Hydroponics has long been known as the technique of growing plants without soil. It is believed to have been practiced in the famous hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the eight wonders of the ancient world.
SNAP stands for Simple Nutrient Addition Program.
SNAP hydroponics is a new technology developed by the UP Los Baños Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB) through a research project funded by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR).
The scientific headway was among the technologies highlighted during the celebration of UPLB-IPB’s 30th anniversary recently.
Commercial hydroponics farms have for some time now been operating in Cavite and, recently in Clark Field in Pampanga. These systems, however, were developed abroad, making them expensive and unavailable for ordinary farmers.
What makes the BAR-funded, IPB-developed SNAP hydroponics system appreciated is that it is not expensive, is simple, and easy to follow, said IPB researchers Primitivo A. Santos and Bureka Teresa M. Ocampo.
In their study, Santos and Ocampo found that lettuce, cucumber, sweet pepper, and celery can be successfully grown using the system.
To construct the SNAP hydroponics system, one only needs a seedling plug, culture pots, nutrient solution, and a shelter.
A seedling plug can be created using Styrofoam cups with holes at the bottom. To hold the plant in place, plug a bit of coconut coir dust at the bottom. Place a piece of net at the cut-off bottom to hold the coir dust and also to allow the roots to grow downward to the nutrient solution.
The culture pot is the container that holds the solution and the Styrofoam cups containing the seedlings.
The nutrient solution is made up of tap water and fertilizer mix.
A shelter can be any place in your house with enough sunlight and good seration because the system needs to be protected from the elements.
One person can maintain the system, which can also be used year-round.
The system is profitable, said Santos and Ocampo, as reported by BAR’s Ma. Lizbeth J. Baroña. – Rudy A. Fernandez