Soilless Culture Research Articles

Application of Salicylic Acid Derivative in Modifying the Iron Nutritional Value of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.).

The present experiment addressed the effects of foliar sprays of different iron (Fe) concentrations (mg L-1), i.e., 2.8 (Fe I), 4.2 (Fe II), and 5.6 (Fe III), as well as an ionic derivative of salicylic acid (iSal) in two doses (10 and 20 mg L-1) on lettuce yield, chlorophyll and carotenoids content, and fluorescence parameters. Chemicals were used individually and in combinations two times, 23 and 30 days after the plants were transplanted. This experiment was carried out in a climate chamber. The Fe and iSal applications generally (except Fe I iSal, 10 mg L-1; Fe I iSal, 20 mg L-1; and Fe III iSal, 20 mg L-1) did not influence the fresh and dry matter content. The concentration of chlorophylls and carotenoids was reduced for all treatments in comparison to the control (without spraying). The Fe content in leaves was promoted in the Fe-treated plants (+70% for Fe III + iSal, 10 mg L-1, and Fe I). The iSal treatment promoted the Mn content. For most combinations, the Zn and Cu accumulations, as well as the fluorescence parameters, decreased after the foliar spray applications. Overall, our study revealed the effectiveness of Fe-DTPA chelate, but not iSal, in increasing the Fe content of lettuce grown in soilless cultivation systems.

Effect of Fertigation with Struvite and Ammonium Nitrate on Substrate Microbiota and N2O Emissions in a Tomato Crop on Soilless Culture System

Struvite and ammonium nitrate (AN), as wastewater-recovered products, are possible alternatives as raw materials for nutrient solutions. However, their impact on the rhizosphere microbiota and N2O emissions is scarcely known. Therefore, the present research studies the ecological changes in the bulk-substrate microbiome and its correlation with N2O emissions in a perlite-based system tomato crop under (i) conventional synthetic fertigation management; (ii) fertigation with struvite; and (iii) struvite and AN. A high bacterial diversity and the natural presence of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria in a soilless system are highlighted. However, the different N-NH4+:N-NO3− ratios influence the ecological niches of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), with a stronger response by AOB community, while AOA kept constant regarding the fertilization applied. Despite this, enrichment of N-transforming bacterial phylotypes was relatively enhanced (mainly Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira, and Nitrospira) concomitant with the production of N2O emissions when ammonium fertilization was overapplied. In the absence of a plant, N2O emissions were positively correlated, respectively, with Nitrosospira and AOB:AOA ratio, suggesting potential indicators for ammonium availability in the substrate. Fertilizer blends using recovered nutrients are a feasible alternative for increasing circularity in horticulture. Nevertheless, optimum fertilizer management is needed due to its influence on rhizosphere microbiota and N2O emissions.

The Effect of different Irrigation Systems on Water use Efficiency and Yield using Soilless Cultivation

The Effect of different Irrigation Systems on Water use Efficiency and Yield using Soilless Cultivation

Soilless culture of tomato in naturally ventilated polyhouse under Assam conditions, India

In 2022, an experiment was conducted at the Experiment Farm, Department of Horticulture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, to explore tomato cultivation possibilities using soilless media in a naturally ventilated polyhouse. Employing a randomized block design with 5 treatments and 4 replications, various media compositions, including cocopeat, vermiculite, perlite, sand, and loam soil in different ratios, were tested. The study uncovered that optimal tomato growth occurred in Loam soil: Sand: Vermicompost (1:1:1), showing maximum plant height (140.68 cm), primary branches (6.19), plant fresh weight (177.90 g), fruit weight (70.80 g), and a shorter time to flowering (42.5 days). This medium also resulted in higher residual N, P, K contents (2.58%, 2.51%, 2.64%, respectively) in the spent growing medium. Cocopeat: Sand: Vermicompost (5:2:3) yielded the highest plant dry weight (25.80 g), fruit set (48.24%), fruits/cluster (8.36), fruits/plant (71.74), yield/plant (4.88 kg), total yield (66.26 q/500sqm), and harvesting latitude (48.31 days). Meanwhile, Cocopeat: Vermiculite: Perlite (3:1:1) recorded the longest days to first harvest (83.75 days). Sand: Vermicompost (1:1) exhibited the highest chlorophyll content (2.50 mg/100 g), and fruit volume (73.10 cc), while Cocopeat: Vermicompost (1:1) had the maximum flowers per cluster (3.91). Economically, the analysis favored Loam soil: Sand: Vermicompost (1:1:1) with a maximum benefit-cost ratio of 2.20. In conclusion, while Cocopeat: Sand: Vermicompost (5:2:3) seems optimal for growth and yield, the economic advantage lies with Loam soil: Sand: Vermicompost (1:1:1).

