Abstract
To produce a quality tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), it is necessary to have a quality environment. Greenhouses are widely employed to create a favourable environment for growing tomatoes, both with soil and soilless cultivation techniques. It is natural to endeavour a properly planned layout to make the best possible use of the available natural resources, but at the same time ensuring the environment for the growing plants is conducive to high yield and quality. In this study an innovative nutrient treatment system in which Bakuhan-seki, a silicate mineral fluidized in nutrient solution was attempted. The nutrient solution was pumped from the nutrient tank through the lower to the upper side of the fluidization layer, in order to return to the tank again. This activates nutrient through the electro chemical energy of the minerals fluidized in a circling current. In the activation of nutrient solution, negative charges on the surface of Bakuhan-seki caused pH-buffer and ion exchange actions. The benefits of activated water have been demonstrated by extensive experimental works. Moreover when nutrient solution passed on the surface of silica, an electric double layer was formed between interfaces of silica and water giving negative and positive charges. Plants can absorb nutrient easily, promoting their growth and increasing their yield. For a detailed description of this relationship, the effects of fluidized nutrient solution on hydroponically grown tomatoes were investigated. The germination rate was tendentiously enhanced, and the early growth of seedlings was significantly improved by using treated nutrient solution. Additionally, the fluidization of nutrient solution caused an increase in shoot and root length, stem diameter, shoot and root weight and SPAD value of tomato plants. As all desirable characteristics in the produced plants increased when exposed to electro kinetic treatment, the treatment itself constitutes an alternative method to improve vegetative growth of tomato plants.
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