NGS Technology, Ahead of the Competition

According to an independent study conducted by the University of Turin, NGS technology—one of Europe’s leading hydroponic equipment manufacturers—is an innovative and versatile substrate-free cultivation system (SCS) that stands out for its commercial and productive advantages, as well as its performance in plant cultivation, as it facilitates root aeration and prevents obstruction of the hydroponic nutrient solution (HNS) flow. A laboratory-scale pilot plant (hereinafter LSPP) based on NGS technology was configured in a greenhouse under mild climate conditions in order to obtain a standardized, homogeneous, and representative experimental system. The LSPP was designed, configured, and implemented to exploit the potential of NGS technology with the purpose of achieving technical and system-level improvements.

The LSPP enables the deployment of various treatments and replicates with which to conduct reliable data analysis and statistical designs. In this regard, the results show that the use of NGS technology prevents negative impacts on surrounding ecosystems and contamination of groundwater used by people. An additional advantage is its great automation potential (which results in labor savings associated with planting and harvesting processes) and the opportunity to manage optimal plant densities during cultivation cycles. The study identifies other additional advantages of the NGS system, including improved input control and crop maturation, applicability to multiple species, and greater oxygenation compared to other SCS.