Optimum flow rate enhances the performance of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in hydroponic culture

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.3067

Keywords:

Flow rate, Hydroponic, Lettuce, Nutrient film technique, Production

Abstract

Poor substate flow rate affects the production of crops under hydroponic systems as contact and collision times of ions (nutrients) with roots is affected deciding nutrients uptake rate and quantity required for crop growth. Keeping in view, a study was conducted under hydroponic culture to obtain optimal flow rate for higher production of lettuce, which is an important leafy vegetable. Two lettuce varieties (Boston and Lollo Bionda) were subjected to 4 different flow rates (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 L min-1) under completely randomized design (CRD) with factorial arrangement and replicated four times. The outcomes of the study suggest that performance of Lollo Bionda variety was better than Boston regarding root and shoot fresh and dry biomass, leaf number, area, length and width and head diameter and plant height. The same parameters kept on increasing with increase of flow rate and achieved maximum values at 1.5 L min-1. Beyond that flow rate the values for these parameters declined which indicated that the optimal flow rate for these 2 lettuce verities is 1.5 L min-1. Hence, it was concluded that for higher production of lettuce, the flow rate should be kept at 1.5 L min-1 in Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) using hydroponic system with environmental and substrate conditions mentioned in materials and method portion of this article.

 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Armanda DT, Guine JB, Tukker A. The second green revolution: Innovative urban agriculture's contribution to food security and sustainability – A review. Glob Food Sec. 2019;22:13-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2019.08.002.

Von-Seggern L, Jillian S, Andrew Z, Frank R, Roberto QASL. Urban farming-The black pearl gardens. Dow Sustainability Fellowship Programmes, University of Michigan. 2015. Available online: http://sustainability.umich.edu/media/files/dow/Dow-Black-PearlGarden.pdf (accessed on 8 October 2020).

Sowmya RS, Annapure US. Hydroponics: A soilless agriculture for food production. Indian Food Ind Mag. 2017;36:27-30.

Goddek S, Schmautz Z, Scott B, Delaide B, Keesman K, Wuertz S et al. The effect of anaerobic and aerobic fish sludge supernatant on hydroponic lettuce. Agron. 2016;6:37. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy6020037

Baiyin B, Tagawa K, Yamada M, Wang X, Yamada S, Yamamoto S et al. Effect of the flow rate on plant growth and flow visualization of nutrient solution in hydroponics. Hort. 2021a;7:225. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7080225.

Spehia RS, Devi M, Singh J, Sharma S, Negi A, Singh S et al. Lettuce growth and yield in hoagland solution with an organic concoction. Int J Veg Sci. 2018;24:557-66. https://doi.org/10.1080/19315260.2018.1452815.

Acharya SK, Shukla YR, Khatik PC. Effect of water regime on growth and yield of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). N Save Nat Surviv. 2013;8:201-06.

Barbosa GL, Almeida-Gadelha FD, Kublik N, Proctor A, Reichelm L, Weissinger E et al. Comparison of land, water and energy requirements of lettuce grown using hydroponic vs. conventional agricultural methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2015;12:6879-91. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120606879.

Petropoulos SA, Chatzieustratiou E, Constantopoulou E, Kapotis G. Yield and quality of lettuce and rocket grown in floating culture system. Not Bot Horti Agrobot Cluj Napoca. 2016;44:603-12. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha44210611.

Damerum, Chapman AMA, Taylor G. Innovative breeding technologies in lettuce for improved post-harvest quality. Postharvest Biol Technol. 2020;168:111266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2020.111266

El-Nakhel C, Pannico A, Kyriacou MC, Giordano M, De Pascale S, Rouphael Y. Macronutrient deprivation eustress elicits differential secondary metabolites in red and green-pigmented butterhead lettuce grown in a closed soilless system. J Sci Food Agric. 2019;99:6962-72. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.9985

Simko I. Genetic variation in response to N, P or K deprivation in baby leaf lettuce. Hort. 2020;6:15. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae6010015

Sapkota S, Sapkota S, Liu Z. Effects of nutrient composition and lettuce cultivar on crop production in hydroponic culture. Hort. 2019;5:72. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae5040072

Zhou W, Chen Y, Xu H, Liang X, Hu Y, Jin C et al. Short-term nitrate limitation prior to harvest improves phenolic compound accumulation in hydroponic-cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) without reducing shoot fresh weight. J Agric Food Chem. 2018;66:10353-61. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.8b02157

Kim MJ, Moon Y, Tou JC, Mou B, Waterland NL. Nutritional value, bioactive compounds and health benefits of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). J Food Compos Anal. 2016;49:19-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2016.03.004

Steel RGD, Torrie JH, Dickey DA. Principles and procedures of statistics: A biometrical approach. Third ed. McGraw Hill Book Co Inc. New York. 1997.

