Who has developed eSoil?
Scientists at Linköping University, Sweden, have created a new kind of soilless farming, or hydroponics, using an electrically conductive growing medium called "electronic soil" or eSoil.
Hydroponics is a way to grow vegetables and leafy greens without soil. It's helpful in areas with limited agricultural land, poor soil quality, and challenging environment. In simple words, hydroponic farming is when plants grow using only water, nutrients, and something for their roots to hold on to, called a substrate.
What is eSoil?
eSoil is a special type of material that can electrically stimulate the root system and growth condition of plants in hydroponic situations. eSoil also uses materials that do not harm the environment.
A study about eSoil was published in a journal named PNAS.
What does the study show?
A study found that when the roots of barley seedlings got a little electric boost for 15 days using eSoil, they grew 50% more. This research on eSoil helps make farming better for the environment and allows for growing different crops with hydroponics.
The study also showed that plants that got a little extra boost could soak up certain nutrients better. This discovery might mean using less fertiliser in the future. But, more research is required before eSoil is used to grow many crops.
Also, hydroponics has not yet been shown to be a big help for food security because it is not currently used for making a lot of grains. So, using this method on a large scale might take more time.
