An affordable and easy-to-manage hydroponic system to cultivate hundreds of rice plants in a small space.

We developed a hydroponic system using readily available materials. This system enables uniform and quick cultivation of hundreds of rice plants with simple management. Uniform cultivation of more than 1,000 rice plants in a 1 m × 2 m space was achieved mainly by reducing the plant height with growth retardant and optimizing the arrangement of plants. Heading time under this system may vary depending on photoperiod sensitivity or other genotype-specific responses. However, under appropriate conditions, this method will be useful not only for generation advancement, but also for screening mutants under specified cultivation conditions.