Hydroponics for the Cultivation of Medicinal Herbs
Umapriya M1, Subikshaa M2, Ilakiya Suruthi V3, Jayaprabhakaran M4, Sankarganash Arunachaalam5

1Sankarganash Arunachaalam, Department of Biotechnology Chemical Engineering, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education College, Krishnankoil (Tamil Nadu), India.
2Umapriya M, Department of Biotechnology Chemical Engineering, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education College, Krishnankoil (Tamil Nadu), India.
3Subikshaa M, Department of Biotechnology Chemical Engineering, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education College, Krishnankoil (Tamil Nadu), India.
4Subikshaa Department of Biotechnology Chemical Engineering, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education College, Krishnankoil (Tamil Nadu), India.
5Jayaprabhakaran M, Department of Biotechnology Chemical Engineering, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education College, Krishnankoil (Tamil Nadu), India.
Manuscript received on 02 December 2019 | Revised Manuscript received on 20 December 2019 | Manuscript Published on 31 December 2019 | PP: 655-658 | Volume-8 Issue-4S2 December 2019 | Retrieval Number: D11381284S219/2019©BEIESP | DOI: 10.35940/ijrte.D1138.1284S219
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Abstract: Increased population, sub urbanization of forest, improper agricultural practices like excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers have lead to the decrease in fertility of the soil. Also due to the global warming and climate changes there is a very less rain fall which has lead to water scarcity. Apart from these problems the forest remains the only source of many herbal medicines and we find it difficult to get these herbal plants because of the urbanization of the forest. As a solution for the above mentioned complications hydroponics is said to be a better alternative. Hydroponics is the soil less growth of plants in which water mixed with nutrients is used for the cultivation of plants. Hydroponics has been used for the cultivation of food crops in western countries. As the consumption of herbal medicine is increasing worldwide, hydroponics can be used for the cultivation of medicinal plants without losing its originality and medicinal values. This method of cultivation will decrease the necessity to relay on forest as the only source for herbal medicine. The hydroponics is considered to be a costly approach so we are planning to build a cost efficient system having a better yield. We have chosen three plants for this study namely Karisalankanni, Siriyanangai, and Marigold. We are also planning to build a cost efficient hydroponic system. We have designed natural media for the hydroponics suitable to grow the plants.
Keywords: Hydroponics, Vermicompost Extract, Cattle Shed Soil Extract.
Scope of the Article: Bio-Science and Bio-Technology