Evaluation of solar-assisted hydroponic system for spinach production

Abstract

During the off-season, spinach grows rapidly in a hydroponic system using significantly less water as compared to a conventional method. The experiment design for the hydroponic system was completely randomized design. The automation through solar power by using an Arduino as a circuit board and solenoid valves run smoothly without any fault according to the program fed into the board. The treatment combination S2I2(6 g, 1 L) obtained the highest water use efficiency which was 16.66 kg/m3, and the highest spinach production per tray was 0.40 kg/ tray for this treatment. Thus, the overall research showed that the best treatment combination in water use efficiency and total spinach production per tray was S2I2 (6 g, 1 L). In the current scenario, the shade net house made of bamboo sticks with solar energy for irrigation is the best method for growing spinach.