Banglaponics: A Soilless Cultivation Technique For Tomato In Bangladesh

The study was carried out to develop an efficient, reproducible method to overcome the drought stress and increasing agriculture field crisis of Bangladesh. Banglaponics, a soilless cultivation technique comprised of traditional agricultural fertilizers in pond water mixed with cow urine has been used to evaluate the efficiency of tomato production. The production rate (237.85 ± 10.87 g/plant) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the Banglaponics medium than soil medium. Plant height, leaf number, leaf area, root number, root length, and flower number of the studied plant showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher in Banglaponics medium than plants grown in soil. Both treatments showed that chlorophyll score and antioxidant activity (DPPH) were almost equal. Banglaponically grown plant leaf, despite having lower Ca concentrations, possessed higher concentrations of Fe and Zn than those of soil-grown. Additionally, Banglaponically grown plant also showed significantly much lower Pb concentrations than that of grown in soil. On the contrary the other two heavy metals Cr and Cd, hold nearly the same value. By appearance, Banglaponically-grown plants were much healthier than that of soil-grown. This technique can be introduced in drought-prone areas of Bangladesh as it requires much less water than soil-grown tomato plants. Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(4): 933-939, 2023 (December)

Evaluation effects of alternative substrates for soilless cultivation of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa)

Strawberry is one of the major cultivations in Mexico, nonetheless, low development of planting techniques reduces fruit quality. The present research aimed to evaluate alternative substrates for soilless cultivation of strawberry, variety festival (Fragaria x annanasa). Four substrates were evaluated to achieve the goal: T1 coconut fiber substrate, T2 volcanic rock “tezontle”, T3 coconut fiber 50 % volcanic rock “tezontle” 50 %, and T4 soil as control. To compare the substrates, some properties that people chose in the fruit were selected: number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruit size, and Brix degrees (° Brix). The ° Brix did not show differences among the treatments; however, under T2 and T3 the best results were observed in terms of the number of fruits per plant, fruit weight and fruit size, which are considered remarkable market fruit qualities. In all the cases, T4 showed the lowest values in comparison to the other substrates. In conclusion, due to its low-cost volcanic rock alone or combined with coconut fiber could be used as a promising substrate for the production of strawberries; however, further work is needed to optimize other factors such as fertilization regimes and irrigation to reduce the production cost in a soilless production system.

Soilless cultivation systems to produce tailored microgreens for specific nutritional needs.

The awareness of the importance of following dietary recommendations that meet specific biological requirements related to an individual's health status has significantly increased interest in personalized nutrition. The aim of this research was to test agronomic protocols based on soilless cultivation for providing consumers with new dietary sources of iodine (I), as well as alternative vegetable products to limit dietary potassium (K) intake; proposed cultivation techniques were evaluated according to their suitability to obtain such products without compromising agronomic performance. Two independent experiments, focused on I and K respectively, were conducted in a commercial greenhouse specializing in soilless production. Four different species were cultivated using three distinct concentrations of I (0, 1.5 and 3 mg L-1 ) and K (0, 60 and 120 mg L-1 ). Microgreens grown in I-rich nutrient solution accumulate more I, and the increase is dose-dependent. Compared to unbiofortified microgreens, the treatments with 1.5 and 3 mg L-1 of I resulted in 4.5 and 14 times higher I levels, respectively. Swiss chard has the highest levels of K (14 096 mg kg-1 of FW), followed by rocket, pea and radish. In radish, rocket and Swiss chard, a total reduction of K content in the nutrient solution (0 mg L-1 ) resulted in an average reduction of 45% in K content. It is possible to produce I-biofortified microgreens to address I deficiency, and K-reduced microgreens for chronic kidney disease-affected people. Species selection is crucial to customize nutritional profiles according to specific dietary requirements due to substantial mineral content variations across different species. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparative Analysis of Leaf Vegetable Productivity, Quality, and Profitability among Different Cultivation Modes: A Case Study

