Introduction

Dr Cooper devised the Nutrient Film Technique and the existence of NFT cropping is to a great extent due to his persistence and determination in the face of intial scepticism. With the spread of NFT, his experience has become international, ranging from NFT tomato and cucumber cropping under artificial light in Alaska to the production of NFT hybrid Napier grass for feeding the milking herds of India. He has a unique understanding of NFT cropping which is evident in this book.

First published in 1979, The ABC of NFT quickly established itself as the 'hydroponic NFT bible' throughout the world. It can be fairly said that many of the world's commercial NFT growers used this visionary work as their inspiration. Today, Dr Cooper's extraordinary vision has become a reality. In this new edition, Dr Cooper looks at the development of NFT, and challenges conventional hydroponic thinking in a forward that suggests that further research work is needed to explore the use of non-chemical nutrition.

The ABC of NFT is arguably one of the most important documents published in hydroponics literature. For the commercial NFT grower, it is essential reading.

Contents

	Definition of the nutrient-film technique
	The basic layout of an NFT installation
	Header tank versus direct pumping
	Filtration
	Method of emptying an NFT installation
	The maintenance of solution circulation
	Phytotoxicity testing
	The design of a universal NFT channel
	Support structure for universal NFT channel
	The design of NFT channels for use on a prepared surface
	Flow rate and channel slope
	Water consumption by NFT crops
	Multi-channels
	Methods of supporting young plants
	The use of capillary matting

Part 2: Operation of the system

	Automated crop handling
	Small catchment tank versus large trench
	Volume of solution per plant and frequency of renewal
	The measurement of pH
	The adjustment of pH
	The measurement of electrical conductivity
	The adjustment of conductivity
	The formulation of nutrient solutions
	The formulation of stock solutions
	The form of the nitrogen supply
	The ratio of potassium to nitrogen in the nutrient solution
	Deficiency and toxicity limits of nutrients
	The tolerance of NFT crops to nutrient range
	The removal of nutrients in an NFT tomato crop
	Ready-mixed chemicals versus on-site mixing
	The use of organic sources of nutrients for NFT cropping
	The automatic control of pH and cF
	Water quality
	Water quality control
	Desalination of water
	Water from rainfall
	Water from condensation
	The nutrient-film technique as a method of irrigation
	Diurnal control of cF in relation to radiation intensity
	Water purification by NFT
	NFT cropping without the addition of nutrients
	The temperature if the recirculating nutrient solution
	The interaction of solution temperature with night-time air temperature
	Heating the nutrient solution in the catchment tank
	Heating the recirculating solution in the NFT channels
	The effect of warming the nutrient dolution on the design of greenhouse heating systems
	Root exudation and nitrogen fixation
	Root death
	Isolation of the root system from the soil
	Disease occurence in NFT crops
	Disease control
	Regions of high tropical rainfall

Part 3: Uses of NFT

	Pot plant production
	Crop production in a totally controlled environment
	The production of hardy nursery stock
	Domestic uses of NFT cropping
	An NFT channel based on capillarity
	Indoor NFT gardening
	NFT bulb production
	Ornamental NFT gardens
	NFT and the pharmaceutical industry
	The influence of NFT cropping on marketing
	The use of NFT cropping in strawberry-type tunnels
	NFT fodder for milk or meat production
	The use of universal NFT channel under difficult conditions
	Rubber production and latext flow
	The control vegetative vigor in poor light
	Single truss tomato production
	Nutrient film layflats
	Safety precautions
	What does a solid rooting medium do?

Appendix 1

Historical view of crop production and water culture and aggregate culture

Appendix 2

The concept of pH

Appendix 3

Second generation NFT for emergent countries

References