The Rose Cafe this week was especially interesting to me since I study plant sciences.  I did not know Cornell had a hydroponics lab.  Rose scholars had the privilege of learning about hydroponics from some of the main researchers and specialist at cornell.  The hydroponics business is growing and thriving.  While I have never seen hydroponics lettuce sold in the U.S. it is very common in Japan and other Asian countries.  The consumer appeal it it’s locality and freshness.

The science behind it was explained simply.  In summary, each system consists of an air pump for gas circulation, a water reservoir with the necessary nutrients and a floating platform to support the growing crops.  Beyond this setup there are more complicated systems like nutrient film techniques and aeroponic systems.  The hydroponics labs here at Cornell have been studying the effects different light have on hydroponic growth habits.  They measure this using photosynthetic active radiation tests to identify how much light is being used by each plant.  Right now they are mainly experimentally with LED lights.