In recent years, vegetable production has been in the transitional stage from traditional cultivation mode to modern cultivation mode. Therefore, evaluating the actual productivity and economic benefits of different cultivation modes is instructive for leafy vegetable production. This research chose a vegetable production company (Shanghai, China) as a demonstration case to cultivate various leaf vegetables under different cultivation modes (hydroponic, substrate, and soil cultivation). By investigating the yield and quality of vegetables, as well as all production costs and selling prices, we drive a comparative evaluation of comprehensive features and economic benefits of different cultivation modes. The results showed that leafy vegetables cultivated by hydroponic mode gain the highest fresh weight at the early growth stage, but the greatest unit yield (0.98~1.21 kg·m−2) emerged under the soil cultivation mode. Vegetables grown under substrate mode had the best comprehensive quality with high soluble solids content and low nitrate content. The unit costs of the soilless cultivation modes (8.26~10.3 CNY·m−2) were 3–4-fold higher than that of soil cultivation, mainly due to the high fixed costs and input costs, especially for substrate mode. According to actual prices, the soil cultivation mode had the highest economic benefits as a whole (4.83~8.83 CNY·m−2), and only hydroponic cabbage which had comparable yield gained considerable benefits (8.94 CNY·m−2). Quality-based pricing scheme can make substrate mode achieve profitability. The pricing scheme that guarantees a 40% revenue is within acceptable limits for consumers. Based on this actual production case, it can be concluded that a low unit yield of hydroponic mode and a high unit cost of substrate mode are the predominant factors affecting their profitability and economic viability.

State of the Art and New Technologies to Recycle the Fertigation Effluents in Closed Soilless Cropping Systems Aiming to Maximise Water and Nutrient Use Efficiency in Greenhouse Crops

Inappropriate fertilisation results in the pollution of groundwater with nitrates and phosphates, eutrophication in surface water, emission of greenhouse gasses, and unwanted N deposition in natural environments, thereby harming the whole ecosystem. In greenhouses, the cultivation in closed-loop soilless culture systems (CLSs) allows for the collection and recycling of the drainage solution, thus minimising contamination of water resources by nutrient emissions originating from the fertigation effluents. Recycling of the DS represents an ecologically sound technology as it can reduce water consumption by 20–35% and fertiliser use by 40–50% in greenhouse crops, while minimising or even eliminating losses of nutrients, thereby preventing environmental pollution by NO3− and P. The nutrient supply in CLSs is largely based on the anticipated ratio between the mass of a nutrient absorbed by the crop and the volume of water, expressed as mmol L−1, commonly referenced to as “uptake concentration” (UC). However, although the UCs exhibit stability over time under optimal climatic conditions, some deviations at different locations and different cropping stages can occur, leading to the accumulation or depletion of nutrients in the root zone. Although these may be small in the short term, they can reach harmful levels when summed up over longer periods, resulting in serious nutrient imbalances and crop damage. To prevent large nutrient imbalances in the root zone, the composition of the supplied nutrient solution must be frequently readjusted, taking into consideration the current nutrient status in the root zone of the crop. The standard practice to estimate the current nutrient status in the root zone is to regularly collect samples of drainage solution and determine the nutrient concentrations through chemical analyses. However, as results from a chemical laboratory are available several days after sample selection, there is currently intensive research activity aiming to develop ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) for online measurement of the DS composition in real-time. Furthermore, innovative decision support systems (DSSs) fed with the analytical results transmitted either offline or online can substantially contribute to timely and appropriate readjustments of the nutrient supply using as feedback information the current nutrient status in the root zone. The purpose of the present paper is to review the currently applied technologies for nutrient and water recycling in CLSs, as well as the new trends based on ISEs and novel DSSs. Furthermore, a specialised DSS named NUTRISENSE, which can contribute to more efficient management of nutrient supply and salt accumulation in closed-loop soilless cultivations, is presented.

