scholarly journals Effect of Molybdenum Rate on Yield and Quality of Lettuce, Escarole, and Curly Endive Grown in a Floating System

Agronomy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Moncada ◽  
Alessandro Miceli ◽  
Leo Sabatino ◽  
Giovanni Iapichino ◽  
Fabio D’Anna ◽  
...  

Molybdenum (Mo) is required in enzymes involved in a number of different metabolic processes, and is crucial for the survival of plants and animals. The influence of nutrient solutions containing four levels of molybdenum (0, 0.5, 1.5, and 3.0 µmol/L) on growth, yield, and quality of lettuce, escarole, and curly endive grown in a hydroponic floating system was evaluated. Biometric, nutrient, and quality analyses were conducted to assess the response of each species to Mo. The results demonstrated that molybdenum is essential for harvesting marketable plants. Lettuce, escarole, and curly endive plants differed significantly in their response to molybdenum fertilization. The increase of Mo concentration in the nutrient solution was not harmful for plants and had no influence on yield and morphological traits of the leafy vegetables; however, it significantly affected some quality characteristics. Mo fertilization raised the nutritional quality by increasing ascorbic acid content up to 320.2, 139.0, and 102.1 mg kg−1 FW (fresh weight), and reducing nitrate content down to 1039.2, 1047.3, and 1181.2 mg kg−1 FW for lettuce, escarole, and curly endive, respectively. The addition of Mo in the nutrient solution increased the Mo content of plants up to 0.50, 4.02, and 2.68 μg g−1 FW for lettuce, escarole, and curly endive, respectively. Increasing Mo supply to lettuce, escarole, and curly endive up to 3.0 µmol L−1 could lead to a higher nutritional quality with no significant morphological alteration or yield loss.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavlos Tsouvaltzis ◽  
Dimitrios S. Kasampalis ◽  
Danai-Christina Aktsoglou ◽  
Nikolaos Barbayiannis ◽  
Anastasios S. Siomos

Excessive nitrogen fertilization results in nitrate accumulation in leafy vegetables. Reducing the dose of mineral nitrogen or using alternate fertilizers lowers the nitrate accumulation; however, a critical minimum level of mineral nitrogen is necessary to maintain yield and nutritional quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two levels of mineral nitrogen (100% and 50%) and three levels of an amino acid solution (0, 0.3, and 0.9%) in the nutrient solution of two baby lettuce cultivars (green and red) grown in a floating system. Nitrogen reduction did not affect yield (12.9–13.4 and 11.0–11.3 g/plant, respectively) but reduced nitrate accumulation (by 43 and 19%, respectively) in both green and red lettuce, while enhancing phenolic content (by 28%) and antioxidant capacity (by 69%) in green lettuce and soluble solid (by 7%) and total chlorophyll content (by 9%) in red lettuce. Although nitrate accumulation was prevented (< 355 mg/kg FW) and most nutritional components increased in both lettuce types by amino acids supplementation, plant growth was negatively affected, especially in red lettuce, in both concentrations of amino acids (reduction by 9 and 35% in 0.3 and 0.9%, respectively). In both lettuce types, proline content increased by 0.9% amino acids supplementation (by 45%), implying a probable induction of a stress condition. Mineral nutrients were slightly affected by nitrogen reduction, which was probably perceived as an abiotic stress.



Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 370
Author(s):  
Almudena Giménez ◽  
Juan A. Fernández ◽  
José A. Pascual ◽  
Margarita Ros ◽  
Catalina Egea-Gilabert

The aim of this work was to study whether the application of a directly brewed compost extract (added in the nutrient solution or by microsprinkler) could be used to improve the yield and quality of baby leaf red lettuce growing in a floating system, and to control the incidence of Pythium irregulare. Its effect on the quality of fresh-cut red lettuce was also studied. For this, two experiments were carried out over two growing cycles (winter–spring and autumn). The results showed that the use of compost extract added to the nutrient solution improved baby leaf lettuce growth and quality, reducing the nitrate content and enhancing the content of potentially health-promoting compounds such as phenols and flavonoids and the antioxidant capacity. Microbial quality was maintained during storage and the compost extract had no negative effect on the microbial load of the final product. In addition, application of the compost decreased the population of P. irregulare in the water. It is concluded that the application of directly brewed compost extract is of potential use in a sustainable soilless production system for baby leaf red lettuce, since it improves the yield and quality of the product and is able to control the incidence of P. irregulare.



Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Miceli ◽  
Alessandra Moncada ◽  
Leo Sabatino ◽  
Filippo Vetrano

Gibberellins (GAs) are growth hormones strongly involved in a wide variety of physiological activities. Currently, gibberellins are commercially used to enhance phenotypic characteristics, earliness, and productivity of many vegetable and ornamental crops. In this work, the efficacy of supplementation of low levels of gibberellic acid (0, 10−8, 10−6, and 10−4 M GA3) through the mineral nutrient solution of a floating system on yield and quality of leaf lettuce and rocket plants was tested. The marketability of plants was lost when 10−4 M GA3 was added to the mineral nutrient solution. This study demonstrated that the addition of 10−4 M GA3 exceeded the acceptable threshold for use in hydroponics production systems. Below the concentration of 10−4 M, the presence of GA3 in the mineral nutrient solutions (MNS), especially at 10−6 M GA3, stimulated plant growth and enhanced the yield. Various morphological and physiological traits were enhanced by GA3 treatments (biomass accumulation, leaf expansion, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency (WUE), Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), etc.), with superimposable trends in both lettuce and rocket. The addition of 10−6 M GA3 to the nutrient solution of a hydroponic floating system can promote growth and quality of lettuce and rocket plants.



Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 200
Author(s):  
Ida Di Mola ◽  
Lucia Ottaiano ◽  
Eugenio Cozzolino ◽  
Leo Sabatino ◽  
Maria Isabella Sifola ◽  
...  

Light and nitrogen strongly affect the growth, yield, and quality of food crops, with greater importance in green leafy vegetables for their tendency to accumulate nitrate in leaves. The purpose of this research was to explore the effect of two greenhouse films (Film A and B) on yield, and quality of spinach grown under different nitrogen regimes (not fertilized—N0%; sub-optimal N dose—N50%; optimal N dose—N100%). Film A and Film B were used as clear and diffused light films, with 75% and 87% thermicity, and 85% and 90% total transmittivity, respectively, where only Film B had a UV-B window. Film B elicited an increase in yield (22%) and soil–plant analysis development (SPAD) index (4.6%) compared to the clear film, but did not affect chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll content. In addition, the diffuse film significantly decreased ascorbic acid in the crop but had no effect on lipophilic antioxidant activity and phenols content, but decreased ascorbic acid content. Finally, nitrate content was strongly increased both by nitrogen dose (about 50-fold more than N0%) and greenhouse films (about six-fold higher under diffuse light film), but within the legal limit fixed by European Commission. Therefore, irrespective of N levels, the use of diffuse-light film in winter boosts spinach yield without depressing quality.



Author(s):  
Golgen Bahar Oztekin ◽  
Tuğba Uludağ ◽  
Yüksel Tüzel ◽  
Mahmut Tepecik

This study was conducted in styrofoam trays placed on an aerated nutrient solution in vats in order to determine the effect of different nutrient solutions on rocket plant growth, yield and quality. Seeds of Bengi F1 rocket cultivar were sown into peat as inserting each seed to each hole (17 ccs) of trays with 210 cells (957 plant m-2). Following germination in the germination chamber, seedling trays were moved to a climate controlled greenhouse for adaptation. After emergence, the seedlings were transferred to water culture. The nutrient solution was applied as “full dose” (mg/L: N 150, P 50, K 150, Ca 150, Mg 50, Fe 5.0, Mn 0.50, Zn 0.05, B 0.50, Cu 0.03, Mo 0.02), “half dose” (macro elements reduced by 50%) and “without nutrients” (water). Cultivation was performed in 2 consecutive periods and in each period 3 harvests were done and quality analysis was done on the leaves from the first harvest. Results were given as the mean of two periods. Results showed that plant growth, yield and quality parameters vary depending on the concentration of the nutrient solution. It was observed that as the concentration of nutrient solution decreased, plant growth, biomass, yield values decreased, leaf color and total chlorophyll concentration did not change and while nitrate content decreased, vitamin C content increased. Leaf N, P, K and Fe element contents decreased with half dose, whereas Ca and Mg content did not change. However, there was no statistical difference between full dose and half dose treatments in many measured parameters. When all the data obtained from the study are evaluated together; it is suggested that rocket can be grown in a floating water culture and the dose of macro elements as reduced 50% can be preferred because it reduces the nitrate content, increases the vitamin C content and allows the use of less fertilizers without causing any significant reduction in yield compared with full dose.



2009 ◽  
pp. 527-532
Author(s):  
C.M. Rivera ◽  
G. Colla ◽  
Y. Rouphael ◽  
M. Cardarelli ◽  
F. Saccardo ◽  
...  


1969 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-88
Author(s):  
Agripino Pérez ◽  
Norman F. Childers

A sand culture greenhouse experiment was conducted with papaya, Carica papaya L., variety Blue Solo, to determine the effects of four levels of Bin the nutrient solution (0.01, 0.05, 0.1 (control), and 1.5 p/m) on growth, fruiting and mineral content. B deficiency and B excess symptoms are described for leaves, petioles, central stems, and fruit. Mineral contents of leaves, petioles, and fruits are presented and discussed. Fruits receiving 0.05 p/m B in the nutrient solution were preferred. The critical level of B appears to be about 20 p/m in the petioles and leaves, whereas excess B occurred at about 70 and 300 p/m, respectively, for petioles and leaves. Quality components of the fruits are based on taste panel evaluation.



