Evaluation of the efficiency of small-scale and low-cost hydroponic systems designed for household indoor vegetable production

Vegetables are described as premium food because they provide a balanced diet with essential nutrients needed for a healthy life. Hydroponics farming has been identified as a sustainable method for augmenting vegetable production to fulfill global food requirements; however, it is necessary to understand how indoor gardeners can utilize this technique to enhance their vegetable supply, thereby enhancing consumption and general well-being. This indoor study was conducted in an ambient environment to mimic a typical household. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial arrangement with three replications repeated twice. Experimental models were combination of 1) three hydroponic systems: i. Christmas tree (CT) vertical small-scale hydroponic systems; ii. Green DNA (GD) vertical hydroponic system, and iii. The deep-water culture (DW) (control) and 2) Light sources: i. Light emitting diodes (LED), and ii. Fluorescent light (FL). The lettuce crop was grown as a test crop in these hydroponic systems and lights. The results showed that the DW and GD systems produced higher lettuce yield and performed better than CT. The DW system exhibited higher lettuce yield, root dry weight, root-shoot ratio, and photosynthesis rate but was least accepted among the end users in sensory analysis attributes. Generally, LED enhanced yield, antioxidant activity, vitamin and mineral concentration compared to the FL. Therefore, the GD hydroponic system with LED lights demonstrated superior agronomic performance and sensory analysis attributes. Further research is needed to determine if inter/intra lighting of the vertical systems can enhance light penetration to the lower levels for optimal yield.