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Each year, more than 2.7 million kilograms of vegetables and fruit are produced by hydroponic farming. These are mostly tomatoes but cucumbers, lettuce and melons are also grown. On hydroponic farms, each tomato plant produces an average of 6 kilograms of fruit twice a year - a total of 12 kilograms every year. An ordinary soil-grown plant, on the other hand, produces only a total of 9 kilograms per year.

In hydroponic farming, plants are grown in greenhouses. The greenhouses measure 8 by 39 metres and consist of steel frames covered with strong transparent plastic that is resistant to weather and lets in a maximum amount of light. The plants are fed by inorganic nutrients dissolved in water which is supplied by a plastic pipelinee The feeding and watering system is automated. Electric sensing devices (sensors) determine when the plants are hungry or thirsty. The sensors send messages which automatically start the water and nutrient delivery system. When the sensors 'know' that the plant have had enough, the system turns off automatically.

Nothing is left to chance within the greenhouses. Temperature, humidity and air circulation are carefully controlled. Air conditioning and heating equipment keep the temperature at 29⁰C by day and 18⁰C by night.

In recent years, hydroponic farming has expanded to many parts of the world. An application of the method has occurred in Italy, for example, where the largest hydroponic installation - 50,000 square metres of greenhouses in Sicily produces tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables. A hydroponic farm operated by the government of Kuwait produces fresh tomatoes at a desert site near the capital city. At Puerto Penasco, Mexico and on Sadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi there are experimental hydroponic farms located on the coast.

amount of	Nın miktarı	lettuce	salata
application	uygulama, tatbik;	melon	kavun, karpuz
		moisture	Nem, rutubet, ıslaklık.