Effects of organic fertilizer with or without a microbial inoculant on the growth and quality of lettuce in an NFT hydroponic system

Hooks, Triston; Masabni, Joseph; Sun, Ling; Niu, Genhua

doi:10.48130/tih-2022-0001

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Previous reports on lettuce inoculated with AMF showed an increase in plant growth and a better leaf nutritional quality due to a greater content of both vitamins and pigments, although plants were supplied with 1.3 mM P and the substrate contained a substantial quantity of peat, which conveys further P and organic matter [ 21 ]. In another work with lettuce grown in NFT, plants treated with a commercial microbial inoculant showed a better growth performance and a higher content of anthocyanin than non-inoculated plants [ 65 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Increase Nutritional Quality of Soilless Grown Lettuce while Overcoming Low Phosphorus Supply

Cela

Avio

Giordani

et al. 2022

Foods

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Lettuce is widely used for its healthy properties, and it is of interest to increase them with minimal environmental impact. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Funneliformis mosseae in lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Salinas) cultivated in a soilless system with sub-optimal phosphorus (P) compared with non-inoculated controls at two different P concentrations. Results show that lettuce inoculation with the selected AMF can improve the growth and the nutritional quality of lettuce even at sub-optimal P. Leaf content of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and phenols, known as important bioactive compounds for human health, was higher in mycorrhizal lettuce plants compared with non-mycorrhizal plants. The antioxidant capacity in AMF plants showed higher values compared with control plants grown at optimal P nutrition level. Moreover, leaf gas exchanges were higher in inoculated plants than in non-inoculated ones. Nitrogen, P, and magnesium leaf content was significantly higher in mycorrhizal plants compared with non-mycorrhizal plants grown with the same P level. These findings suggest that F. mosseae can stimulate plants growth, improving the nutritional quality of lettuce leaves even when grown with sub-optimal P concentration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Increase Nutritional Quality of Soilless Grown Lettuce while Overcoming Low Phosphorus Supply

Cela

Avio

Giordani

et al. 2022

Foods

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show abstract

“…Although chemical fertilizer remains the primary nutrient source in soilless and hydroponic crop production, there is growing interest in using organic fertilizers (Hooks et al 2022;Phibunwatthanawong and Riddech 2019). Organic fertilizers are made from diverse organic sources, such as animal manure, fish by-products, plant residues, food waste, and algae (Bergstrand 2022).…”

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confidence: 99%

Evaluating Organic Fertilizers and Microbial Inoculation for Soilless and Hydroponic Crop Production

McClintic,

Chen,

Park

2024

horts

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Because hydroponic operations in the United States can be certified as organic, and because the price of chemical fertilizers has increased, there is an increasing interest in using organic fertilizers and beneficial microorganisms for controlled-environment agriculture. However, there is a scarcity of information regarding their effectiveness and application methodologies. We investigated the effects of inoculating Azospirillum brasilense and Rhizophagus intraradices and using organic fertilizers on growing lettuce (Lactuca sativa ‘Cherokee’) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum ‘Red Robin’) young plants in an indoor vertical farm. Seeds were sown in rockwool substrate, with A. brasilense (1.05 × 108 colony-forming units⋅L−1) or R. intraradices (580 propagules⋅L−1) applied weekly via subirrigation. Seedlings received chemical fertilizer, organic fertilizer derived from corn steep liquor and fermented fish by-products, and food waste-derived organic fertilizer at 100 ppm total nitrogen every 2 or 3 days. They were grown indoors at 23 °C under light-emitting diode lighting at a photosynthetic photon flux density of 200 μmol⋅m−2⋅s−1 with an 18-hour photoperiod. Lettuce under organic fertilizers had 75% lower shoot fresh mass and 64% less shoot dry mass compared with lettuce under chemical fertilizer. Similarly, tomato seedlings with organic fertilizers had fewer leaves, 75% less shoot fresh mass, and 67% less shoot dry mass. In both lettuce and tomato, the macronutrient and micronutrient concentrations in plant tissues were generally similar regardless of fertilizer treatments, but nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen uptake efficiency were lower under organic fertilizers compared with those under chemical fertilizer. The inoculation of A. brasilense or R. intraradices showed limited effects on plant nutrient uptake, nutrient concentrations, and seedling growth in both lettuce and tomato. Further research is necessary to optimize application methods for organic fertilizers and beneficial microorganisms to fully harness the benefits of sustainable alternative fertilizers in soilless and hydroponic crop production.

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Organic hydroponics: A review

Park,

Williams

2024

Scientia Horticulturae

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Effects of organic fertilizer with or without a microbial inoculant on the growth and quality of lettuce in an NFT hydroponic system

Cited by 4 publications

References 27 publications

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Increase Nutritional Quality of Soilless Grown Lettuce while Overcoming Low Phosphorus Supply

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Increase Nutritional Quality of Soilless Grown Lettuce while Overcoming Low Phosphorus Supply

Evaluating Organic Fertilizers and Microbial Inoculation for Soilless and Hydroponic Crop Production

Organic hydroponics: A review

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