Journal of Vegetables Sciences

Journal of Vegetables Sciences

Growth and physiological characteristics comparison of three lettuce varieties grown in a solid medium and floating system under artificial light

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Nima Neshaei Moghaddam 1
Hossein Sadeghi 2
Kamran Ghasemi 3
1 Former MSc. Student, Department of Horticultural Sciences and Engineering, Faculty of Crop Sciences, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences and Engineering, Faculty of Crop Sciences, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran
3 Horticultural Sciences and Engineering Department, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari
10.22034/iuvs.2024.2023892.1360
Abstract
1. Introduction: Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a leafy vegetable produced during cool seasons and has significant economic value. Many commercial greenhouses around the world use soilless cultivation systems to grow lettuce as one of the crops. Hydroponic systems are classified into two main groups based on the structure of the culture medium, which can have different effects on nutrient absorption, growth rate, yield, and quality characteristics of lettuce. The floating cultivation system is a simple and inexpensive hydroponic system that can be used to grow vegetables, particularly lettuce. The most important advantage of floating systems is that they reduce fertilizer waste and environmental pollution. However, replacing the nutrient solution could destroy the advantages of the system. Artificial lights can be used to increase light intensity in greenhouse crops in low-light areas, and supplementary light can also be used to increase the length of lighting hours. This study aimed to investigate the effects of hydroponic, floating, and solid substrate cultivation on the growth and production of three lettuce varieties under artificial light conditions.
2. Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted in a factorial format based on a completely randomized design, with two factors comprising the cultivation system (solid and floating substrate) and the cultivar (Green French, Iceberg Grizzly, and Butterhead), with three replications. The seeds of lettuce varieties were sown in a seedling tray with a mixture of coir fibre and perlite in a volume ratio of 50:50. Four weeks after sowing, the seedlings were transferred to the main substrate under the following conditions: LED light of 225 μmol/m-2 s-1 intensity, 4 cm from the edge of the pot, the temperature of 21 ± 2 °C, and light/dark period of 16 /8 h. Hoagland solution was used as the nutrient solution for the solid medium, which was fed every three days. Also, lettuces were placed in Hoagland nutrient solution in the floating system. 50 days after transplanting, the lettuces were harvested, and vegetative characteristics, photosynthetic pigments comprising chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids were measured. Also, the photosynthesis efficiency index was measured using the Fluorimeter.
3. Results and Discussion: The French variety had the highest aerial parts fresh weight in the floating system, which was significantly different from that of the Buttered and Grizzly varieties. The highest aerial parts fresh weight in the Grizzly variety was observed in the solid substrate, which was significantly different from that of the Butterhead and French varieties in the solid substrate. The Butterhead variety had significantly lower aerial fresh weight than the superior treatments in this experiment, which were French in the floating system and Grizzly in the solid substrate, regardless of cultivation system type. The Grizzly cultivar grown in solid substrate had the most antioxidant content, which was identical to the Grizzly cultivar grown in the floating system, but significantly higher than other treatments. The cultivation system enhanced antioxidant activity only in the French cultivars. Therefore, the solid substrate increased the antioxidant activity of the leaves in this cultivar compared to the floating system, but the cultivation system did not result in any significant differences in the antioxidant activity of the same cultivar, Butterhead or Grizzly. The Butterhead cultivar in the solid substrate achieved the highest leaf stomatal conductance, which differed significantly from all other treatment combinations, whereas the French cultivar had the lowest stomatal conductance in the floating system, and there were no significant differences between them on solid substrates.
4. Conclusion: In terms of growth and performance, the French variety of lettuce has a very acceptable condition in the floating culture system and can be considered commercially. If a lettuce grower wants to produce the Grizzly variety, it is preferable to use a solid medium instead of a floating system. Regardless of the cultivation system, the butter head generally showed weaker growth than the French and Grizzly varieties. Finally, it should be noted that the functional, morphological, and biochemical reactions of lettuce in different cultivation systems depend on the variety of the plant, so selecting the appropriate cultivation system should be based on the characteristics of the variety.
Keywords
Nutrient solution
soilless cultivation
LED
nutritional value
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Journal of Vegetables Sciences
Volume 10, Issue 19
July 2026
Pages 43-62

  • Receive Date 27 February 2024
  • Revise Date 26 June 2024
  • Accept Date 08 September 2024