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Crop Health
Disease
Maintaining a healthy crop is vital. Hydroponic pak choi production has
not had major problems with disease outbreaks, but proper care of the crop
must be undertaken to ensure good health. The following are suggestions
for maintaining a healthy greenhouse environment:
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Keep the crop rapidly growing by providing adequate light, nutrients,
and other environmental conditions at all times.
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If disease does occur, solution tanks should be drained and the crop
sacrificed. The tanks should be cleaned with a 2% bleach solution. If it
is possible that the disease started in the Germination Area, that area,
including the benches and solution tanks, should be cleaned as well.
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Wash the troughs, trays, and other equipment with a 2% bleach solution.
The equipment should be washed beween each use, to prevent the spread of
disease.
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Do not bring other plant material or soil into the greenhouse. This
material may contain pests and pathogens likely to infect your crop.
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Keep the solution tanks shaded in some manner. Algae flourish in wet,
well-lit locations, and the solution tank is ideal for algal growth. Shading
the tanks, input and output pipes, and other "wet" equipment
will inhibit algal growth. The algae will not harm the crop directly, but
may act to weaken the crop to potential disease.
Pests
Pests in hydroponic production have not been a major problem. Fast plant
growth rates make pest population establishment difficult. With continuous
crop production, pest populations may have the opportunity to establish
themselves. Precautions can be taken to exclude pests from the facility,
such as screening potential entry points (fans). Few pesticides have been
labelled for use on greenhouse vegetables. Biological insect control is
a viable alternative.
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