2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muthir S. Al-Rawahy ◽  
Salim A. Al-Rawahy ◽  
Yaseen A. Al-Mulla ◽  
Saleem K. Nadaf

High nutrient solution temperature stress around root-zone (rhizosphere) is a major factor limiting hydroponic crop growth due to change in dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in nutrient solution during the high-temperature seasons. This suggests that easier and economical control of root-zone temperature (RZT) could be an effective solution to the temperature stress for the crop plants in hydroponics. In this respect, the present investigation was undertaken to comprehend the influence of nutrient solution temperature on its oxygen level (ambient dissolved oxygen in feeding tank), growth, yield and quality of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants. The plants were cultivated in recirculating hydroponic system in a greenhouse with dimensions of 9 m wide &times; 30 m long and total area of 270 m2 during three cropping periods in Oman viz. summer (June-August), fall (September-November) and spring (February-May) in two consecutive years 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. Three cooling treatments were applied viz. T1 (22 ᵒC), T2 (25 ᵒC) and T3 (28 ᵒC) through cooling nutrient solution besides non-cooled treatment T4 (33 ᵒC) as control. The plants were grown in pots filled with perlite medium in randomized complete design (RCD) with four replications. All the treatments received the same nutrient concentrations. The results showed that cooling of nutrient solution temperature influenced positively the levels of DO in the fresh nutrient solution feeding tank and drain nutrient solution for all cropping periods in both the years. Significant (p &lt; 0.05) differences between the treatments were observed in oxygen consumption by the roots of cucumber in the cropping periods in both the years. High levels of oxygen consumptions were recorded with cooled RZTs as compared to that of control-non-cooled RZT for all cropping periods in both the years. All growth, production and quality attributes were positively influenced and greatly expressed by cooled root-zone temperature in the root-zone of cucumber with increased DO levels in nutrient solution. This study revealed that availability of optimum aeration (oxygen levels) in nutrient solution through cooling of nutrient solution temperature could be of significance for boosting cucumber yield as observed during all the growing periods especially in summer in Oman.



HortScience ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 1168-1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chase Jones-Baumgardt ◽  
David Llewellyn ◽  
Qinglu Ying ◽  
Youbin Zheng

Indoor farming is an increasingly popular approach for growing leafy vegetables, and under this production system, artificial light provides the sole source (SS) of radiation for photosynthesis and light signaling. With newer horticultural light-emitting diodes (LEDs), growers have the ability to manipulate the lighting environment to achieve specific production goals. However, there is limited research on LED lighting specific to microgreen production, and available research shows that there is variability in how microgreens respond to their lighting environment. The present study examined the effects of SS light intensity (LI) on growth, yield, and quality of kale (Brassica napus L. ‘Red Russian’), cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.), arugula (Eruca sativa L.), and mustard (Brassica juncea L. ‘Ruby Streaks’) microgreens grown in a walk-in growth chamber. SS LEDs were used to provide six target photosynthetic photon flux density density (PPFD) treatments: 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 μmol·m−2·s−1 with a photon flux ratio of 15 blue: 85 red and a 16-hour photoperiod. As LI increased from 100 to 600 μmol·m−2· s−1, fresh weight (FW) increased by 0.59 kg·m−2 (36%), 0.70 kg·m−2 (56%), 0.71 kg·m−2 (76%), and 0.67 kg·m−2 (82%) for kale, cabbage, arugula, and mustard, respectively. Similarly, dry weight (DW) increased by 47 g·m−2 (65%), 45 g·m−2 (69%), 64 g·m−2 (122%), and 65 g·m−2 (145%) for kale, cabbage, arugula, and mustard, respectively, as LI increased from 100 to 600 μmol·m−2· s−1. Increasing LI decreased hypocotyl length and hue angle linearly in all genotypes. Saturation of cabbage and mustard decreased linearly by 18% and 36%, respectively, as LI increased from 100 to 600 μmol·m−2·s−1. Growers can use the results of this study to optimize SS LI for their production systems, genotypes, and production goals.



2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Jeptoo ◽  
Joseph N Aguyoh ◽  
Mwanarusi Saidi

<p>Continuous cultivation of farms has led to decline in soil fertility due to constant removal of nutrients leading to reduction of carrot (Daucus carota L.)<strong> </strong>yields. A field study was carried out at Egerton University, Horticulture Research and Teaching field in two seasons (October 2010 to January 2011 and February to May 2011) with the aim of investigating the effects of decomposed cattle bio-slurry manure on carrot growth and performance. The experimental design was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 3 replications. Treatments comprised four levels (0, 2.6, 5.2 and 7.8 t/ha) of decomposed bio-slurry manure. Growth, yield and quality parameters were recorded and used to discern the treatment effects. Application of bio-slurry manure generally improved growth, yield and quality of carrots. Application of 7.8 t/ha of bio-slurry increased yields by 8.8% in season 1 and 23.5% in season 2 compared to the control. Leaf numbers, plant height, dry weights of shoot and roots and root volume were also generally higher for the 7.8 t/ha treatment compared to other treatments. Total Soluble Solids of roots from plant treated with 7.8 t/ha were higher by 12.7% in season 1 and 13.2% in season 2 compared to the control. The study recommends 7.8 t/ha of bio-slurry manure for enhanced yield and quality of carrot.</p>



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