Dubai, 2nd Feb. 2013 (WAM) -- Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water,chaired the first meeting of UAE Hydroponics Society. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil.

The minister stated that his ministry was adopting modern technology that is highly efficient in use of irrigation water and special focus is lent to greenhouse and Hydroponic farming.

The ministry, he said, had supported hydroponic farmers as part of its food security strategy and efforts to conserve the rich resources of water by using less water for irrigation purposesand to use of highly efficient chemical pesticides to grow healthy products.

He added that a series of meetings were held to educate farmers about the society and its objectives.

The meeting, attended by 22 Hydroponic growers, discussed the statute of the society, its mission, message and goals, organisational structure and action plan as well as other measures tolaunch the society officially.

the UAE has 700 greenhouses using farming without soil, occupying 191,000 square metres.

The technology could reduce water consumption for irrigation of vegetables by up to 70% in comparison to open ground farming methods.

Some of the reasons why hydroponics is being adapted around the world for food production are the following: No soil is needed for hydroponics The water stays in the system and can be reused - thus, lower water costs It is possible to control the nutrition levels in their entirety - thus, lower nutrition costs No nutrition pollution is released into the environment because of the controlled system Stable and high yields Pests and diseases are easier to get rid of than in soil because of the container's mobility It is easier to harvest No pesticide damage Today, hydroponics is an established branch of agronomy. Progress has been rapid, and results obtained in various countries have proved it to be thoroughly practical and to have very definite advantages over conventional methods of horticulture.

Disadvantages Without soil as a buffer, any failure to the hydroponic system leads to rapid plant death. Other disadvantages include pathogen attacks such as damp-off due to Verticillium wilt caused by the high moisture levels associated with hydroponics and over watering of soil based plants. Also, many hydroponic plants require different fertilizers and containment systems.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2013.