Hydroponic Agriculture and Microbial Safety of Vegetables: Promises, Challenges, and Solutions
Hydroponics is a farming technique for growing plants with mineral nutrients using a soil-free medium. The plant roots are submerged in soil-free media, such as vermiculite or perlite, or just in mineral nutrient solutions. This allows for high production yields throughout the year with less water a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/1/51 |
| _version_ | 1797441796226154496 |
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| author | Shlomo Sela Saldinger Victor Rodov David Kenigsbuch Asher Bar-Tal |
| author_facet | Shlomo Sela Saldinger Victor Rodov David Kenigsbuch Asher Bar-Tal |
| author_sort | Shlomo Sela Saldinger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hydroponics is a farming technique for growing plants with mineral nutrients using a soil-free medium. The plant roots are submerged in soil-free media, such as vermiculite or perlite, or just in mineral nutrient solutions. This allows for high production yields throughout the year with less water and agro-chemical inputs. Consequently, hydroponics is considered a sustainable agriculture technology. Hydroponically grown crops are usually protected from the diseases transmitted through soil or animals in open fields. Therefore, they require fewer chemicals for pest control and are safer than conventionally grown crops in terms of possible chemical contamination. Nevertheless, hydroponics guarantees neither plant health nor the microbial safety of fresh produce. In the case of microbial contamination by human pathogens, unlike soil-grown crops, the pathogens may rapidly spread through the circulating water and simultaneously infect all the plants in the facility. This review summarizes the up-to-date knowledge regarding the microbial safety of hydroponically grown crops and discusses the role of the hydroponic system in reducing the microbial hazards for leafy and fruity crops as well as the potential risks for contamination by human pathogens. Finally, it outlines the approaches and the available science-based practices to ensure produce safety. The contamination risk in hydroponic systems may be diminished by using novel planting materials and the appropriate decontamination treatment of a recirculating liquid substrate; by modulating the microbiota interactions; and by following strict phytosanitary measures and workers’ hygienic practices. There is a timely need to adopt measures, such as the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) guidelines, to mitigate the risks and ensure safe hydroponically grown vegetables for consumers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:30:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fdc2b93e91b546d7ab808dfccfe68cc7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:30:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj.art-fdc2b93e91b546d7ab808dfccfe68cc72023-11-30T22:30:12ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242023-01-01915110.3390/horticulturae9010051Hydroponic Agriculture and Microbial Safety of Vegetables: Promises, Challenges, and SolutionsShlomo Sela Saldinger0Victor Rodov1David Kenigsbuch2Asher Bar-Tal3Institute of Postharvest and Food Sciences, The Volcani Institute, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), P.O. Box 15159, Rishon LeZion 7505101, IsraelInstitute of Postharvest and Food Sciences, The Volcani Institute, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), P.O. Box 15159, Rishon LeZion 7505101, IsraelInstitute of Postharvest and Food Sciences, The Volcani Institute, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), P.O. Box 15159, Rishon LeZion 7505101, IsraelInstitute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, The Volcani Institute, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), P.O. Box 15159, Rishon LeZion 7505101, IsraelHydroponics is a farming technique for growing plants with mineral nutrients using a soil-free medium. The plant roots are submerged in soil-free media, such as vermiculite or perlite, or just in mineral nutrient solutions. This allows for high production yields throughout the year with less water and agro-chemical inputs. Consequently, hydroponics is considered a sustainable agriculture technology. Hydroponically grown crops are usually protected from the diseases transmitted through soil or animals in open fields. Therefore, they require fewer chemicals for pest control and are safer than conventionally grown crops in terms of possible chemical contamination. Nevertheless, hydroponics guarantees neither plant health nor the microbial safety of fresh produce. In the case of microbial contamination by human pathogens, unlike soil-grown crops, the pathogens may rapidly spread through the circulating water and simultaneously infect all the plants in the facility. This review summarizes the up-to-date knowledge regarding the microbial safety of hydroponically grown crops and discusses the role of the hydroponic system in reducing the microbial hazards for leafy and fruity crops as well as the potential risks for contamination by human pathogens. Finally, it outlines the approaches and the available science-based practices to ensure produce safety. The contamination risk in hydroponic systems may be diminished by using novel planting materials and the appropriate decontamination treatment of a recirculating liquid substrate; by modulating the microbiota interactions; and by following strict phytosanitary measures and workers’ hygienic practices. There is a timely need to adopt measures, such as the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) guidelines, to mitigate the risks and ensure safe hydroponically grown vegetables for consumers.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/1/51hydroponicssafetymicrobialfresh producevegetablessoilless |
| spellingShingle | Shlomo Sela Saldinger Victor Rodov David Kenigsbuch Asher Bar-Tal Hydroponic Agriculture and Microbial Safety of Vegetables: Promises, Challenges, and Solutions Horticulturae hydroponics safety microbial fresh produce vegetables soilless |
| title | Hydroponic Agriculture and Microbial Safety of Vegetables: Promises, Challenges, and Solutions |
| title_full | Hydroponic Agriculture and Microbial Safety of Vegetables: Promises, Challenges, and Solutions |
| title_fullStr | Hydroponic Agriculture and Microbial Safety of Vegetables: Promises, Challenges, and Solutions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydroponic Agriculture and Microbial Safety of Vegetables: Promises, Challenges, and Solutions |
| title_short | Hydroponic Agriculture and Microbial Safety of Vegetables: Promises, Challenges, and Solutions |
| title_sort | hydroponic agriculture and microbial safety of vegetables promises challenges and solutions |
| topic | hydroponics safety microbial fresh produce vegetables soilless |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/1/51 |
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