Is it a Madagascar pepper plant ? A new character of cannabis ? A strange tomato ? Nope , it is n’t . It ’s cotton that ’s growing in this Spanish greenhouse . join forces with luxury marque , Magtech aims to demo the viability of hydroponic cotton fiber as a sustainable alternative to conventional cotton – and instigator David Rene Rodriguez is certain the potential for broad adoption exists . " The bare-ass cloth supplying mountain range in the article of clothing industry is altogether break . "
Hydroponic cottonWhen we think of agriculture , food production often number to beware . However , David brings attention to the lesser - known view of land – cotton plant cultivation . " Cotton , a vital in the raw fabric for textiles and garment , accounts for around 30 % of the world ’s wear , and the global cotton land area is over 30 million hectares . The traditional outdoor cotton fiber farming physical process is resource - intensive , with plant life take an extensive amount of H2O and limited harvest rotation . what is more , the fair lifetime of a cotton industrial plant is just 3 to 6 months , result in a undivided harvest per twelvemonth " , David says . As a former currentness trader for Citibank and as a former occupier of Bangladesh -where he was live for four years making garments , he has embarked on a journey that he is hoping will shift the landscape of cotton farming .
Magtech ’s solution to these challenge lie in aquicultural technology . suck up inspiration from the horticultural diligence , the team started in 2021 with small - scale experiment , followed by lab tests in 2022 . Currently , they are conduct a validation of construct both on coco peat as only on water and have program to expand to 1 hectare by 2025 . Rodriguez ’s squad has successfully rise cotton plant life using aquacultural method acting in a operate surround . They have partner with Cajamar agricultural bank and leveraging Lanzadera ’s atom smasher program to test their method acting on a bombastic scale . The labor , ab initio on two 100 m² facility , has demonstrate promising results .
Advantages"Hydroponics offers several advantages over traditional farming methods , which we know from the food industry . What we see now is using hydroponics is more resilient than outdoor - grown cotton . By cautiously controlling the environs , we protect plants from various external factors and accomplish a 60 % reduction in water consumption " , David shows . " And one of the most singular benefits of hydroponic cotton farming is the dramatic increment in yield : we ’ve seen up to 60 times more yield compare to traditional methods , as we can achieve multiple harvest from a exclusive plant " , David sound out , adding that the outcome might fathom enceinte , but are nothing compare to the responses from people visiting the farm . " This is why we keep on inviting colleagues , champion , and the industriousness as a whole to amount over . "
LED ignition and harvest robotsWhile the results are hopeful , challenge remain . The squad is learning more about growing cotton hydroponically day by day , is look into precede lighting , and is working to secure the quality of the harvested product through multiple harvests from the same plant . Also , collaborating with the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and Murcia , projects have started to create a digital twin for the cotton wool greenhouse and to create a robotic harvester for cotton plants .
away , there ’s more than solely the growing challenges . The production chain of cotton is not much in sight of the fashion industry , let alone of the consumers . This is also why David ’s vision extends beyond his fellowship ’s success . He believe that the headstone to metamorphose the cotton wool industry lies in make consumers aware of alternative . " constituent cotton fiber gained recognition over the retiring decade but turned out not to be a sustainable resolution . I envision a future where hydroponic cotton plant becomes a prominent solvent for the fashion industry . " The fellowship presently focalise on luxury brands . " But decades ago , hydroponic land was something only the highly educate Dutch growers could do , whereas it now is widely applied in the vegetable industry . If you’re able to do that in tomato plant , why would n’t you do it in cotton wool ? "
For more data : David René RodríguezMediterranean Agro Technologies , S.L. ( Magtech)Edificio LanzaderaCarrer del Moll de la Duana , s / n,46024 Valencia ( Spain)Tel . : +34 642 409 256Email:[email protected ]
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