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As sustainable farming takes center stage in COP29, investing in new tech becomes a key tool in the quest for better mitigation and adaptation practice. Electrified soil is emerging as a new hydroponics farming technique with promising results for agriculture.
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Electricity can boost crop production? Researchers at Linköping University have developed a new method in hydroponic cultivation with the development of an electrically conductive soil called eSoil, according to a 2024 study (pdf) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal (PNAS). The method has been shown to enhance the growth of barley seedlings by up to 50% — as measured by weight — when their roots are electrically stimulated. The study highlights the potential of eSoil to revolutionize soilless cultivation, particularly in urban environments where traditional agriculture is not feasible.
In context: Hydroponics — a method of growing plants without soil — relies on water, nutrients, and a substrate for root attachment. This closed system allows for precise nutrient delivery and water recirculation, making it highly efficient. Hydroponics uses cultivation substrates like mineral wool, which are non-biodegradable and energy-intensive to produce.
How does eSoil factor in? The new eSoil is made mainly from biopolymer cellulose nanofibres and a conductive polymer called PEDOT and offers a sustainable alternative to traditional substrates like mineral wool. The researchers’ low-power approach to electrical stimulation sets their work apart from previous high-voltage methods, ensuring safety and energy efficiency.
The tech is good for adaptation: The study’s lead author emphasizes the importance of this development in addressing global food security challenges. The ability to grow crops in controlled urban settings could reduce the strain on arable land and adapt to harsh environmental conditions and areas with poor soil quality.
And mitigation as well: The researchers have observed improved nitrogen processing in electrically stimulated seedlings, which significantly reduces dependence on nitrogen fertilizers. This has a positive mitigation impact via cutting down emissions from the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. It also reduces water waste significantly, the study found.
Looking ahead: The team at Linköping University hopes that their findings will pave the way for further research into hydroponic cultivation and bioelectronic interfaces for plants. Although hydroponics alone may not solve global food security issues, it offers a promising, supplementary method, especially in regions with limited agricultural resources.
Electricity is also utilized in other ways in agriculture: Researchers at the University of California have proposed a method called electro-agriculture that could revolutionize food production by replacing traditional photosynthesis with a solar-powered chemical reaction, according to a study (pdf) published this year in the sustainability academic journal Joule. The approach could reduce the land needed for agriculture by up to 88% and enable food production in controlled indoor environments.
How does it work? Photosynthesis is crucial for creating nutrients essential to plants’ biomass growth. This tech, however, replaces photosynthesis with a feeding element called acetate, a molecule that genetically engineered plants can eat. The tech uses solar panels to power a chemical reaction between CO₂ and water, producing acetate, which would then be used to feed plants grown hydroponically.
Progress is underway: The researchers have already managed to engineer plants that can use acetate in addition to photosynthesis and are working towards creating plants that can rely entirely on acetate for their energy needs. This method could also be applied to other food-producing organisms like mushrooms, yeast, and algae, which naturally use acetate.
The outlook: The team is focusing initial research on tomatoes, rice, peppers, and lettuce. They plan to expand to staple crops like grains, cassava and sweet potatoes. While the technology is still in the research phase for plants, it holds immediate potential for commercializing mushrooms and algae.
