The influence of root zone temperature of nutrient solution on lettuce grown in hydroponic systems

Hawash, Ahmed; Hassan, Mohamed; Abdalla, Ahmed Said

doi:10.21608/ejss.2025.400926.2236

The influence of root zone temperature of nutrient solution on lettuce grown in hydroponic systems

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Agricultural Research Center, Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate, Dokki 12411, Giza- Egypt

² 12613, El-Gammaa Street, Giza, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo university

10.21608/ejss.2025.400926.2236

Abstract

Under the growing world population and predicted resource depletion, there is a demand for greater and effective food production. Hydroponics is an environmentally friendly technology for growing plants without soil that can achieve sustainable food production. The experiment was place at Cairo University’s Faculty of Agriculture in the Giza Governorate of Egypt, under an unheated greenhouse during the two consecutive winter seasons of 2023 and 2024. The research project aimed to examine the effect of using various hydroponic systems: A-shape nutrient film technique (A-NFT), flat shape nutrient film technique system (F-NFT), and deep water culture (DWC) with different nutrient solution temperatures: ambient temperature (control), 16°C, and 20°C on lettuce yield. The research study was conducted using a split-plot design. We estimated the vegetative growth parameter, yield, pigment reading, nitrate level, nutrient contents N, P, and K (%), and water usage efficiency (WUE) of lettuce. Results that were obtained show that the F-NFT system recorded the highest vegetative growth parameter, chlorophyll reading, nitrate content and nutrient contents (N, P and K) as well as water use efficiency followed by A- shape NFT system. While The A-NFT system has the greatest overall yield per m2. On the contrary, DWC recorded the lowest value for all parameters. Increasing the ambient temperature of the fertilizer solution to 20°C resulted in increased vegetative development and yield parameters. The interaction impact of the F-NFT system combined with a fertilizer solution with a temperature of 20°C resulted in the greatest average plant fresh weight for lettuce. The A-NFT system with a nutrient solution temperature of 20°C produced the highest total yield per m2 of lettuce due to its higher plant density than the other hydroponic systems. For commercial purposes, the study recommends using an A-shape NFT nutrient film technique at 20 °C for lettuce production

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