Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Hydroponic Growth Media (Substrate): A Review

S. T. Patil, U. S. Kadam, M. S. Mane, D. M. Mahale, J. S. Dhekale

International Research Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry · pp. 106–113 · Published 12 Dec 2020

10.9734/irjpac/2020/v21i2330307

Abstract

From the reviewed literature, it is observed that scientist’s worked on the various substrate medias used for hydroponic system. They also studied about different combinations of the media and their effect on crop growth. The reviewed literature shows that scientists have studied different organic and inorganic media viz. cocopit, saw dust, rice husk vermiculite, perlite, hydroton, pumice, sand etc. It was also found that these media are not easily, cheaply and locally available for users. Beside this, few scientists studied about physical and chemical properties of media such as particle size, porosity, bulk density, wettability, water holding capacity (WHC), Air filled porosity (AFP), Electrical conductivity, pH of these media. The crop specific suitability of combinations of the different media mixtures were also tested and reported by many scientists. It was revealed from reviewed literature that salinity of media caused linear reduction in the water consumption. The size and shape of particle size distribution are useful for estimating the hydraulic properties of the media The substrate under long cultivation period causes increase of organic matter content and microorganism activity which leads to an increased competition for oxygen in the root environment. The optimal EC levels range from 1.5 to 4.0 dSm-1 according to crop and its sensitivity to different salinity levels. It was also observed that level of growing medium temperature close to that of the surrounding air seems more suitable. The ideal substrate should have a total porosity of over 85 percent. Particles of smaller-sized individual grains have a larger specific surface area.

Hydroponic soilless substrate media pH EC.

References (3)

  1. 1 Soilless Agriculture a New and Advanced Method for Agriculture Development: an Introduction [DOI]
  2. 2 PROBLEMS & CONSIDERATIONS IN DETERMINING PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HORTICULTURAL SUBSTRATES [DOI]
  3. 3 Response of different growing media on the growth and yield of gerbera in hydroponic open system

Cited by 62

Effects of Substrate and Halotolerant Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria on Seedling Emergence and Early Growth of Agave marmorata Roezl

Saúl Sánchez-Mendoza, A. Bautista-Cruz, Teodulfo Aquino-Bolaños · Agronomy · 2026

Cultivation System Dominates Cucumber Performance and Root-Zone Microbiomes Across Biochar Particle Sizes

Seyed Mohammad Hashemi, M. Graeff, Emmanuel A. Nai · Plants · 2026

Aprovechamiento de los tallos de caña india (Dracaena fragans) como sustrato para la producción de tomate en hidroponía

Rubén Calderón-Cerdas, Jose María Alvarado-Vargas, R. Campos-Rodríguez · Revista Tecnología en Marcha · 2026

Experimental assessment of different green wall systems: A comparative study on sound absorption and transmission loss measurements using impedance tubes

Seda Kulak Dalkilic, Fatih Yazicioglu · Applied Acoustics · 2026

Stability of oxygen diffusivity and aeration indicators in soilless growth media under wetting–drying cycles

Shahrokh Shahmansouri, Mohammadreza Mosaddeghi, H. Shariatmadari · Agricultural Water Management · 2025

Enhancing yields: The role of fish tank illumination and coupling/decoupling in biofloc aquaponics performance

Shima Rezaei, Madeline Spoor, Grace Hohn · Aquaculture · 2025

Effects of Different Media on the Growth of Centella asiatica L. in a Hydroponic System

Kyoung-Hyun Yu, In-Je Kang, Han-Sol Sim · Journal of Bio-Environment Control · 2025

PENGARUH MEDIA TANAM DAN NUTRISI POC KEONG MAS TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN HASIL TANAMAN SAWI PAGODA (Brassica narinosa L.) PADA HIDROPONIK SISTEM WICK

I. Aditya, Bastaman Syah, F. M. Bayfurqon · Jurnal Agrotech · 2025

Energy-Efficient Technologies and Strategies for Feasible and Sustainable Plant Factory Systems

Hongseok Mun, E. Lagua, Seong-Ki Hong · Sustainability · 2025

Hydroponic peat moss with perlite: superior medium for pineapple production under controlled conditions in a non-tropical climate

Ebrahim Saboki, Azam Jafari, Seyed Mohamad Banijamali · Journal of plant nutrition · 2025

Showing 39 of 62 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

75

Page views

0

PDF downloads

6

Outbound clicks

62

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.