Lettuce Yield in Organic and
Conventional Hydroponics
Krishna Nemali Ph.D.
Purdue University
[email protected]
Organic farming uses set of cultural,
biological, and mechanical practices
that
a. reduce the risks of human, animal,
and environmental exposure to
toxic materials
b. maintain and improve soil fertility,
soil structure and biodiversity,
reduce soil erosion
Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA)
1. Establish national standards governing the marketing of agricultural
products as organically produced products
2. Assure consumers that organically produced products meet certain
standards
3. Facilitate interstate commerce of fresh and processed organically produced
food
National Organic Program (NOP)
Section 2104 of OFPA indicates that Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) shall
establish a National Organic Program (NOP) to implement organic
certification program for producers and handlers of organic products
What is an organic product?
To be sold or labeled as organic product, agriculture products should be
1. Produced and handled without the use of prohibited synthetic or
non synthetic materials
2. Produced on land to which prohibited chemicals were not added in
the 3 years preceding harvest
3. Produced in compliance with an organic plan agreed between
producer or handler and certifying agent
National Organic Standards Board (NOSB)
1. Established by Secretary of Agriculture (USDA)
2. Comprises of 15 board members representing growers, handlers, retailers,
experts, and certifying agents
a. Assist in developing standards for substances used in organic production
b. Advise USDA on any other aspects of implementation of OFPA
c. Develops a National List of approved and prohibited substances that can
be used in organic production
d. Convenes technical advisory panels to provide scientific evaluation of
materials
Note that the board can only make recommendations to USDA. Final decision is
made be USDA.
Organic Label Categories
1. 100% Organic: products must be made up of 100 percent certified organic ingredients
2. Organic: Non-organic ingredients allowed per the National List may be used, but no more than five percent
of the combined total
3. Made with Organic Ingredients: At least 70 percent of the product must be certified organic ingredients.
The organic seal cannot be used on the product, and the final product cannot be represented as organic
4. Specific Organic Ingredients: Products with less than 70 percent certified organic content would fall under
this category. These products don’t need to be certified and cannot display the USDA Organic Seal or use
the word organic on the principal display panel
Organic Hydroponics
Can soilless production including hydroponics can be certified as organic?
1995: The NOSB recommendation Standards for Greenhouses : Hydroponic production in soilless media to be labeled
organically produced shall be allowed if all provisions of the OFPA have been met
2010: NOSB recommendation entitled Production Standards for Terrestrial Plants in Containers and Enclosures
(Greenhouses). Systems of crop production that eliminate soil from the system, such as hydroponics or aeroponics, cannot
be considered as examples of acceptable organic farming practices.
2015: NOP established a Hydroponic and Aquaponic Task Force to provide additional information to guide the NOSB’s
deliberations on whether hydroponic and aquaponic production should be allowed under organic regulations
2017: Vote failed on the NOSB motion that any container production system that does not meet the standard of a limit of
20% of the plants’ nitrogen requirement being supplied by liquid feeding, and a limit of 50% of the plants’ nitrogen
requirement being added to the container after the crop has been planted is defined as hydroponic and should not be
allowed to be certified organic
2019: Center for Food Safety (CFS) files a petition to USDA, which requested USDA to prohibit organic certification of
hydroponic operations that do not work with or build soil
2020: After USDA denied the petition, CFS, along with a coalition of organic farms and stakeholders, filed a lawsuit
challenging USDA's decision to allow hydroponic operations to continue to be certified organic
2021: The United States District Court for the Northern District rejected lawsuit and ruled that USDA's decision to exempt
hydroponic operations from the soil fertility requirement was permissible
Current Status of Organic Hydroponics
• The USDA organic regulations do not currently prohibit hydroponic
production.
• Certification to the USDA organic standards is currently allowed, as long as
the certifier can demonstrate it is certifying in a way that complies with the
standard
• There are greenhouse- and indoor-based hydroponic facilities that are
organic certified in the US
Organic Market Segmentation in the US
Lettuce is the largest source of revenue within vegetables
Revenue $4.5 billion in 2020 (source: IBIS World)
Price difference: Conventional vs Organic
Product Conventional ($) Organic ($)
Romaine Lettuce (3 pk) 2.07 3.11
A premium of nearly 50% is charged for organic compared to conventional lettuce
Source:
Islam S, Colonescu C. Data on retail price differential between organic and conventional foods. Data Brief.
2019;27:104641. Published 2019 Oct 11. doi:10.1016/j.dib.2019.104641
Issues with organic farming
• Crop yields are consistently lower and variable in field based organic farming compared
to conventional agriculture (Source: T. de Ponti, B. Rijk, M. K. van Ittersum, The crop yield gap between organic and
conventional agriculture, Agricultural Systems, Volume 108, 1-9. 2012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2011.12.004.
• Organic produce market is mainly limited to select group of consumers making it risky,
especially when economic growth becomes slow due to unforeseen factors.
Goal: Reduce yield gap between conventional and organic production
Study: Compare differences in lettuce growth and nutritional quality
• Organic peat media comprising of more than 75% peat and 25%
vermiculite Element Conventional Organic
(%)
• Fertilizer recipes providing similar percentages of nutrients in N 32 32
conventional and organic fertilizer were developed (OMRI P 8 10
certified for organic fertilizers) K 21 25
Ca 6 7
• Organic seeds of green leaf and red leaf lettuce varieties were Mg 3 3
used S 17 5
Fe 0.97 2.00
• Reverse osmosis water without any nutrients was used during Mn 0.13 0.16
production. Irrigation water was recirculated and separate Mo 0.042 0.000
reservoirs were maintained for each treatment B 0.042 0.750
Cu 0.105 0.000
• Plants were grown for 4 weeks in sub-irrigation channels Zn 0.105 0.000
• Experiment was replicated 12 times using a split-plot design
Lettuce yield in organic treatment was lower than conventional treatment
Conventional Fertilizer
-43% -22%
Organic Fertilizer
Electrical conductivity of leachate indicated lower concentration of plant
nutrients in the organic than conventional treatment
pH
EC
Organic lettuce had higher levels of anthocyanins
Anthocyanins
Improves
• Cardiovascular health
• Eye health
• Antoxidant properties
• Neuroprotective
Organic lettuce had higher levels of beta-carotene
Beta-Carotene
• Required for vitamin A synthesis
• Improves
o Eye health
o Cognitive function
o Skin health
Estimate Plant Nutrient Status Using Your Smartphone
Select Crop
Lettuce
Poinsettia
Hydrangea
Select Trait
APTUS Nitrogen
Area
Number
Instructions
Place camera
two feet above
plants in a flat
Click Here
APTUS: Analyzing Plant Traits Using Smartphones
Concluding Statements
1. Premiums for organic produce are justifiable at this stage due to low yields. Consumers
not interested in paying premiums can produce organic produce at homes. They can
contact Purdue extension to learn more about ‘at-home’ grow kits
2. Production practices that aid in increasing nutrient supply from organic media/ organic
fertilizers should be developed by research
3. Technology to monitor plan nutrient levels may aid in early detection of yield loss and
corrective measures
4. Premiums will reduce when yield gap between conventional and organic produce
becomes smaller
