Comparative Study of NFT & Floating Raft Systems for Yield of Spinach

Hydroponics, as a practice, finds its roots back to the Babylonian period in Hanging Gardens of Babylon. However, the scientific approach towards growing plants in water began around the 17th Century. In present times, as we see, Hydroponics has now become a commercialized food production system, very well established in most developed countries of the world and beginning to flourish in countries like India. This book is a textual representation of the research project on comparative study of two hydroponic systems viz. NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) and Floating Raft, with an aim of being an aid to the commercial hydroponic industry. The book is divided into five main chapters. The first chapter begins with a brief introduction of the importance of plants in human life and goes from the origin of horticulture and its significance, into the aspects of cultivation and narrowing down from soilless culture to hydroponics.The Review of Literature i.e. the second chapter is a compilation of scrutinized data from various research papers and books. It mainly discusses hydroponics in general, NFT and Floating Raft systems and hydroponic cultivation of spinach.