Peer-review: Yes - Open Access: Yes|http://science.thomsonreuters.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi?PC=MASTER&ISSN=0022-0493

The present study was one phase of a broad investigation of biochemical factors involved in the resistance of wheat plants to the hessian By (Phytophaga destructor (Say)). The object was to provide quantities of comparable hessian-By infested and uninfested wheat plants for biochemical analyses. Soil in which wheat plants are grown in the greenhouse may be assumed to be comparable providing it is blended thoroughly before planting, However, blending the soil properly is a difficult task. Furthermore, the amount of plant material that can be grown per unit area of soil is small and there is always danger from build-up of disease organisms in the soil. Uniform watering also is not always obtained. Although no growth medium or set of conditions will guarantee identical qualitative or quantitative characteristics of the plants, the hydroponic technique provides the most satisfactory nutrient and water source. With this technique the maximum amount of plant material can be produced per unit area. The method has been generally successful and much better than the use of soil.

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