An Intelligent Hydroponic Device for Astragalus membranaceus Bge. var. mongolicus (Bge.) Hsiao

Abstract

Astragalus membranaceus Bge. var. mongolicus (Bge.) Hsiao roots are widely used as raw materials of medicine. Due to the limited arable land, cultivating medicinal plants hydroponically is increasingly concerned. However, whether the quality of A. membranaceus grown hydroponically is better than that produced in a field is still unknown. In this study, we designed an intelligent hydroponic device for A. membranaceus, and quality of the medicinal plant cultivated by this device was compared with that cultivated in the field. Results showed that hydroponics significantly increased effective components in A. membranaceus when compared with field. Specifically, astragaloside IV contents in A. membranaceus grown hydroponically for four weeks were higher than those cultivated in the field for two years. The biomass is not significantly different between four-week hydroponics and annual cultivation. Therefore, hydroponics with our intelligent device can be used for the sustainable production of A. membranaceus in the future.