The rapid increase in the global population has led to a decline in land availability for agricultural production, resulting in food insecurity and exacerbating environmental challenges such as soil degradation, deforestation, and biodiversity loss. In-ground farming faces growing challenges, including declining soil fertility, water scarcity, and vulnerability to climate change, along with issues like soil erosion, nutrient depletion, and heavy reliance on chemical inputs. In response, hydroponics has emerged as a sustainable alternative, enabling year-round production, efficient resource utilization, and cultivation in non-arable areas. This study compares the growth performance, fruit quality and production costs of tomato grown hydroponically and in a in-ground system. For the inground system, there is a total of 20 tomato plants per plot, each of size 10 × 10ft, with three replications arranged in a completely randomized design. For hydroponic system, 30 tomato plants will be grown on bags filled with three different substrates (coconut coir, perlite, and pro mix), and bags were randomly placed inside one tunnel of size 32ft × 8ft, with three replications. Two indeterminate tomato varieties Early Girl Hybrid and Fourth of July Hybrid will be grown one after another using open drip hydroponic system and in in-ground system. Throughout the experiment, morphological traits such as plant height, leaf number, leaf area, relative chlorophyll content, fresh and dry biomass, stem diameter, and overall plant yield will be evaluated. Phytochemical parameters including total soluble solids, titratable acidity, lycopene content, phenolic compounds, and vitamin C levels will be assessed, economic parameters such as cost of labor, input supplies and net profit will be analyzed, and consumers acceptance testing by sensory analysis will be performed. This research aims to provide insights into the economic and agronomic viability of hydroponics compared to in-ground production. It is hypothesized that hydroponically grown tomatoes will exhibit comparable or superior nutritional quality while offering advantages such as higher yields, uniform fruit size, economically and sustainable sound production. The findings will support stakeholders in selecting optimal cultivation systems to enhance food production efficiency in response to global agricultural challenges.
