For a hydroponics research lab. I would ideally have a chart that provided me info on if cucumbers needed more nitrogen than tomatoes, etc. for every relevant vegetable. Hydroponics have proven most successful with small root system vegetables (salad greens, herbs). I want to optimize nutrient intake in each stage of vegetable growth.
Overall, in hydroponic system we could say that the nutrition requirement of one plant species is higher/lower than another species. Also the standard chart provided could be helpful but could not always be consistentt. The optimal ratios for a given plants species could vary since they are affected by a range of factors such as exposition to light, photoperiod, ambient temperature which affect the growth rate and consequently the nutrition uptake.
For example, within the same plant species, two plant varieties could have different nutriton requirement. Consider for example tomato with determinate or indeterminate growth.
So, the only way to detrmine the standard NPK ratio optimal for a given plant species is to perform the experiment in standard conditions.
It is difficult to provide a chart since the needs of a plant vary considerably depending on age and cultivar. However, regarding nitrogen one should always provide balance NO3/NH4 sources. Additionally, the micronutrients should also be considered as for example the need for iron increases with age, especially during reproductive phase.
Hydroponic tomato production is a highly standardized commercial operation these days.
Mississippi State has a nice guide to fertility, Written by Rick Snyder who is probably the most experienced US academic working on the issue.
Ohio State also has a nice modeling program to try different nutrient regimes
http://msucares.com/pubs/bulletins/b1003.htm
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/hydroponics/t01_pageview2/Interactive_Tomato_Model.htm
interesting discussion . One possible way could be to monitor the changes in N,P, K ratios in various combinations across different growth stages in a given climatic situation to simulate similar nutrient ratios in real biometric terms..
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