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Japanese company develops soilless tomato growing system

Working with a startup, Japanese chemical company Denka has commercialized a new cultivation system that eliminates the need for soil.

The method involves growing plants on a polymer film containing nutrients, and offers the advantage of greatly reducing the volume of water and fertilizer used, compared to conventional hydroponics. In Japan, the method has already been adopted for growing tomatoes, and in the future Denka aims to develop it overseas in locations where there are problems with soil or water.

"This is the most delicious tomato I've ever eaten," said one person after trying a tomato grown using Denka's system in June in a farming region of Kanagawa Prefecture.

Crops are grown by placing a water-stopping sheet and nonwoven cloth on the ground and spreading the polymer film on top of that. For fertilizer, humic acid, which is the primary component of compost and stimulates the action of the roots, is used. From a special tube installed under the film, a culture solution including the liquid fertilizer flows into the film. Compared to conventional hydroponics, this method reduces the quantity of both water and fertilizer needed by more than half. It can also boost harvests by around 10%.

Read more at the Nikkei Asian Review
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