No to Waste, Yes to the Future
The current agricultural model generates waste, contaminated food, and high environmental impact. This is why we have decided to abandon the traditional approach, embracing the versatility of modern cultivation. From soilless to hydroponic and aeroponic cultivation – technology is the key to optimal plant management.
Inside the World of “Soilless”
Our precision soilless cultivation proposal translates into more accurate control, better resource management, and surprising productivity. Regarding “classic” soilless cultivation, organic substrates such as coconut fiber, peat, and perlite promote sustainability and environmental balance. Inert substrates, on the other hand, eliminate risks related to plant life cycles, ensuring safe and controlled cultivation.
Hydroponics: between NFT and Floating System
Hydroponics represents a milestone in the evolution of agriculture, for cultivating plants in an innovative and sustainable way. It branches into two approaches: the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) system and the Floating System, which are distinguished by characteristics and impacts on cultivation. The heart of NFT technology is represented by PVC channels, where water flows continuously under the roots of the plants. The Floating System, on the other hand, is a type of cultivation that takes place in a vertical wall greenhouse.
Aeroponics
Idromeccanica Lucchini always looks ahead, because every innovation is just another step towards new challenges. This is why we believe that Aeroponics is the new frontier of cutting-edge cultivation. It is an advanced form of soilless cultivation, which differs from hydroponics in the cultivation in pots, cylinders, or trays. And the use of aeriform nutrients, for a highly efficient and sustainable environment. A technology successfully used to cultivate solanaceae and lettuces, using specially designed containers. LED lighting, and the underlying sprayers, create an ideal environment for plant growth, with particular attention to the optimal distribution of the nutrient solution.
Edo Radici Felici
Alone, one doesn’t go far. That’s why, in this virtuous journey, we have chosen a special travel companion for our idea of aeroponics. Edo Radici Felici is a cutting-edge SME that designs and builds innovative and sustainable soilless systems for aeroponic cultivation, including vertical farming.
Airfloating
Edo Radici Felici wanted to elevate aeroponic technique to the power, patenting Airfloating. An innovative system for soilless cultivation with free roots, in a closed cycle, capable of generating sustainable competitiveness in the final product. It is a system suitable for all types of leafy vegetables, composed of contiguous tanks, on which plant-carrying benches for cultivation without substrate run. The system monitors, controls, and differentiates plant nutrition, for the various phenological phases, throughout the production cycle. Using, for this purpose, IT solutions for planning, automation, management, and control of fine-tuning.
Test
The tests conducted on cherry tomatoes, carried out by the University of Pisa, show surprising results. As can be seen from the image, the yield per square meter increases significantly with lower water and energy inputs. Furthermore, water consumption is reduced and costs are optimized, especially when water administration is more targeted.
360° Effectiveness
Aeroponics also proves effective in terms of spatial efficiency. Making the most of sunlight – an abundant resource in the Italian ecosystem – thanks to a three-dimensional and vertical approach. A technique that also adapts well to indoor farming, optimizing modulation on vertical layers for small productions, as in the case of Edo Radici Felici.
