Effect of nutrient solution concentration on photosynthesis, growth, and content of the active substances of passionfruit1

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of exposure of passionfruit plants (Passiflora edulis Sims. var edulis) to five different electrical conductivity (EC) levels (1.2, 2.3, 4.5, 6.8, and 9.0 mS/cm) of the nutrient solution on net gas exchange (Pn), content of chlorophyll, the biologically active substances, vitexin and orientin, total biomass production, and morphological traits using plants grown in a greenhouse. Important traits, such as plant height, number of internodes, and leaf number per plant were significantly influenced and showed a linear relation to the increased EC levels of the solution. The highest biomass production, chlorophyll concentration, net carbon dioxide (CO2) assimilation and leaf area were obtained at an EC of 6.8 mS/cm. At an EC level of 9.0 mS/cm, the growth of the plants was depressed and photosynthetic rate sharply declined. The highest photosynthetic rate (8.45 μmol/m2/s) was measured at an EC of 6.8 mS/cm and a photosynthetic photon flux of 1...