Preliminary results of container and substrate effect on yield characteristics of Scolymus hispanicus L. in soilless cultivation system

Abstract

<p>During the last decades, there has been a growing demand for wild edible vegetable consumption which are considered a staple of the Mediterranean diet for their high nutritional value (Petropoulos et al., 2018). Although the Mediterranean landscape hosts more than twenty wild edible vegetable species (such as <em>Crithmum maritimum, Cynara cardunculus</em> and <em>Taraxacum officinale</em>) which could be commercially cultivated, the cultivation process has not been sufficiently studied (Chatzigianni et al., 2019; Corrêa et al., 2020; Papadimitriou et al., 2020). In this context, we examine the feasibility of soilless cultivation of the wild edible species <em>Scolymus hispanicus</em> L. (Asteraceae) in five substrates including perlite (PE), coir (CO), and three mixtures of perlite and coir at 3:1 (3P1C), 1:1 (1P1C) and 1:3 (1P3C) ratio, in two different containers (grow bag and pot container). Three <em>S. hispanicus</em> seedlings were transplanted per grow bag (24 L) and one seedling per plastic pot (8 L) resulting in 8 L of substrate for each plant and 12 plants per substrate. The plants were fertigated daily with a standard nutrient solution which was identical in all ten treatments of the experiment. Four months after transplant, yield characteristics of <em>S.hispanicus</em> plants, including leaf number, leaf and tuberous root fresh weight [g] and rosette diameter [cm], were examined. Statistical analysis of the results demonstrates a significant increase in rosette diameter [cm], leaf and tuberous root fresh weight [g] in CO, 1P3C and 1P1C compared to those of 3P1C and PE substrates. Additionally, the use of grow bags significantly increased leaf number and leaf fresh weight [g] compared to those achieved with the use of pot containers, contrariwise pot significantly increased root fresh weight [g] compared to the growbag container. Based on these results, we conclude that an optimal hydroponic system should use mixture of Coir and Perlite substrate of 1:1 ratio in a pot container.</p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p>Chatzigianni, M., Ntatsi, G., Theodorou, M., Stamatakis, A., Livieratos, I., Rouphael, Y., Savvas, D., 2019. Functional Quality, Mineral Composition and Biomass Production in Hydroponic Spiny Chicory (Cichorium spinosum L.) Are Modulated Interactively by Ecotype, Salinity and Nitrogen Supply. Front. Plant Sci. 10, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.01040</p><p>Corrêa, R.C.G., Di Gioia, F., Ferreira, I.C.F.R., Petropoulos, S.A., 2020. Wild greens used in the Mediterranean diet, Second Edi. ed, The Mediterranean Diet. Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-818649-7.00020-5</p><p>Papadimitriou, D., Kontaxakis, E., Daliakopoulos, I., Manios, T., Savvas, D., 2020. Effect of N:K Ratio and Electrical Conductivity of Nutrient Solution on Growth and Yield of Hydroponically Grown Golden Thistle (Scolymus hispanicus L.). Proceedings 30, 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2019030087</p><p>Petropoulos, S.A., Karkanis, A., Martins, N., Ferreira, I.C.F.R., 2018. Edible halophytes of the Mediterranean basin: Potential candidates for novel food products. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 74, 69–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2018.02.006</p><p><strong>Acknowledgements</strong></p><p>This research has been co-financed by the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation, under the call RESEARCH-CREATE-INNOVATE (project codes: T1EDK-05550)</p>