Using Date Palm Waste as an Alternative for Rockwool: Sweet Pepper Performance under Both Soilless Culture Substrates.

The degradation of soil quality due to environmental conditions and improper management practices has caused a shrinkage in land areas suitable for crop cultivation. This necessitates a transition towards soilless culture systems, which offer desirable conditions for crop growth and development and increase resource use efficiency. One of the growth-limiting factors in soilless culture systems is the type of growing substrate. The use of more sustainable resources and environmentally friendly growing substrates is a challenge that affects the soilless culture industry. This work evaluates the efficacy of date palm waste (DPW) and rockwool as growing substrates for sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) under greenhouse conditions. The plant height, stem diameter, average total leaf area, φPSII, and Fm' of leaf fluorescence show significant increases when plants are grown in rockwool. No differences are found in terms of the total yield or the number of marketable fruits and fruit quality between the two substrates. However, the DPW substrate shows a significant decrease in the number of unmarketable fruits and number of Blossom End Rot (BER) fruits. Plants grown in both growing substrates consume equal water amounts for the optimal fruit production, while the water use efficiency of rockwool is better than that of DPW. Our results highlight DPW's role in soilless production and as a key solution for resource-saving production systems.

Water Nutrient Management in Soilless Plant Cultivation versus Sustainability

Under-cover soilless cultivation is an important technique of crop production. Due to the lack of contact with soil and precipitation, the root system of crops grown must be provided with water and all necessary nutrients in the form of a solution (nutrient medium). This nutrient medium needs to be fed in excess to ensure proper plant development and the expected qualitative and quantitative parameters of the crop yield, which means that in the case of, e.g., tomato cultivation, 20–80% of the supplied medium must be removed from the root system and managed. Uncontrolled discharge of this drainage water poses a significant threat to the environment, causing contamination of surface waters and groundwaters. The article presents the latest solutions for drainage water management as well as technologies and systems that allow saving water and fertilizers, and thus recovering elements. It also characterizes methods deployed for the treatment of overflow that enable its recirculation, its re-use for fertilization of other less demanding crops (including soil crops), and its final management in the form of a discharge to the natural environment. Due to depleting resources of adequate-quality water, increase in the prices of mineral fertilizers, and depletion of natural phosphorus deposits, the future trends in water and nutrients management in this cropping system aim at closing circuits of drainage water and recovering elements before their discharge into the natural environment. These measures are expected not only to protect the natural environment but also to reduce the costs of crop production.

Effect of Short Day and Low Temperature at the Nursery Stage on the Inflorescence and Yield of Six Different Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Dutch.) Cultivars in a Soilless Culture System

In Korea, the majority of strawberry cultivation follows a forcing culture, where planting occurs in mid-September after the flower differentiation, and harvesting begins at the end of November. October and November constitute off-season, resulting in higher prices. The accelerated forcing culture involves artificially promoting flower differentiation to expedite strawberry harvest. This study aimed to identify the most suitable schedule for strawberry cultivation using the short-day and low-temperature treatments through greenhouse environmental control during the nursery stage. The selection of the most suitable cultivars for accelerated forcing culture among Korean breeding cultivars (‘Sulhyang’, ‘Kuemsil’, ‘Kingsberry’, ‘Vitaberry’, ‘Jukhyang’, and ‘Altaking’) was also part of the objectives. The nursery treatments were initiated on 4 July, 14 July, and 25 July. After approximately 5 weeks of treatment, transplanting was carried out. The control group was transplanted on 15 September. When night-chilling nursery treatment was applied on 4 July, followed by transplanting on 11 August, all six cultivars exhibited flowering earlier compared to the control group, leading to increased early yield. Particularly, the ‘Sulhyang’ cultivar showed the highest marketable yield at 68.6 g per plant in October. This research contributes to identifying the nursery cultivation schedule for off-season strawberry production and selecting suitable cultivars, and is expected to contribute to increased farm income.

