An Overview of Soil and Soilless Cultivation Techniques—Chances, Challenges and the Neglected Question of Sustainability

Abstract

Resources such as fertile soil and clean water are already limited in many parts of the world. Additionally, the conventional use of arable land is becoming increasingly difficult, which is further exacerbated by climate change. Soilless cultivation systems do not only offer the opportunity to save water and cultivate without soil but also the chance to open up urban areas such as residential rooftops for food production in close proximity to consumers. In this review, applications of soilless farming systems are identified and compared to conventional agriculture. Furthermore, aspects of economic viability, sustainability and current developments are investigated. An insight into the most important soilless farming systems—hydroponics, aquaponics and vertical farming—is provided. The systems are then differentiated from each other and, as far as possible, evaluated in terms of their environmental impact and compared with conventional cultivation methods. Comparing published data analyzing the yield of hydroponic cultivation systems in comparison to soil-based cultivation methods enables a basic overview of the profitability of both methods and, thus, lays the foundation for future research and practical applications. The most important inert substrates for hydroponic applications are presented, and their degree of sustainability is compared in order to emphasize environmental impacts and affect substrate selections of future projects. Based on an assessment of the most important soilless cultivation systems, the challenges and developments of current techniques are highlighted and discussed.

Comprehensive Review of Aquaponic, Hydroponic, and Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

“…In protected agriculture, soilless cultivation is significantly employed to maintain the quality of the product while enhancing control over the growing environment and avoiding uncertainties in the soil's water and nutrient condition. In addition to allowing for soilless cultivation and water conservation, soilless methods help for the proximity of food production to urban spaces like residential rooftops (Fussy and Papenbrock 2022).…”

Multivariate Contrasts of Seven Strawberry Cultivars in Soilless Cultivation and Greenhouse in Southern Brazil

“…The literature reports several examples of successful substrate cultivation in horticulture [5,6]. For example, this soilless system optimizes labor [7], provides protection against soil phytopathogens [8], reduces the use of conventional chemical inputs [5], provides adequate water and nutrients, which reduces their waste [9], and increases the yield and quality of horticultural crops. Farming agroecosystems are sustainable when these aspects are taken into account.…”

A subcritical water extract of soil grown Zingiber officinale Roscoe: Comparative analysis of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and evaluation of bioactive metabolites

“…Ginger can be collected whether it is young (between three and 4 months old) or mature (8–10 months) ( Marsh et al, 2021 ). Nutritional support for the growth of a plant is provided by soil ( Fussy and Papenbrock, 2022 ). The conventional method of ginger cultivation is soil-bound, using a shifting cultivation technique.…”