An urban agriculture enterprise is planning to implement an aeroponic system to grow butterhead lettuce at scale to help address local food security. Which of the following represents a major biological or operational disadvantage of using aeroponics compared to traditional soil-based cultivation?
The roots have restricted access to dissolved oxygen (O2\text{O}_2O2), which severely limits the rate of active transport of essential mineral ions.
The system is highly vulnerable to power cuts or mechanical failures, which can cause rapid root desiccation and total crop loss within hours.
It has a significantly higher water footprint than traditional open-field agriculture due to rapid evaporation of the misted nutrient solution.
It requires the exclusive use of solid organic composts, making the absorption of nitrogen and phosphorus extremely slow.
25 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Biology 6.2 Feeding the human race, covering 6.2.1 Biological factors affecting food security, 6.2.2 Agricultural solutions to growing demand, 6.2.3 Selective breeding, 6.2.4 Genetic engineering, 6.2.5 Steps in genetic engineering, 6.2.6 Benefits and risks of gene technology in agriculture, and 6.2.7 Biotechnological solutions to growing demand. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.