Determination of fruit quality and antioxidant properties of some blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) cultivars cultivated in soilless culture

Maviyemiş, yüksek antioksidan kapasiteleri ve diğer biyoaktif bileşiklerinden dolayı insan sağlığı bakımından yararlı olan meyve türlerinden birisidir. Çalışmada, Serik/Antalya bölgesinde saksıda ve topraksız tarım tekniği ile açıkta yetiştirilmiş ‘Camellia’, ‘Venture’ ve ‘Suzie Blue’ güney orjinli yüksek boylu maviyemiş çeşitlerinin meyve kalite ve antioksidan özelliklerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda hasat döneminde alınan meyve örneklerinde meyve ağırlığı, meyve boyu, meyve eni, meyve kabuk rengi (L*, a*, b*), suda çözünebilir kuru madde (SÇKM), titre edilebilir asitlik (TEA), pH, toplam fenolik, toplam flavonoid ve toplam antioksidan kapasitesi belirlenmiştir. Çeşitlerin meyve ağırlığı 2.52-3.28 g, meyve boyu 16.65-19.45 mm, meyve eni 13.33-14.34 mm, L* değeri 25.67-29.95, a* değeri 0.57-1.73, b* değeri -2.86 -1.86, SÇKM %9.60-10.23, TEA % 0.88-1.17, pH 3.58-3.70, toplam fenolik miktarı 205.50-273 mg GAE/100g, toplam flavonoid miktarı 169.80-215.40 mg catechin/100g ve toplam antioksidan kapasitesi ise %28.79-61,05 arasında saptanmıştır. Bu çalışmada, ‘Camellia’ çeşidinin en iri, parlak ve koyu renkli meyvelere ve en yüksek SÇKM, TEA ve pH, toplam fenolik, toplam flavonoid ve toplam antioksidan kapasiteye (% 61.05) sahip olduğu görülmüştür.

Biological Activities in Artificially Heavy-Metal-Contaminated Growing Substrates

The ingestion of vegetables grown in soils or in cultivation substrate contaminated with heavy metals (HMs) and irrigated with wastewater is a potential problem for human health and food quality. The increasing disappearance of fertile soils has led to an increase in the practice of soil-less cultivation and the use of growing substrates, but the choice of the right substrate and its sustainable management is essential to ensure the production of quality and safe vegetables for all while minimizing the impact on the environment and human health. The present study measures the combined effects of different HMs (V, Ni, Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr) on microbial biomass, respiration, and enzyme activities (EAs) in an artificially contaminated commercial growing substrate. The concentrations of HMs were estimated by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy; enzyme activities via spectrophotometric assays; respiration via CO2 evolution; and microbial biomass C via the fumigation extraction method. The results showed a reduction in both respiration and all enzyme activities. The reduction in EAs highlighted a notable influence on microorganism-mediated C, N, S, and P cycles, strongly reducing substrate health. Microbial biomass did not show significant differences, but the increase in the metabolic quotient highlighted how the toxicity of HMs reduces the energy use efficiency of microbial metabolic processes.

One-step green construction of granular composite hydrogels for ammonia nitrogen recovery from wastewater for crop growth promotion

The great application potential of hydrogel adsorbent in water treatment has been widely reported in recent years. However, practical application is severely restricted due to the tedious preparation procedures, high energy consumption, and potential environmental threat of spent adsorbent after adsorption. To address these challenges, a new method was proposed in this study to prepare granular hydrogel composites through one-step polymerization induced phase separation (PIPS), initiated via a redox reaction consisting with calcined oil shale semi-coke (COSSC) and active ingredients of in green tea (GT) at 40 °C. Then granular hydrogel was applied to remove NH4-N in wastewater, and the spent adsorbent after adsorbing was used as the medium for plant growth. The granular hydrogel exhibited a favorable swelling capacity of 205 g/g and excellent adsorption capacity of 40.2 mg/g for NH4-N. Remarkably, the adsorption process achieved equilibrium only within 30 min. To avoid the influence of soil and other factors, we conducted a soilless cultivation experiment, and the results showed that the total seed biomass of mung bean increased by 33.69% with adding 1% of spent hydrogels into the culture medium. Based on above excellent performance, this study presented a feasible idea for the green preparation granular hydrogel composites and offered a promising strategy for the sustainable utilization of spent adsorbent.

