A Scalable Hydroponic System for Precise Nutrient and Stress Studies in Plants

Robust and reproducible plant culture systems are essential for studying physiological, molecular, and developmental responses under controlled conditions. In particular, investigating how plants respond to nutrient limitation or abiotic stress requires precise regulation of the growth environment, something that traditional soil- or agar-based systems often fail to provide. Arabidopsis thaliana, the leading model plant species, presents unique challenges in this regard due to its compact size and sensitivity to environmental variability. To address these limitations, hydroponic systems have emerged as powerful tools, enabling accurate control of nutrient availability and direct access to root and shoot tissues. Here, we present a cost-effective, scalable hydroponic culture system for Arabidopsis, constructed entirely from widely available laboratory materials, such as 8-strip PCR tubes and 96-well pipette tip boxes. This system minimizes contamination risks, supports long-term cultivation, and allows for high-throughput phenotyping, tissue sampling, and downstream molecular analyses. The design facilitates reproducible experiments under nutrient-limiting or stress-inducing conditions. Step-by-step set up and maintenance instructions are provided, offering researchers a reliable platform for dissecting nutrient signaling pathways and environmental stress responses in Arabidopsis and similarly sized plant species. © 2025 The Author(s). Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol: Setting up the hydroponic culture system Support Protocol: Advantages of split-root hydroponic systems for investigating local and systemic nutrient signaling.