u/TouchHuge1472

I am a student at the University of Genoa and, together with two classmates, I am developing a hydroponic cultivation project that can also be used on a sailing boat. The concept is to grow nutritious plants even in the open sea during long crossings, allowing sailors to have fresh vegetables without needing to dock at a port for supplies.

We came up with a series of questions that may be quite specific, but we would still like to ask them. (Engineers and hydroponics experts, we are asking for your help!)

1. Which types of edible plants are most suitable for hydroponic cultivation? And, in your opinion, would it be possible to grow even just one plant per tray, considering that each tray would measure 20 cm x 22 cm?
2. In hydroponics, does the plant need to be transferred into the system only after developing roots, or is it possible to grow it directly from seeds inside a hydroponic system without having to transplant it later?
3. This question is a bit more specific to sailing and boating, but we would still like to hear a more expert opinion than ours. We were wondering how harmful salt spray and sea salinity might be to the growth of plants during ocean crossings or long trips on a sailing boat. (Considering that the plants would be kept inside the boat, below deck.)
4. In your opinion, would it be possible to create a “self-leveling” or even watertight hydroponic system capable of preventing the trays from spilling their contents during sailing maneuvers and the movements of the boat?

For now, these are our questions. Please help us, we have our presentation on Monday and we are still trying to fully understand these issues.