EFFECTS OF CONTAINER AND SUBSTRATE ON PLANT GROWTH AND FRUIT QUALITY OF THE HYDROPONICALLY GROWN CUCUMBER (CUCUMIS SATIVUS L. CV. CHOSAENGNAKHAP) PLANTS

Abstract

This experiment aimed to investigate the plant growth and fruit yield of hydroponically grown cucumbers as affected by planting container and substrate. The containers used in this experiment were beds and boxes made of styrofoam, PE film bags and Wagner pots, and substrate materials were perlite, rice hull and carbonized rice hull. Based on plant growth and fruit yield in relation to leaf area and total fruit weight, bed or box containers made of styrofoam proved to be the best among the containers tested for cucumber hydroponics. For hydroponics of cucumber in bed or box, pure perlite was found to be the best substrate followed by perlite mixed with carbonized rice hull. Greater marketable yield and a lesser incidence of abnormal fruits were observed on the substrate of perlite with rice hull or with carbonized rice hull as compared to the pure perlite substrate.