Hydroponic rocket salad growth and production according to different color profiles

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different profile colors based on nutrient flux on microclimate, growth and yield of four rocket cultivars. The experiment was conducted during four months in a protected environment in the NLT system, which consisted of benches composed of eight hydroponic profiles for the plants conduction. The treatments were arranged in a 4x2x2 factorial design, with four cultivars (Cultivada, Folha Larga, Rococo and Runway), two color profiles (black and white) and two growing seasons (autumn and winter). The experiments were conducted in a randomized block design with three replications. The evaluations were realized on every four days, throughout the growth period. Leaves fresh and dry mass, stems and roots, plant height, leaf number and leaf area index were evaluated. The different color profiles resulted in variations on crop growth and production due to the thermal changes within the hydroponic profile. The greatest growth and increased productivity were obtained from plants cultivated in white growing channels during the autumn. The cultivars Cultivada, Folha Larga and Rococo have similar performance, better than 'Runway'.

Impact of Rhizosphere’s Thermal Change on the Development and Production of Hydroponically Grown Cucumber under Controlled Environment

“…February-May and September-November gave the highest root dry weights (19.4g) while the lowest was found with June-August (18.6 g) (Table 2b). These results were in agreement with findings of Schmidt et al [47] who reported that at the end of the cycle, the root dry mass accumulation of lettuce was 68.72 g/ m² and 46.76 g/m² for the autumn and winter periods, respectively. The superiority of the autumn period was possibly related to the temperature of the nutrient solution and the environment inside the growing profile, which was lower during the autumn period.…”