HYDROPONICS: IT’S INFLUENCE ON THE GROWTH OF MEDICINAL PLANTS

Abstract

Medicinal plants are mainly used for building immunity, for maintaining health, or for the treatment of specific condition, both traditionally and in modern medicines. Herbal medicines have been in use since long before modern medicine existed. Consumption of herbal medicines is widespread and is increasing with time. When the wild forms are harvested, the raw material sources may lose its genetic diversity and habitat destruction. Hydroponics is considered to be a preferable substitute for cultivation of plants and is described as cultivating plants without soil, which are valued economically in many developed countries. This system can be applied to almost all the terrestrial plants. This study explores the applications of this cultivation technique in growth of the three most powerful medicinal plants such as Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), Tulsi (Ocimumtenuiflorum). The construction of a hydroponic technique required an initial investment, hard work, and care. The in vitro data was evaluated and validated through numerical tools for comparative accounts between hydroponics and tap water system. Studies shows that the hydroponic nutrient solution was highly efficient against cultivating using the tap water. The results showed that Fenugreek, Coriander and Tulsi plants showed very good growth in (Green Loop-High Quality Nutrient) Hydroponic solution in comparison to tap water. Thus, the field application of the proposed hydroponic system for medicinal plants will meet the worldwide demand of today and future approaches.