THE EFFECT OF NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS ON YIELD AND MACRONUTRIENT STATUS OF GREENHOUSE TOMATO (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) GROWN IN AEROPONIC AND ROCKWOOL CULTURE WITH OR WITHOUT RECIRCULATION OF NUTRIENT SOLUTION

Andrzej Komosa

Poznań University of Life Sciences

Tomasz Kleiber

Poznań University of Life Sciences

Bartosz Markiewicz

Poznań University of Life Sciences



Abstract

Aeroponics creates possibilities to cultivate plants without soil or substrate, obtaining the optimal yield, saving water and nutrient solutions and do not contaminate the environment. In a three year experiment was shown that the higher total and marketable yields of tomato cv. ‘Alboney F1’ were in cultivation in rockwool with recirculating nutrient solution. Lower yields, however being in the same significance range, were in rockwool without recirculation of nutrient solution and aeroponic culture with A-1 and A-2 nutrient solutions, but the lowest in aeroponics with A-3 nutrient solution. The saving of nutrient solution in aeroponic culture, in relation to the cultivation in rockwool with nonrecirculating system, was 58.1%, but comparing with recirculating system 18.8%. Plants grown in aeroponic culture with application of A-2 and A-3 nutrient solutions had higher contents of N, P and K in leaves than cultivated in rockwool with or no recirculation and
in aeroponic with A-1 nutrient solution. All tested nutrient solutions (A-1, A-2 and A-3) in aeroponic culture caused the higher contents of Mg in leaves than in rockwool cultivation. The highest Ca leaves contents were in plants grown in rockwool with recirculationg nutrient solution and aeroponic culture with A-2 and A-3 nutrient solutions. Plants grown in rockwool without recirculation of nutrient solution shown the lowest Ca contents, however there was no symptoms of blossom end rot (BER) on fruits. The yield and macronutrient status of tomato in aeroponic culture with application of A-1 nutrient solution were similar to the plants grown in rockwool with non-recirculating standard nutrient solution A-2.

Keywords:

soilless culture, plant nutrition, nutrient contents, fertigation

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Published
2014-04-30



Andrzej Komosa 
Poznań University of Life Sciences
Tomasz Kleiber 
Poznań University of Life Sciences
Bartosz Markiewicz 
Poznań University of Life Sciences



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