Growth of Romaine Lettuce in Eggshell Powder Mixed Alginate Hydrogel in an Aeroponic System for Water Conservation and Vitamin C Biofortification

Abstract

Vitamin C is crucial for physical well-being, and its deficiency can lead to severe health consequences. Biofortification has been used to address this deficiency by enhancing vitamin C in plants. Additionally, soilless agriculture has been used to conserve and optimize water use in comparison to conventional agriculture. While hydrogels have been shown to improve water conservation and are used for biofortification in crops, their application has only been explored in soil-based and hydroponic farming. The aeroponics system is a plant-growing method that has shown potential for increasing yields and biomass while conserving water and nutrients. In this paper, we have developed an aeroponic-compatible medium to grow romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) with eggshell powder (ESP) mixed with calcium-alginate hydrogel as a substrate and nutrient source aiming to conserve water and incorporate vitamin C through biofortification. Herein, lower water spray time and higher intervals, with varied gel types and ESP concentrations, resulted in healthy lettuce growth. Plants treated with 0.5% ascorbic acid-absorbed ESP-mixed alginate hydrogel for biofortification showed higher levels of vitamin C compared to the traditional method. This study suggests using an alginate hydrogel–ESP-based substrate in aeroponics to reduce water usage and enhance plant biofortification of vitamin C.