I dont believe that hydrophonics is better than soil. Saying that there are certain plants which do well under hydrophonics. Hydrophonics is delicate balance the proper nutrient balance is to be maintained and the plant often is immediately affected if that is disturbed. The soil has huge buffering capacity and orhanic matter, etc provide a long term balance of the nutrients and promote growth of bacterial that further assist in maintaing the nutrient balance and taking up releaset nitrogen.

Saif answered it well. Under optimal conditions, hydroponics will be more efficient and produce higher yield (if that is what you mean by plant growth), but plant growth in soils is more resilient.

Dr Kokate is asking about opposite ways of production, in organic agriculture (certified one) hydroponic is prohibited because the principle of organic agriculture is sustaining soil as an important part of the ago-ecosystem. By the other hand, hydroponic can be considered as a sort of precision agriculture since we deal with nutrients needs by plant in container. This last is mainly practiced to avoid problems linked to nematodes (in general tomato soiless crops) and other soil-born pathogens and diseases. I agree with Dr Saif on the fact that organic production is sustainable than soiless production, and also resilient as Dr Robert already said. Since economic matters come to the account, less favorable conditions (high soil-born pest and diseases attacks), soiless production is economically more justified.