Performance evaluation of pechay (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) using different organic growing media under hydroponic system

Abstract

There is a growing interest among vegetable growers in using locally available growing media in hydroponic production. This study assessed the growth and yield of pechay, nutrient solution consumption of the plant, and its quality using different growing media (foam, coco peat, raw rice hull, raw saw dust, vermicompost, composted rice straw, composted rice hull) in a Kratky hydroponic system at the Institute of Agriculture, Camiguin Polytechnic State College-Catarman Campus, Tangaro, Catarman, Camiguin from June 10, 2021, until July 15, 2021. The study was laid in a Randomized Complete Block Design with seven treatments and three replications. Tukey’s Honest Significant Difference (HSD) was used to compare the significant differences between treatment means. Results showed that the type of growing media did not significantly affect the pechay growth performance, insect pests and disease incidence, nutrient solution consumption, and final quality of the hydroponic nutrient solution. However, a highly significant difference was observed in horticultural root development characteristics except for the percentage of root per plant and survival rate. In terms of yield parameters, highly significant differences were observed except for the number of marketable and non-marketable yields, the weight of non-marketable yields, and the harvest index. Our results showed that the use of foam could be used effectively to increase production under a hydroponic system. The use of organic growing media (raw rice hull, vermicompost, raw saw dust, coco peat) was also promising for their growth and yield performance. It can be concluded that the growing media affects the growth and yield of pechay in a hydroponic production system; however, the potential use of these various growing media should be further tested for verification.