About 150 rhizobacteria and 49 rhizosphere fungi were isolated from the rhizosphere of grasses and sedges at Nylsvley Nature Reserve, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The rhizobacterial isolated were mostly Gram negative (72%) and rod shaped (73%). The dominant fungal genera were Trichoderma, Aspergillus, Pencillium, Neosartorya and Fusarium. The antagonistic activity of the above isolates were determined in a dual culture assay against a range of plant pathogens namely Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Pythium irregulare, Penicillium digitatum, Fusarium solani and Geotrichum candidum. All rhizosphere fungal isolates showed positive antagonism against G. candidum (100%) and F. solani (100%). The rhizobacterial isolates showed positive antagonism against G. candidum (71%) and C. gloeosporioides (76%). The growth promotion and biocontrol activity of the rhizosphere isolates that showed broad-spectrum antagonistic activity against the fore mentioned pathogens were further evaluated on Canadian peat substrate under greenhouse condition. Although most of the rhizosphere isolates resulted in improved fresh leaf weight in comparison with the non-inoculated control in final growth promotion experiments, no statistical difference could be found in increasing leaf weight by one of the tested isolates. Some isolates and BactolifeTM prevented root infection by Pythium. However, only isolate 68B showed significant prevention of root infection compared to the Pythium inoculated control. The selected rhizobacteria, fungal and commercial biocontrol products that showed the most effective growth promotion and biocontrol activities were further evaluated in a re-circulating hydroponic system. Overall, isolate BSB (Bacillus subtilis) consistently enhanced the fresh leaf and root weight by 29.82 and 24.31% compared to the untreated control. Treatments with rhizobacteria isolate 91B and 43B significantly increased fresh leaf weight and suppressed Pythium root infection of lettuce. Isolate 91B and 121B significantly decreased the incidence of Pythium after the 1st and 2nd week of inoculation respectively. The combination of rhizobacteria BSB and 43B showed a synergistic effect as reflected in increased fresh leaf weight and total biomass per plant whilst suppressing root rot caused by Pythium group-F. Copyright 2003, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Begashaw, L 2003, Utilisation of rhizosphere microflora in the biocontrol of root rot and growth enhancement of lettuce under hydroponic systems, MSc dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05092005-103113 / > E642/ag</gm> / Dissertation (MSc (Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Microbiology and Plant Pathology / unrestricted

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This report investigates how to build a compact, optimizable and at the same time user friendly hydroponic systemfor growing plants as efficiently as possible. Hydroponics grows plants using water with dissolved nutrients instead of soil, allowing faster and more efficient growth.The focus has been on the implementation and the usability of such a system, centering around monitoring and to some degree controlling important parameters for growth such as humidity, air temperature, nutrition concentration and light intensity, colour and exposure time. The plant is enclosed in a confined space with artificial lighting which allows thorough control of the light environment. In order to achieve the desired level of control over the growth parameters, several sensors along with a microcontroller were used. A touch screen with a custom built graphical user interface was also connected to allow the user to control and monitor important aspects of growth conditions. The conclusion drawn from this project is that there is ahigh order of optimizability within the boundaries of this project. The measured factors are easily read on an intuitive, easily navigated touch screen for direct feedback. Regarding the lights’ effect on plant growth, the conclusionis drawn that plants grow well with many types of lights, but more time is needed to thoroughly investigate different light exposure times, colour and intensity. / I denna rapport undersöks hur man kan bygga ett kompakt, optimerat och samtidigt användarvänligt hydroponiskt system för att odla växter så effektivt som möjligt. Hydroponiska system får plantor att växa genom att användavatten med näring istället för jord, vilket tillåter snabbare och mer effektiv tillväxt. Fokuset i denna rapport har varit på implementeringen och användbarheten av ett sådant system, med tyngpunkt på övervakning och till viss grad styrning av viktiga faktorer i en plantas tillväxt såsom luftfuktighet, temperatur, näringskoncentration och ljusintensitet, färg och exponeringstid. Växten är innesluten i ett begränsat utrymme med artificiellt ljus, vilket tillåter genomgående kontroll av ljusmiljön. För att uppnå önskad kontroll av tillväxtparametrarna, användes ett flertal sensorer tillsammans med en mikrokontroller. Till detta kopplades en pekskärm med ett egen tillverkat användargränssnitt, som tillåter användaren att kontrollera och övervaka viktiga aspekter i tillväxten. Slutsatsen från detta projekt är att det finns en hög grad av optimerbarhet inom denna konstruktion. De uppmätta parametrarna kan enkelt avläsa ljusexponering, ljusintesitet och färg.

