Water Management in Agriculture

Water Management in Agriculture

New fixed and movable multi-layered beds for soil less cultivation of greenhouse plants

Articles in Press

Document Type : Extension article

Authors
Ghasem Zarei 1
Amir Arab Nemati 2
Saloome Sepehri Sadeghian 3
Jalal Javadi Moghaddam 3
Hamid Soleymani 3
1 Professor, Agricultural Engineering Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization, Karaj, Alborz, Iran
2 Masir-Sabz Sustainable Agriculture Company
3 Agricultural Engineering Research Institute
10.22034/wmaj.2025.520019.1262
Abstract
One of the cultivation methods in greenhouses is soilless cultivation. Soilless cultivation includes methods in which plants are grown in an environment other than soil and can be open or closed based on the use of nutrient solution status. Recently, a new cultivation method in a multilayered bed has been proposed to solve the problems of conventional cultivation beds in soilless cultivation of crops that require a bed for root maintenance. This system is a modified nutrient film technique combined with soilless cultivation in grow bags. This cultivation method is mainly characterized by a partial growing media combined with a nutrient solution circulation system. In this article, while describing the technical characteristics of the new growing media, which can be used in greenhouses in both fixed and mobile layers (to increase the cultivation density per unit area), this combined method is compared with two methods: nutrient film technique and cultivation in grow bags. Also, the practical results of the multi-year implementation of this method by the importing company in Varamin city, Tehran Province, are presented, and finally, conclusions and practical suggestions for using this modern technology to increase the efficiency of input consumption and increase production efficiency are made.
Keywords
Greenhouse cultivation
water productivity
fertilizer productivity
layered cultivation
soilless growing medium
Water Management in Agriculture

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 16 November 2025