Investigation of nutrient solutions for the hydroponic growth of plants
type: CreativeWork
description: Hydroponics is used extensively in food production and plant research, allowing optimal control over the supply of elements to the plant. In hydroponics, nutrient can be delivered via a solution that is supplied to the growing plant or as a seed coat or treatment that is applied to the seed before sowing and germination. The form in which the nutrients are supplied to the plant influences their bioavailability, up-take, and distribution within the plant. Commercially produced hydroponic nutrients are typically supplied as two separate concentrated solutions. If these are mixed before being diluted then precipitates are formed which limit the bioavailability of certain elements in the nutrient solution. The chemical nature of the precipitate has been investigated by XRD, XRF, ion-chromatography and IR and Raman spectroscopies, with the aim of understanding its composition. Mass spectrometry is a highly sensitive analytical technique which has been applied to the monitoring of uptake and distribution of elements and compounds in plant tissue. Techniques including MALDI-MS, LA-ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS have been utilized in the work presented here to demonstrate the distribution and accumulation of elements and compounds within plant material that has been grown hydroponically. The use of a zinc based seed coating as a nutrient source for barley seeds in a hydroponic fodder production system has been investigated. The effect of the zinc on the yield and dry mass of the fodder was determined. The total zinc content in the fodder has been determined using ICP mass spectrometry. A method to map the location and distribution of zinc and other metallic elements in seeds and the fodder plants using Laser-Ablation ICP Mass Spectrometry LA-ICP-MS has been developed. Selenium is an essential element for human health. Broccoli is known to be a hyper-accumulator of selenium and the use of selenium-containing hydroponic nutrients for the biofortification of broccoli with selenium is …
abstract: Hydroponics is used extensively in food production and plant research, allowing optimal control over the supply of elements to the plant. In hydroponics, nutrient can be delivered via a solution that is supplied to the growing plant or as a seed coat or treatment that is applied to the seed before sowing and germination. The form in which the nutrients are supplied to the plant influences their bioavailability, up-take, and distribution within the plant. Commercially produced hydroponic nutrients are typically supplied as two separate concentrated solutions. If these are mixed before being diluted then precipitates are formed which limit the bioavailability of certain elements in the nutrient solution. The chemical nature of the precipitate has been investigated by XRD, XRF, ion-chromatography and IR and Raman spectroscopies, with the aim of understanding its composition. Mass spectrometry is a highly sensitive analytical technique which has been applied to the monitoring of uptake and distribution of elements and compounds in plant tissue. Techniques including MALDI-MS, LA-ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS have been utilized in the work presented here to demonstrate the distribution and accumulation of elements and compounds within plant material that has been grown hydroponically. The use of a zinc based seed coating as a nutrient source for barley seeds in a hydroponic fodder production system has been investigated. The effect of the zinc on the yield and dry mass of the fodder was determined. The total zinc content in the fodder has been determined using ICP mass spectrometry. A method to map the location and distribution of zinc and other metallic elements in seeds and the fodder plants using Laser-Ablation ICP Mass Spectrometry LA-ICP-MS has been developed. Selenium is an essential element for human health. Broccoli is known to be a hyper-accumulator of selenium and the use of selenium-containing hydroponic nutrients for the biofortification of broccoli with selenium is …
author: Seaman, Callie
language: en
date published: 2017-09
date modified: 2026-07-24T06:31:09Z
provider: Sheffield Hallam University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Sheffield Hallam University

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.7190/shu-thesis-00042