Progressive Plant Growing Has Business Blooming

About this technology

Overview

In 1997, AgriHouse, Inc. (d.b.a. Aeroponics International), a leading agri-biology company, united with NASA and BioServe Space Technologies, a non-profit, NASA-sponsored partnership research center, to design a soil-less plant-growth experiment to be performed in microgravity, aboard the Mir space station. This experiment aimed to gauge the effectiveness of a non-pesticide solution on the immune responses of bean plants. In essence, the research consortium was looking for a means of keeping plants free from infection, without having to rely on the use of pesticides. This research, combined with follow-on grants from NASA, has helped Berthoud, Colorado-based AgriHouse gain credibility in the commercial marketplace with related technology and gross the capital necessary to conduct further research in a new-age field known as bio-pharming. One of the company's products is the Genesis Series V aeroponic system. With this rapid-growth system, plants can be started from cuttings taken from an already-mature plant by placing them in the openings on top of a growing chamber. The stems are suspended in this chamber. If starting with seeds, they can be placed on specially designed mesh holders that are inside of the chamber. For both the cuttings and the seeds, the resulting plants rapidly develop root systems and grow in an enclosed, air-based environment, made moist by a hydro-atomized, nutrient-rich spray that is released in timed intervals by a microcomputer and finely misted onto the growth subjects. This clean, sterile environment greatly reduces the chances of spreading plant disease and infection that is commonly associated with other growing media. Once roots are developed, the plants can be easily removed for transplanting into any type of media without experiencing transplant shock or setback to normal growth. According to AgriHouse, growers choosing to employ the aeroponics method can reduce water usage by 98 percent, fertilizer usage by 60 percent, and pesticide usage by 100 percent, all while maximizing their crop yields by 45 to 75 percent. Another product derived from NASA research, BEYOND eliminates the need for pesticides; promotes faster seed germination; increases the survival rate of seeds; revives sick or infected plants; increases growth and yields; adds natural nitrogen to soil-based flora; is 100-percent biodegradable; and has an indefinite shelf life.