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Explora: Environment
and Resource Low-cost hydroponic for chili production

are reducing the availability of arable land and water, while medicinal properties. FAOSTAT estimates indicate that
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climate change and soil degradation further decrease in 2023, chili was harvested from 2,065,408 ha worldwide,
agricultural productivity. Open-field cultivation has producing approximately 38,310,350 tons, with India
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become increasingly challenging due to adverse climatic contributing 73,914 tons from 8,616 ha. According to
conditions, such as extreme heat, delayed monsoons, FAOSTAT’s 2023 report, global chili exports reached
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groundwater scarcity, and natural disasters, especially in 3,891,395 tons, value at US $7,237,728,000, of which India
climate-sensitive regions. These factors contribute to alone exported 82,463 tons, valued at US $56,561,000. Rich
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extensive crop losses, malnutrition, and hunger, which in ascorbic acid (vitamin C), chili is particularly valued
ultimately threaten global food security. for its bioactive compound capsaicin (IUPAC: 8-methyl-

In pursuit of maximizing yields, farmers often rely N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide), which exhibits a wide
heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. While such range of pharmacological effects, including antioxidant
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practices can increase productivity, they also contribute and antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer,
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to severe soil and water pollution, thereby affecting entire anti-obesity, antidiabetic, cardioprotective, and
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ecosystems. The overuse of agrochemicals also leads to gastroprotective properties.
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bioaccumulation and biomagnification, causing a range of In open-field agriculture, chili plants are highly
human health complications. 7 susceptible to unpredictable weather fluctuations, soil-
To combat these challenges, soilless agricultural borne pests and diseases, weed competition, and the
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methods are being explored as alternatives, allowing excessive use of agrochemicals. Consequently, soilless
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crops to be cultivated without soil, even under indoor cultivation methods may represent a viable alternative.
conditions. Hydroponics, in particular, has emerged as However, conventional hydroponic systems remain
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a promising and relatively accessible solution, enabling expensive, technical demanding, and dependent on
crops to grow with their roots suspended in nutrient-rich electricity, restricting their large-scale application to a
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aqueous solutions. 9 limited number of commercial farms. Although many
studies have emphasized the advantages of hydroponics
Despite its advantages, conventional hydroponic systems over soil-based systems, a substantial research gap remains
pose significant challenges for small-scale or resource- concerning the high establishment costs and the need for
constrained users. The high initial setup cost, requiring skilled management of conventional hydroponic systems.
pumps, nutrient delivery systems, and other infrastructure,
can be prohibitive. Moreover, skilled technical expertise The current study aims to address these challenges
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is often required to maintain optimal nutrient balance and by evaluating the yield performance of C. annuum using
environmental parameters for consistent growth and yield. a low-cost, sustainable hydroponic system constructed
In many cases, urban farming is practiced on windowsills, from locally available and repurposed materials, such as
balconies, or rooftops, where space constraints and the discarded mineral water bottles. This approach requires
need for reliable electricity further hinder the adoption minimal technical expertise and is especially suited for
of conventional systems. In addition, because plants in peri-urban settings and smallholder or household-level
conventional hydroponic setups share a common nutrient cultivation.
medium, any imbalance in solution quality or outbreak of 2. Materials and methods
pests and diseases can spread rapidly, whereas household-
level systems using individual containers (e.g., one plant 2.1. Plant material
per bottle) may mitigate this risk. 11 C. annuum seeds were generously provided as a research
Vegetables, second only to cereals, are critical for gift by the Department of Horticulture, Bidhan Chandra
nutritional security across all cultures due to their central Krishi Vidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India. The
role in daily diets. According to the Food and Agriculture experiment was performed at Adamas University
Organization statistics (FAOSTAT), global per capita (22°44’21.70” N, 88°27’21.43” E) under indoor conditions,
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vegetable consumption reached approximately 150 kg utilizing natural sunlight on an open balcony.
in 2022. To bridge the demand–supply gap in vegetable 2.2. Seed preparation and germination
production caused by adverse climatic conditions and
shrinking cultivatable lands, a transition from soil-based Seed viability was tested using randomly selected seeds from
to soilless cultivation systems, such as hydroponic systems, the stock, and germination percentage was determined
may provide a suitable solution. Capsicum annuum L. following the protocol by Demir and Ellis (1992). Healthy
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(chili) is one such vegetable with high global demand seeds were surface-sterilized using 10% hydrogen peroxide
owing to its culinary versatility, nutritional value, and (H O ) for 10 min, followed by 1% calcium hypochlorite for
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Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 2 doi: 10.36922/EER025250050