The technology center Newco obtains 20 tubers per plant, instead of the three or four obtained through conventional methods.
This center is part of Neiker-Tecnalia, the Basque Institute of Agricultural Research and Development, which has been chosen by the European Union to identify the varieties of potato on the continent.
The new farming method is called aeroponics and with it productivity is increased, as evidenced by the fact that it’s possible to obtain some 20 tubers per plant instead of the three or four produced by conventional methods. Further, it avoids the diseases that exist in the ground and also saves a large amount of water and fertilizers. This method is being developed by Newco, a technology company linked to the Basque Institute of Agricultural Research and Development Neiker-Tecnalia.
This novel cultivation technique basically consists of keeping the roots of the plant suspended in the air and totally in the dark. In order for the plant and the tubers to be able to develop, nutrients are applied to the roots through a misting system, which periodically sprays water enriched with nutrients. The fact that the tubers develop in the air provides a great aeration of the roots, and keeps them from being affected by the pathogens that exist in soil. Researchers assure that the increase in production achieved substantially lowers the price of the tuber. The potatoes are sold as fresh produce to consumers or to industry.
Fruit, vegetable and flower production without soil (aeroponics and hydroponics) on a large scale is innovative, although in the 1990s NASA released research into this type of farming with lettuce, wheat and different types of shoots.