70% of fresh water is consumed for agricultural purposes, including food production. As more people put ever increasing demands on limited resources, the cost and effort to build or even maintain access to water will increase.
“Grow more with less” is the main principle of precision growing. In precision growing and soilless cultivation it is possible to minimise water use. Interesting fact is that about 90% (8,500 ha) of the Dutch greenhouse horticulture consists of soilless cultivation . In these greenhouses collection and re-use of drain water is obligatory (Beerling et al., 2014). Precision growing changed the conventional way of cultivation radically.
Dutch growers with hydroponics technology with recirculation reduced their water use for crops by up to 90% compared to conventional soil based system, as we assessed by Wageningen University & Research in our whitepaper “Using less water when growing hydroponically”.
Careful management of water and nutrients combined with recycling the drain water in the greenhouses can strengthen growers’ business both in the short and long term because it contributes to:
Closed hydroponic systems help protect the environment by minimizing fertilizer emission and conserving surface water quality.
Growers can capture and recycle the drain water from the beginning of the cultivation cycle. Monitoring the Water Content and Electrical Conductivity in the substrate (with the GroSens sensors) allow growers to make informed decisions with respect to fine tuning the irrigation strategy. Soil-based cultivation is likely to use 50–100% more water as a result of water losses from overwatering the soil and evaporation from the soil surface compared to a substrate. Building an irrigation strategy growers can improve the water use efficiency as well.
At Grodan we are proud to serve the agricultural sector and contribute with our solutions to help manage water better and to help growers grow sustainably.
Download the report Using less water when growing hydroponically
The guide has been written to provide greenhouse owners and managers with an overview of current best practice.
World population is expected to grow another 1 billion in just 12 years, and reaching 9 billion people in 2050, creating unprecedented demand for food, and hence agricultural land. To keep up with population and economic growth, food production should increase by 70% by 2050.
The Grodan story is about sustainable cultivation aimed to leave the world a better place in the future. Our story is about passion, the Precision Growing philosophy is in our genes: higher yields while using less of the world’s valuable natural resources.
As part of our commitment to the circular economy, Grodan has built a network of partnerships and collaboration agreements with leading recycling organizations in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Grodan offers recycling services to over 62% of its product consumers across the globe and with the help of our loyal customers, we recycle thousands of tons of stonewool every year - achieving a 45% recycling rate!
‘Precision Growing’ literally translates into growing more, with fewer inputs. In this context GRODAN focuses on root zone management solutions, yet understands the need for a holistic approach towards the cultivation. This page describes ‘Precision Growing’ with respect to root zone management. It focuses on substrate choice; design and use with respect to optimizing the water supply.
We are a global leader in the supply of innovative stone wool substrate solutions for the professional horticultural based on Precision Growing principles.