Dorward A, Chirwa E. A review of methods for estimating yield and production impacts. 2010. Available online: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/16731/ (accessed on 9 May 2021).

Huang W, Ratkowsky DA, Hui C, Wang P, Su J, Shi P. Leaf fresh weight versus dry weight: Which is better for describing the scaling relationship between leaf biomass and leaf area for broad-leaved plants? Forests. 2019;10:256. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10030256

Lynch J. Root architecture and plant productivity. Plant Physiol. 1995;109:7-13. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.109.1.7

Gosselin FP. Mechanics of a plant in fluid flow. J Exp Bot. 2019;70:3533-48. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erz288

Barber SA, Silberbush M. Plant root morphology and nutrient uptake. Asaspecial. 2015;65-87. https://doi.org/10.2134/asaspecpub49.c4

Crawford NM. Nitrate: Nutrient and signal for plant growth. Plant Cell. 1995;7:859-68. https://doi.org/10.2307/3870042

Aladjadjiyan A. The use of physical methods for plant growing stimulation in Bulgaria. J Cent Eur Agric. 2007;8:369-80. Available online: https://hrcak.srce.hr/19607 (accessed on 9 May 2021).

Al-Tawaha AR, Al-Karaki G, Al-Tawaha AR, Sirajuddin SN, Makhadmeh I, Wahab PEM et al. Effect of water flow rate on quantity and quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in nutrient film technique (NFT) under hydroponics conditions. Bulg J Agric Sci. 2018;24:791-98. Available online: http://agrojournal.org/24/05-09.html (accessed on 9 May 2021).

Vázquez-Hernández MC, Parola-Contreras I, Montoya-Gómez LM, Torres-Pacheco I, Schwarz D, Guevara-González RG. Eustressors: Chemical and physical stress factors used to enhance vegetables production. Sci Hortic. 2019;250:223-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.02.053

Baiyin B, Tagawa K, Yamada M, Wang X, Yamada S, Shao Y et al. Effect of nutrient solution flow rate on hydroponic plant growth and root morphology. Plants. 2021b;10:1840. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091840.

Baiyin B, Tagawa K, Yamada M, Wang X, Yamada S, Yamamoto S et al. Effect of substrate flow rate on nutrient uptake and use efficiency in hydroponically grown swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. ssp. cicla ‘Seiyou Shirokuki’). Agron. 2021c;11:2050. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11102050.

Soares HR, Silva EF, Silva GF, Cruz AF, Santos JA, Rolim MM. Salinity and flow rates of nutrient solution on cauliflower biometrics in NFT hydroponic system. Rev Bras Eng Agrícola Ambient. 2020;24:258-65. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v24n4p258-265

Dalastra C, Filho MCT, Da Silva MR, Nogueira TA, Fernandes GC. Head lettuce production and nutrition in relation to nutrient solution flow. Hortic Bras. 2020;38:21-26. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0102-053620200103

Nuwansi KKT, Verma AK, Prakash C, Tiwari VK, Chandrakant MH, Shete AP et al. Effect of water flow rate on polyculture of koi carp (Cyprinus carpio var. koi) and goldfish (Carassius auratus) with water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) in recirculating aquaponic system. Aquac Int. 2015;24:385-93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-015-9932-5

Khater ES, Ali SA. Effect of flow rate and length of gully on lettuce plants in aquaponic and hydroponic systems. J Aquac Res Dev. 2015;6:1.

Published

05-05-2024 — Updated on 21-05-2024

Versions

How to Cite

1.
Abbas S, Ahmed S, Irshad MQ, Faheem M, Rabbani MU, Hussain S, Asif M, Sekar AK, Munir MK, Zafar N, Younas M. Optimum flow rate enhances the performance of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in hydroponic culture. Plant Sci. Today [Internet]. 2024 May 21 [cited 2024 Nov. 4];11(2). Available from: https://horizonepublishing.com/journals/index.php/PST/article/view/3067

Issue

Section

Research Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)