EFFECTS OF SUBSTRATES ON BEAN GROWING IN THE GREENHOUSE

    This research was conducted in an unheated PE greenhouse at the Faculty of Agriculture, Ege University during the autumn and spring seasons of 2001 and 2002 in order to determine the effects of locally available substrates on bean plants grown in open system.
    
In the experiment, the tested substrates were (1) perlite, (2) perlite+peat (3:1, v/v), (3) tuff and (4) tuff+peat (3:1, v/v). The substrates were filled into horizontal pots as 24 liters.
The seeds of cv.
Altın Belik were sown as three groups per pot on 3 September 2001 and 27 February 2002 for autumn and spring season production, respectively.
     
Water and nutrient requirements of the plants were supplied with complete nutrient solution.
Plants in different substrates were fed from the same tank, but drained water was collected into separate tanks from each plot and their volumes were recorded.
The amount of drained water was kept at 20 % of the applied amount.
     
In the experiment, yield, some fruit quality parameters (average pod weight, pod width, length and thickness, pod color and crude fibre content) and water consumption were measured.
There were no significant differences among the substrates in respect to total yield in autumn and spring season production.