Comparison between Soil and Soilless Cultivation of Autumn Tomato Production under Spanish Net-House Conditions

Comparison between Soil and Soilless Cultivation of Autumn Tomato Production under Spanish Net-House Conditions

Intumescence Response by Tomato Plants Grown in a Greenhouse or Indoors Using Two Types of Soilless Culture Systems

The main objective of this study was to characterize intumescence injury of three susceptible tomato cultivars grown in a greenhouse or indoors using two types of soilless culture systems. Plants of cultivars Maxifort, Camaro, and Patio were grown in either an indoor environment with broadband white and red light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures providing a daily light integral (DLI) of 12.7 mol·m−2·day−1 [photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 220 ± 3 µmol·m−2·s−1 for 16 h·d−1] or in a glass-glazed greenhouse with supplemental lighting provided by high-pressure sodium lamps that delivered a PPFD of ∼150 µmol·m−2·s−1. Plants were grown using deep-water culture hydroponic systems or containers with a peat-based substrate. The growing environment had a larger effect on intumescence incidence and severity than the growing system, likely due to differences in ultraviolet radiation (100 to 400 nm), but other factors such as day/night temperature and relative humidity (RH), could have affected the response. Across cultivars, the probability of developing intumescence was higher indoors (≥91%) than in the greenhouse. Indoor-grown plants also developed symptoms of the disorder from 2 to 6 days earlier than those in the greenhouse. Similarly, intumescence incidence was higher in plants from all cultivars grown indoors than in the greenhouse, but differences between the two environments were generally greater for Patio and Camaro than for Maxifort, which was the most susceptible cultivar. Greenhouse conditions were more conducive to active plant growth. For example, plants in the greenhouse were more than 2 times taller and had at least 12 times greater leaf area than those indoors, which resulted in large differences in shoot dry mass. However, environmental effects on intumescence response also contributed to differences in growth, as plants that were most affected by the disorder experienced severe leaf abscission and/or senescence. Our overall findings show that intumescence is greatly affected by the production environment, but injuries are likely to change based on genetic susceptibility.

Possibilities of using organic wastes as a growing medium in soilless culture for cut flower rose

The possibilities of using organic wastes, such as hazelnut shells (HS), walnut shells (WS), hazelnut skins (HzS), and spent mushroom compost (SMC), as growth medium in cut flower rose cultivation in soilless substrate culture were investigated. The parameters, such as the date of cutting the flower (day), flower stem length (cm), flower stem diameter (mm), flower length (cm), flower diameter (cm), flower color, color of the top and bottom of the leaf, and yield (piece), were examined. In addition, samples taken from the growth medium at the beginning and ending stages of the experiment were analyzed. The first flowers were cut from the HzS +P medium 38 days after planting. The highest yield value (20.6 flower/plant) was obtained from SMC medium. The longest flowers (63.89 ± 0.947 cm) and the thickest stem flowers (5.86 ± 0.136 mm) were cut from the control medium. It was determined that the media also affected the flower and leaf colors. According to the results obtained, SMC and HzS+perlite mediums can be recommended as an alternative to cocopeat in the production of cut roses in soilless substrate culture.

Effects of Calcium Chloride and Lysophosphatidylethanolamine Applications on the Yield and Quality of Strawberries Grown in Soilless Culture

