Laboratory of Biological and Environmental Systems, Kochi University, Nankoku-shi, Japan;. Department of Horticulture, University of Georgia, Tifton, USA. Department of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA.
The cultivation of komatsuna (Brassica rapa L. Nothovar) was carried out hydroponically using a nutrient film technique (NFT) system inside a greenhouse, applying a quartz porphyry (QP) treated nutrient solution. Quartz porphyry is a natural mineral containing many substances that easily ionize with water to improve water quality. Different growth attributes of komatsuna such as leaf length, leaf width and plant fresh weight increased in plants that received QP treated nutrient solution. The coefficient of variation was smaller for QP treated nutrient solution plants when compared to the control. High light intensity, long duration of solar radiation and higher temperatures in the summer (July-Aug.) promoted plant growth compare to winter (Dec.-Feb.). In contrast, plants grown in the winter accumulated more fresh weight compare to plants grown in the summer. Results also showed that the rapid exchange of ion in the nutrient solution due to the QP treatment enabled the solution to maintain the ion balance, and thus plants grew uniformly and vigorously. The cations Na+ and Ca2+ and the anions Cl- and were dominant and made the media saline. There was a decrease of Na+ ion concentration in the recirculating nutrient solution (NFT) due to ion exchange by QP. Results suggest that water treatment with QP could be used for production of high quality vegetables.
Azad, A. , Ishikawa, K. , Diaz-Perez, J. , Eaton, T. and Takeda, N. (2013) Growth and development of komatsuna (Brassica rapaL. Nothovar) in NFT (nutrient film technique) system, as influenced by natural mineral. Agricultural Sciences, 4, 1-7. doi: 10.4236/as.2013.47A001.
[1] Bugbee, B. (2004) Nutrient management in recirculating hydroponic culture. Acta Horticulture, 648, 99-112. [2] Hoagland, D.R. and Arnon, D.I. (1938) The water culture method for growing plants without soil. California Agricultural Experiment Station Circulation, 347, 32. [3] Resh, H.M. (2004) Hydroponic food production: A definite guidebook of soilless food growing methods. 6th Edition, Newconcept Press, Mahwah, 25. [4] Ishikawa, K., Okada, Y. and Nakamura, J. (1995) Physical and chemical properties of Bakuhan-seki (Japanese text with English abstract). Journal of Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery, 57, 51-56. [5] Tanabe, K., Shinmura, Y., Yasuda, M., Shinma, K., Nakamura, H. and Ishikawa, K. (1994) The effects of various water on early growth in plants 1. Journal of SHITA, 6, 147-152. [6] Tanabe, K., Wakisaka, T., Yasuda, M., Shinma, K. and Ishikawa, K. (1995) The effects of various water on early growth in plants (Part 2)—Effects of pH and ultrasonic treatment on water. Journal of SHITA, 7, 185-190. [7] Umeki, T. and Ishikawa, K. (1996) The effects of various water on growth in plants (Part 2)—Influence of water on plant tissue. Journal of SHITA, 8, 292-296. [8] Ablaza, E.C., Ishikawa, K. and Yoshimura, T. (2006) Effects of quartz porphyry (Bakuhan-seki) on soil quality and grain yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Journal of Food Agriculture and Environment, 4, 270-275. [9] Nakamura, H., Ishikawa, K., Okada, Y., Tanabe, K. and Gejima, Y. (1996) Fundamental studies on the activation of water using mineral (part 1) (in Japanese). Journal of Japanese society of Agricultural Machinery, 58, 235-241. [10] Ishikawa, K. and Nakamura, H. (1999) Functional treatment system for water used in greenhouses. The Journal of the Society of Agricultural Structures, 29, 225-229. [11] Cooper, A. (1979) The ABC of NFT: Nutrient film technique. Grower Book, London. [12] Farnham, D.S., Hasek, R.F. and Paul, J.L. (1995) Water quality its effects on ornamental plants. University of California, Berkeley. [13] Duncan, D.B. (1955) Multiple ranges and multiple F-test. Biometrics, 11, 1-42. doi:10.2307/3001478 [14] Hayashi, M. (2004) Temperature-electrical conductivity relation of water for environmental monitoring and geophysical data inversion. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 96, 119-128. doi:10.1023/B:EMAS.0000031719.83065.68 [15] Al-Ghamdi, S.S. and Al-Tahir, O.A. (2001) Temperature and solar radiation effect on faba bean (Vicia faba L.) growth and grain yield. Saudia Journal of Biollogical Science, 8, 171-182. [16] TPS Pty Ltd. (2013) pH in hydroponics. TPS Quality Service Value. http://www.tps.com.au/hydroponics/pheffect.htm [17] Incrocci, L., Malorgio, F., Della, A.B. and Pardossi, A. (2006) The influence of drip irrigation or subirrigation on tomato grown in closed-loop substrate culture with saline water. Scientia Horticulturae, 107, 365-372. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2005.12.001 [18] Carter, C.T. and Grieve, C.M. (2008) Mineral nutrition, growth, and germination of Antirrhinum majus L. (Snapdragon) when produced under increasingly saline conditions. HortScience, 43, 710-718. [19] Grattan, S.R. and Grieve, C.M. (1994) Mineral nutrient acquisition and response by plants grown in saline environments. In: Passarakil, M., Ed., Handbook of Plant and Crop Stress, Marcel Dekker, New York, 203-226. [20] Grattan, S.R. and Grieve. C.M. (1998) Salinity-mineral nutrient solutions in horticultural crops. Scientia Horticulturae, 78, 127-157. doi:10.1016/S0304-4238(98)00192-7 [21] Maathuis, F.J.M. and Amtmann, A. (1999) K+ nutrition and Na+ toxicity: The basis of cellular K+/Na+ ratios. Annals of Botany (London), 84, 123-133. doi:10.1006/anbo.1999.0912 [22] Tester, M. and Davenport, R. (2003) Na+ tolerance and Na+ transport in higher plants. Annals of Botany (London), 91, 503-527. doi:10.1093/aob/mcg058 [23] Pardossi, A., Malorgio, F., Incrocci, L., Campiotti, C.A. and Tognoni, F. (2002) A comparison between two methods to control nutrient delivery to greenhouse melons grown in recirculating nutrient solution culture. Scientia Horticulturae, 92, 89-95. doi:10.1016/S0304-4238(01)00292-8