 Hi, my name is Princess Lee, the National Project Coordinator for AmExid, FIU and Characombs Water Energy Food Nexus Project here in Jamaica. The main objective under the WEF project is to provide farmers with the resources that would help them to produce their crop in a climate resilient manner. We also under this project aim to educate farmers on the strategies and principles that would fall on the climate smart production. Globally, farmers are faced with challenges related to climate change. This includes extended dry seasons or drought, heavy and sporadic rainfall, increased temperatures, flooding as well as increased pests and diseases. To mitigate some of these challenges, the WEF project has introduced farmers to sustainable hydroponic systems and practices across small islands and developing states. Hydroponic production is a technique where plants are grown in a nutrient solution without the need for soil. This production can take place using a wide variety of media such as sand, stone, gravel, cire, peat, perilite and even sawdust. It is very important that when you're going into hydroponic production that you decide carefully what type of hydroponic system you will be installing on your farm. There are varying types of hydroponic systems. There is a nutrient film technique, deep water culture, wick system, ebb and flow, drip system and the aeroponics type of hydroponic system. Before deciding on which system you are going to be using, it's important that you take note of varying factors that will dictate what type of system you decide on. Will you have access to electricity? What system works best with the type of plant or crop that you're going to be planting? Which type of system can you afford? How available are the equipment for that type of system in your location? Will I have an area with adequate sunlight to facilitate my hydroponic systems? These are just a few of the questions that you will have to consider when you are thinking about the type of hydroponic system that you would want to produce your crops in. Today we have here a A-frame nutrient film technique system. On this system we have a wide variety of parts that work together to ensure that the system runs effectively and efficiently. We have the grow pipes that is attached and held firmly to the A-frame which houses the pipes on both sides of the system. You also have the net cups in which the plants along with the meter are placed and housed in the grow pipes so that the nutrient solution reaches the roots of the pipes as they extend themselves outside of the net cup. Down further here on the system we can see the reservoir. Here we have 250 gallon tanks that are being used as the reservoir to house the nutrient solution that is circulated in the system. The nutrient solution will exit the system into the grow pipes through the outlet pipe. This outlet pipe is attached to the solar pump that pulls the solution and takes it to the plants around the system. Then the solution exits the system and enters back the reservoir and is reused. So this enables an hydroponic system to utilize only 10% of its equivalent in open field production. What is pH? Well pH is a measure of the degree of the acidity or the alkalinity of a solution. pH is measured on the scale of 0 to 14. The midpoint of 7 on the pH scale represents neutrality while below 7 indicates acidity, numbers greater than 7 indicating alkalinity. The pH of the nutrient solution will affect how the plant in your system absorbs the dissolved nutrient in the water. Generally plants are better able to absorb nutrient efficiently at a pH ranging from 5.8 to 6.5. This is where your pH meter plays a vital role in monitoring your system. On your screen you will see a chart giving you an idea of bearing pH ranges for different crops that can be grown in your hydroponic system. Trying to grow crops in your hydroponic system without managing the pH can cause nutrient lockup. This is when the nutrients become insoluble and unavailable to the plant which can cause the following problems in your system. Slow and stunted growth, leaf, flower and fruit drop, leaf discoloration, pests and diseases, chemical imbalances, root burn and crop failure. If you find that your pH is high, you can use any of the following to lower your pH. 1. Phosphoric Acid 2. Nitric Acid 3. Sulfuric Acid or 4. Citric Acid Citric acid is mostly used by organic producers. However, if the pH in your system is low, you can increase it by slowly adding calcium carbonate to your nutrient solution. Monitoring Temperature While temperature is not a nutrient, it is important to note that plant growth and development is highly dependent on temperature and should be considered just as important as EC and pH. It is more important now more than ever that we think about temperature before and during crop production. You can plan for high temperatures by 1. When deciding on seeds or planting materials, select varieties that are heat tolerant. 2. If your location experiences extremely high temperatures, consider using shade net or UV roof plastic to construct a covering over your system. 3. Throughout the day, monitor the temperature of the solution and the atmosphere and implement corrective actions when temperatures start to cause heat stress on the plants. 4. A 1 gallon bucket of nutrient ice can be added to the reservoir to aid with lowering the solution's temperature. 5. Managing the airflow in and around your system can also help with planning for temperatures. Increase the airflow by ensuring the air around the system is cleared and if the system is under a protective structure, you may lift the sides of their system as well. 6. Bearing the reservoir tank allows the water to be cooled with heat exchanged with the ground. This simple strategy can result in temperature differences between the water and the atmosphere, ranging from 3 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit. 7. Electroconductivity or EC mainly tells you the total amount of dissolved nutrients in the water or solution in your system. This is where your EC meter is very important and needed to monitor the dissolved nutrients in your system. The nutrient that is dissolved in the solution conducts electricity. Therefore, the higher the nutrient content, the higher the EC reading will be on your meter. However, it is important to note that if you use the wrong type or ratio of nutrients in your stock tank, the reading will still be available. But that does not mean that the plants are getting the required nutrient for the stage of development. 