Articles
Comparative evaluation of hydroponic systems for growth, yield, and quality of iceberg lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata)
Article number
1416_39
Pages
295 – 304
Language
English
Abstract
Hydroponics, heralding a paradigm shift from traditional soil-based farming, presents a promising alternative.
By circumventing seasonal constraints, it enables year-round crop cultivation, overcoming the limitations imposed by unpredictable weather fluctuations, while also optimizing resource efficiency, minimizing water usage, and fostering sustainable agriculture practices.
The research was conducted during the rabi season of the academic year 2022-23 which focused on evaluating the growth of iceberg lettuce in different cultivation systems.
The experimental setup included ten treatments, namely ebb and flow (T1), wick system (T2), deep water culture (DWC) (T3), drip and drain (also known as Dutch bucket) (T4), NFT vertical (T5), NFT flatbed (T6), NFT slanting (T7), coco-slabs (T8), pot cultivation (T9) (control), and open field cultivation (T10), each statistically designed in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications.
DWC exhibited superior vegetative growth, while vertical NFT excelled in biochemical, sensory, and quality aspects.
Open field cultivation resulted in the highest yield, but hydroponic systems, particularly DWC and vertical NFT, showcased competitive performance.
DWC proved noteworthy with maximum leaf width, plant spread, and leaf area.
Vertical NFT demonstrated superiority in sensory attributes like color, texture, and crispiness, as well as overall acceptability.
Biochemical parameters, including nutrient content (N, P, K, Ca, Fe), protein, chlorophyll, TSS, crude fiber, and percentage dry matter consistently favored plants from vertical NFT. Notably, the wick system and coco-slab system performed poorly across all parameters, suggesting impracticality for commercial crop production.
To sum up, vertical NFT emerges as a more practical hydroponic system for lettuce production, offering advantages in growth, yield, and quality.
Despite the absence of head formation characteristics of iceberg lettuce in hydroponic systems, they present overall benefits, making hydroponics, especially vertical NFT, a viable alternative to open-field cultivation.
By circumventing seasonal constraints, it enables year-round crop cultivation, overcoming the limitations imposed by unpredictable weather fluctuations, while also optimizing resource efficiency, minimizing water usage, and fostering sustainable agriculture practices.
The research was conducted during the rabi season of the academic year 2022-23 which focused on evaluating the growth of iceberg lettuce in different cultivation systems.
The experimental setup included ten treatments, namely ebb and flow (T1), wick system (T2), deep water culture (DWC) (T3), drip and drain (also known as Dutch bucket) (T4), NFT vertical (T5), NFT flatbed (T6), NFT slanting (T7), coco-slabs (T8), pot cultivation (T9) (control), and open field cultivation (T10), each statistically designed in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications.
DWC exhibited superior vegetative growth, while vertical NFT excelled in biochemical, sensory, and quality aspects.
Open field cultivation resulted in the highest yield, but hydroponic systems, particularly DWC and vertical NFT, showcased competitive performance.
DWC proved noteworthy with maximum leaf width, plant spread, and leaf area.
Vertical NFT demonstrated superiority in sensory attributes like color, texture, and crispiness, as well as overall acceptability.
Biochemical parameters, including nutrient content (N, P, K, Ca, Fe), protein, chlorophyll, TSS, crude fiber, and percentage dry matter consistently favored plants from vertical NFT. Notably, the wick system and coco-slab system performed poorly across all parameters, suggesting impracticality for commercial crop production.
To sum up, vertical NFT emerges as a more practical hydroponic system for lettuce production, offering advantages in growth, yield, and quality.
Despite the absence of head formation characteristics of iceberg lettuce in hydroponic systems, they present overall benefits, making hydroponics, especially vertical NFT, a viable alternative to open-field cultivation.
Publication
Authors
S.S. Dhumal, D. Manoj, U.S. Shinde, R.D. Pawar, S.A. Sarvade, V. Nale
Keywords
NFT, wick system, deep water culture, iceberg lettuce, hydroponics
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