?
There are key factors that required by markets when we committed to supply fresh produce particularly the healthy vegetables, i.e. quality, continuity and productivity. The requirements will not be possible if we implement traditional agriculture because of constraints to deliver the products consistently. Agriculture world always depends on climate as well as knowledge to control pest and diseases without sacrifice the healthiness of the product itself. One of the best solutions for it is by implementation of aeroponic/hydroponic systems.
The following are reasons why we implement aeroponic systems on vegetables cultivation:
- Limited area/land for agriculture activities. Aeroponic systems does not need huge area since it implements modern agriculture method (soilless), where we can plant every day and harvest every day according to the planting pattern.
- Indonesia has 2 seasons where rainy season tends to impact failures. Aeroponic systems guarantee for all years on planting because the systems makes everything controllable and adjustable.
- Cultivation on soil depends on soil condition/quality itself. The quality of soil will determine results/output, whereas checking soil and make it healthy/fertile requires cost, moreover if the soil contains harmful substance. In aeroponic, we can measure the needs of nutrition for the plants, adjust the fertilizers formula to achieve the optimal results.
- Aeroponic systems does not need too many workers. It will impact to efficiency on man power cost.
- Aeroponic systems will deliver clean and healthy vegetables because no pesticides application since it grows in green house.
- The vegetables produced by aeroponic systems will be more crispy compared to soil grown, because in aeroponic, we can harvest the vegetables in earlier age.
Figure-1 Aeroponic's roots is hung in the air
Generally, below is comparison between aeroponic systems versus soil grown cultivation:
| DESCRIPTION |
AEROPONIC |
SOIL GROWN |
| Land requirements |
Not necessary requires a large area, flat contour of land. |
Requires a large area, flat contour, needs to do plant rotation to cut-off pest and diseases reproduction. |
| Productivity |
Certainty in productivity |
Uncertainty |
| Climate |
Production can be run all years on, although in rainy season the productivity will be a bit drop because of notoptimal of photosynthesis |
Depending on climate, especially in dry season. |
| Products availability |
Guaranteed |
Not sure |
| Quality |
Clean, healthy, crispy, more delicious |
Not sure in cleanliness, not sure in healthy (concerns in pesticides application) |
| Facility |
Green house required, highly electricity consumption. |
Traditionally does not need high cost in infrastructure and electricity. |
| Technology |
Middle-up technology |
Simple and conventional |
| Operators/workers |
Requires skilled operators/workers, but limited man powers |
Does not require skilled operators/workers, more man powers required. |
| Investment |
Medium - high |
Small - medium |
| Production elapsed time |
Short period, only needs 1 month/cycle. |
Longer time required, especially for land preparation and plants rotation. |
| Nutrition for plants |
Adjustable in fertilizers formula, can be setup according to products as well as climate. |
Nutrition cannot be measured exactly (because nutrition supply is absorbed in the soil) |
| Pest and diseases |
Save, protected by green house. |
More risky because of outdoor |
| Flexibility |
Movable, the plants can be moved easily without any disturbance on the growing plants. |
Not possible to move the plants. |
| Adaptation ability |
When the plants moved, the plants are able to quickly adapt the climate. |
Needs longer time to adapt
the climate when it's moved. |
We can choose selected vegetables to be grown aeroponically in order to gain high profit, considering the high investment in aeroponic implementation.
Figure-2 Harvesting curly lettuce |
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Based on our experiences for about 11 years, almost all of leafy vegetables are possible to be grown aeroponically.
However, it's better to learn advantageous things as consideration to select the products:
- Short period of the plants. Ideally, select the plants with 30 days duration of cultivation, so we can plant and harvest twelve times in one year. The shorter the better. For example, kangkung can be harvested in 18 days if the climate is extremely dry.
- High selling price to get high margin.
- Uniqueness of products, try to be leader in developing such products where it's not simple if competitors want to follow.
Amazing Farm has been cultivating 3 commodities of leafy vegetables as follow:
- Lettuces: curly lettuce, romaine lettuce, butterhead lettuce, lollorossa lettuce and Batavia lettuce.
- Chinese vegetables: pakcoy, petsay, caisim, kailan, siomak
- Others: kangkung, spinach, horenzo (Japanese spinach)
Figure-3 Amazing Farm's aeroponic products packaging
The selection of commodities actually is also determined based on customers demand. However, we, as a grower also possible to offer the markets our products after we did particular trials on particular seeds that we consider as high value products.
(read next article: Cultivation of Aeroponic Vegetables)
--1 Des 2008--
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