4. It's very important that in mixing your nutrition, the right macro and micronutrients that your crop needs for the stage of development that your crop is at is important to ensure that your plants will grow properly. There are three main stages of development and at each stage, the macro and micronutrients required by the plants are very different. The three main stages are the vegetative stage, flooring stage and fruiting stage. Each crop type will require varying nutrients in varying ratios while they grow through varying developmental stages. Your extension officer or plant nutrient provider should be able to give you a nutrition program for the crop that you decide to grow in your system. What has been noticed over the years is that agioponic plants can grow well using far less nutrients than open field crops. They can grow well with ECs ranging from 0.8 to 2 on your EC readings. The crops that demand the most nutrients are peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. It has been shown that leafy greens can grow well with an EC as low as 0.8 to 1. Earlier I mentioned the terms macro and micronutrients. Macronutrients are the nutrients that the plants will need in relatively larger quantities while micronutrients are the nutrients that the plants will need in very small quantities. The macronutrients that your plants in your agioponic systems will need are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur. While your micronutrients include iron, copper, zinc, boron, molybdenum, manganese and chlorine. When you're going to be mixing your fertilizers, fertilizer compatibility is very important. Before adding your nutrient solution to the reservoir, ensure that you mix your stock solution with tank 1 not having any calcium and tank 2 not having any sulfates or phosphates. For example, tank 1. In this tank, you will not mix any fertilizer containing calcium. You may combine fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfate, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, magnesium sulfate and urea, etc. While in tank 2, you will be mixing fertilizers that don't contain phosphorus or sulfates. These include urea, calcium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, magnesium nitrate or potassium nitrate. There are times after you've mixed your fertilizer that your EC reading might be out of range based on the crop type and crop developmental stage. So how do you adjust your EC? If you have mixed your nutrient solution and the EC is too high, you can remove some of the solution and add more water to reduce the EC. On the other hand, if the EC is too low, you may add more nutrients slowly to increase the EC. Ensure that the nutrient is completely dissolved and combined in the water in your system correctly and properly before testing the EC again. Here are a few very important steps that you need to take to minimize pest and disease in your system. An integrated approach to pest and disease management is very important in order to 1. reduce chemical use and 2. catch problems as soon as they present themselves so that you are better able to manage and implement corrective actions. Step one, start with a clean system, plant material and environment. It's important to sanitize and clean your systems and materials used in your system before use and after each crop. This will prevent contamination of your system and spreading of pathogens from one crop cycle to another. Step two, scout the plants in your system on a daily basis. Spending 15 or 20 minutes to look at your plants carefully, observing the top and bottom of leaves and roots in your system can mean the difference between a successful or a failed crop. Position your system in such a way to optimize airflow. With proper airflow in your system, this reduces the likelihood of pathogens multiplying rapidly in your system. Step four, limit heat and nutrient stress. When monitoring your system, having putting measures to reduce heat stress and ensuring that your plants are getting the right nutrient at the right stage of development will minimize their susceptibility to pest and diseases while producing your crops. Step five, rest and rotate your system. After each crop, it's very important to rest your hydroponic system. Leave it without producing a crop in that system for at least a week or two. Also, rotate the type of crop that's planted in your system. With rotation, it reduces a certain number of pests attacking your crop and your system because you would have introduced a new crop in your system. Common diseases that you may encounter in your system are pythium root rot, powdery mildew, botritis or gray mold, downy mildew and sclerotinia. You can find more information and pictures of what these diseases look like in the link below. It is important to note that early detection by scouting daily can save you a lot of stress and crop loss. Now I will show to you common hydroponic insect pests. Here are a few pictures of some of the common pests that you will encounter while producing in your hydroponic systems. Spider mite, aphid, fungus nut, whitefly, thrips and scale. Now let us see how much you remember. I'm going to be showing you a few pictures of these pests to see if you can identify them. In order to execute a successful and sustainable hydroponic operation on your farm, these are a few key points that we would like you to keep in mind. Ensure that you select an hydroponic system that is suitable for your situation and your location. Ensure that you sanitize your system before and after each use. Ensure that your monitoring devices are calibrated and functioning properly. Monitoring your water quality is very important for the successful production of your crop. Monitor your crop by scouting for pests and disease daily. Finally, nutrition management is very important. Please ensure that you are providing the right nutrients for the varying stages of crop development and you should have a successful crop. Thank you for watching and have a successful hydroponic production.