Duygu CAYMAZ¹, Kazım GÜNDÜZ², Sedat SERÇE³, Emine ÖZDEMİR4 ¹Ziraat Yük. Müh., Atatürk Bahçe Kültürleri Merkez Araştırma Enstitüsü Müdürlüğü, Yalova; ORCID: 0000-0002-4046-3144 ²Prof. Dr., Malatya Turgut Özal Üniversitesi, Ziraat Fakültesi, Bahçe Bitkileri Bölümü, Battalgazi, Malatya; ORCID: 0000-0002-6473-5909 ³Prof. Dr., Niğde Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi, Tarım Bilimleri ve Teknolojileri Fakültesi, Tarımsal Genetik Mühendisliği Bölümü, Niğde; ORCID: 0000-0003-4584-2028 4Prof. Dr.,Emekli Öğretim Üyesi ÖZ Ülkemizde ve Dünya’da topraksız kültürde çilek yetiştiriciliği yaygınlaşmaktadır. Topraksız kültürde bitki besin elementleri uygulamalarının optimizasyonu büyük önem taşımaktadır. Bu çalışmada yetişme ortamı olarak kokopit kullanılan iki katlı topraksız kültür yetiştirme sisteminde ‘Fortuna’ ve ‘Festival’ çeşitleri kullanılarak bitkilere, hasattan 15 gün önce yapraktan kalsiyum (Ca), Lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) ve Ca + LPE uygulanmaya başlanmış ve yetiştiricilik döneminin sonuna kadar 15 gün aralıklarla devam edilmiştir. ‘Fortuna’ çeşidinde ilk ürünler Ocak ayının ikinci haftasında alınırken, ‘Festival’ çeşidinde ise, ilk ürünler Şubat ayının üçüncü haftasında alınmıştır. Erkenci ürün eldesinde uygulamalar arasında Ca + LPE daha iyi sonuç vermiştir. Bitki başına ve birim alana verim bakımından ‘Fortuna’ çeşidi ‘Festival’ çeşidine göre daha verimli bulunmakla birlikte, ‘Festival’ çeşidinde etkili olmuş en yüksek verim değeri LPE uygulamasından alınmıştır. En yüksek titre edilebilir asit içeriği her iki çeşitte de Ca + LPE uygulamalarından alınmıştır. Meyve eti sertliği yönünden Ca uygulamaları olumlu etkide bulunmuştur. LPE uygulamasında da kontrole göre renklenmede biraz artış görülmüştür. Sonuçlar, erkenci çilek yetiştiriciliğinde bazı çeşitlerde Ca ve LPE uygulamalarının meyve kalitesini artırmak için kullanılabileceğini göstermiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Çilek, topraksız kültür, LPE, CaCl₂, meyve kalitesi EFFECTS OF CALCIUM CHLORIDE AND Lysophosphatidylethanolamine APPLICATIONS ON THE YIELD AND QUALITY OF STRAWBERRIES GROWN IN SOILLESS CULTURE ABSTRACT Strawberry culture in soilles culture is getting more popular in Turkey and the World. The optimization of the plant nutrient application is critical in this sytem. ‘Fortuna’ and ‘Festival’ strawberry cultivars were used in the two-story production system using the cocopeat as growing media where the plants were treated with calcium (Ca), Lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE), Ca + LPE 15 days before harvest. The first fruits were harvested in the second week of January for ‘Fortuna’ while ‘Festival’ as the first fruits were harvested in the third week of February. Among the treatments, Ca + LPE resulted in favorable results for earliness. While ‘Fortuna’ was found the higher yield than ‘Festival’ for yield per plant or yield per area the highest yield was recovered from LPE treatment for ‘Festival’. The highest acidity was recovered from Ca + LPE treatment for neither of the cultivars. For fruit firmness, Ca treatments increased the fruit firmness. LPE had some effect on color formation when compared to control. The results suggest that Ca and LPE treatments may be used to enhance fruit quality characteristics for early strawberry production. Keywords: Strawberry, soilless culture, LPE, CaCl₂, fruit quality

Potential Use of Postharvest Tomato Wastes as a Growing Media in Soilless Culture

Recycling postharvest tomato wastes will reduce the carbon footprints of greenhouse facilities. This study investigated the effects of tomato postharvest waste as a growing medium (TSW; tomato stalk waste and PTSW; pretreated tomato stalk waste) in soilless culture on tomato growth, development, yield and quality. Tomato wastes were compared with cocopeat and peat-perlite mixture media and economic analyses were made for potential use of tomato waste as a growing medium. The highest stomatal conductance (138.7 mmol m−2 s−1), average fruit weight (86.7 g), yield (3.96 kg plant−1) and soluble solids content (SSC; 4.8%) values were obtained from the cocopeat medium. PTSW, cocopeat and peat + perlite media yielded similar stomatal conductance values. The best fruit skin color values (hue; 0.54) were obtained from peat + perlite medium. The highest titratable acidity (4.9 g citric acid 100 mL−1) and vitamin C (21.7 mg 100 g−1) values were obtained from the TSW medium. PTSW (Pretreated tomato waste) had similar yield and quality traits with commercial growing media. It was concluded that PTSW was better than other growing media.