The potato plant is part of the Solanum genus, which is a broad group of flowering plants which also includes tomatoes within its cohort. Like virtually all plants, the potato needs some basic things to grow and to thrive. The basic requirements for plant growth generally are light, warmth (or "livable temperature"), water, a growing medium, mineral nutrients, and oxygen. These are all somewhat of a given, but the process of optimizing the growth of our potatoes is where things get technical. According to the Soil Testing Lab at Colorado State University, potatoes rely heavily on specific concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous in the soil. In addition to those two elements, the researchers at the Soil Testing Lab recommend specific levels of zinc and potassium in the soil that will boost potato production. The exact details regarding perfecting potato production through optimal soil fertilization can be found within this report. Obviously it isn't just potatoes that we know so much about, just about every crop you can think of has been analyzed to a mind-boggling level of detail.
This is where vertical agriculture comes back into the picture. So we know what it takes to grow the perfect potato plant, but can it be done using traditional methods? The answer is: not really. In addition to pests, weather conditions, and other unforeseen circumstances, variables in the traditional agricultural model such as acidic rain and rogue pollen also negatively influence the growth of these plants. However, in a controlled environment we are able to give the plants exactly what they need; no more and no less. One method of controlling the delivery of nutrition to the plants is through a hydroponic growing system which itself has proven to be capable of increasing crop yields. Being able to manage nutrient content by adding measured amounts of soluble nutrients to a measured quantity of water is perhaps one of the simplest and most accurate ways to achieve optimal nutrition for your crops; and this concept can scale with virtually no limit. What's more, technology like this means that vertical agriculture can itself be optimized on a plant-to-plant basis, thereby multiplying the effects of this already remarkably efficient and productive technology.Credit to Jennifer Mehren for providing links to the CSU Soil Testing Lab!
Also, credit to Matt Damon for being such a good sport!
Thank you for the link credit! That was a kind thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI understand your Matt Damon references because I have read The Martian and am familiar with the movie of the same title starring Matt Damon. I would recommend that you give your readers a hint in case they do not understand.
I enjoyed your graphics and links explaining the details of the potato plant. Your passion and the detail of your research into this subject are made obvious in this post. You mention copious amounts of information available on other crops. Do you have a go-to website that provides this information? If so, I think it would be a nice link to add.
I am intrigued by hydroponic systems but they seem a little complex for a beginner. Perhaps a link to a simple system might help the cause here as well?
Potato plants are some of the most effective plants in delivering large amounts of nutrition, so I could see them being utilized in the vertical farming method. Hydroponic systems are great for regulating an environment as well as reducing soil and water usage. Vertical farms with hydroponic systems seems to be the most efficient option for growing food.
ReplyDeleteI found an interesting link (http://tipnut.com/grow-potatoes/) about how to grow a hundred pounds of potatoes in just four square feet. It seems as though growing potatoes vertically rather than horizontally is far more efficient.
I concur with the idea that optimizing plant growth in a controlled system only increases the crop yield. Rather than growing crops over large tracts of land and yielding less, we should be implementing the vertical technique to optimize growth and efficiency. The ability for the water to be re-used is a huge advantage.