Denna rapport behandlar en fallstudie i ett kandidatexamensarbete som utförts tillsammans med en livsmedelsbutik i Stockholmsområdet och som grundar sig i intervjuer, platsbesök och vetenskapliga artiklar. Där livsmedelsbutiken har ett intresse av att implementera en odling i form av ett hydroponiskt system direkt i sin butik.  I fallstudien har det undersökts hur implementering av odling i butik genom ett samarbete med ett odlingsföretag skulle fungera och se ut för butiken. Studien har begränsats till två olika odlingsföretag i Sverige, som har varsitt koncept på hur odlingen kan implementeras, gemensamt för dem är att de använder vertikal odling i form av hydroponiska system. Där det ena företaget erbjuder vertikal odling i en odlingscontainer och det andra vertikal odling inne i ett växthus. Båda företagens olika odlingskoncept har redan implementerats i två andra livsmedelsbutiker inom samma koncern som livsmedelsbutiken i Stockholm befinner sig i.  Fallstudien har genomförts genom att först skapa en bred bakgrund genom litteratursökningar i olika databaser kring relevanta nyckelord för att sedan genomföra intervjuer med båda odlingsföretagen och livsmedelsbutikerna. Därefter har kunskap och svar från respondenterna i intervjuerna sammanställts och ett förslag har tagits fram om vilket odlingsföretag som lämpar sig bäst för livsmedelsbutikens ändamål.  Resultatet visar att möjligheterna och fördelarna vid en implementering av hydroponisk odling för livsmedelsbutiken i Stockholmsområdet att implementera hydroponisk odling är flera och överväger till största del de möjliga utmaningarna. Dessutom gynnas flera av hållbarhetsmålen till livsmedelsbutikens koncern genom implementering av en hydroponisk odling i butiken. Vidare gynnas även några av de Förenta Nationernas Globala mål och även livsmedelsbutikens egna hållbarhetsmål. / This report is the result and outcome of a bachelor's thesis project conducted during the spring of 2021. The report presents the performed case study of a grocery store, in the area of Stockholm, where the company is aiming to implement a hydroponic self-cultivation inside their grocery store. The work is based on conducting interviews and reviewing established scientific articles in the field.  In the case study, it has been investigated how a potential collaboration between the grocery store and a cultivation company can be established. The study was limited to investigating two cultivation companies active on the Swedish market. These two cultivation companies have different solutions of how the cultivation can be implemented on the store area, but both offer vertical hydroponic solutions. Further, both systems of the individual cultivation companies’ have been implemented in other grocery stores that can be used as reference for validation of data.  The literature review of existing publications were conducted by searching in different databases by using the keywords of this work, for the researcher to increase knowledge to create guides for the interviews and for creating the theoretical frame of reference. Thereafter, literature findings and answers from the interviewees were compiled, analyzed and discussed to make a proposition of which cultivation company is best suited for a potential collaboration, with regard to the grocery stores’ wishes of implementing a hydroponic solution.  The results show that several of the grocery stores’ sustainability goals would benefit from a potential implementation of a self-cultivation. Also, implementing a hydroponic farm on the store area would increase the grocery store’s contribution towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.