Also unlike their dirt counterparts , hydroponic sweet potatoes can be grown in a small space of nine to 20 m 2 with small amounts of hydroponic nutrients and water . This and the high yields are encouraging to researchers at ISH as they mean sweet potatoes could provide food security in the form of a dependable source of carbohydrates .
What ’ s Next ?
For hydroponic sweet potatoes to become a dependable crop , grow protocols need to be designed . First , researchers need to discover the ideal depth for growing sweet potatoes in soilless media . Current literature recommends the best soil conditions for sweet potatoes is a softer top soil of about a nine-inch depth , with a deeper depth causing the sweet potatoes to grow long and skinny . In their 2016 trials , ISH USA and Bangladesh tested varying depths of 12 , 18 , and 24 inches of substrate . In both trials , the 18- and 24-inch depths showed no increase in yield from the 12-inch . For 2017 , however , ISH USA will test the depths of six , nine , 12 , and 15 inches . The depth experiments are crucial as they
“ In the 22-year search for a carbohydrate crop that would work in simplified hydroponics , as many as 50 other crops have been tried .”