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8 Kislev 5764 - December 3, 2003 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Insect-Free Vegetables Grown Hydroponically
by N. Katzin

A unique, computerized hydroponic growing method promises 100 percent insect-free vegetables without spraying. The innovative agricultural technique was developed by Bodek, which is under the mehadrin kashrus supervision of the Jerusalem Rabbinate's Department for Mitzvos Haaretz and the Center for Torah-Based Agriculture headed by HaRav Yosef Efrati.

The technique is based on hydroponic plant growing, which is used experimentally in different parts of the world and is now being implemented commercially for the first time. According to the hydroponic method, vegetables are grown in water containers completely detached from the ground, with a computerized system to deliver minerals via the water.

One of the major advantages of hydroponic farming is that it eliminates the need for insecticides. While regular commercial vegetables and insect-free vegetables currently on the market require spraying to ward off pests, the vegetables grown through the new technique are completely free of insecticide residue--like organic vegetables but without the high prices and without all the insects with which they are often infested.

HaRav Shlomo Shmuelevitz, director of the Department for Mitzvot Haaretz at the Jerusalem Rabbinate, confirmed that the hydroponic vegetables are 100 percent insect-free and require no rinsing, unlike today's "insect-free vegetables" which are grown in sealed hothouses but must be rinsed before use. "In light of the clear advantages of the new technique we saw an obligation to assist in the new development, which has many advantages for the chareidi public," he said.

 

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