Teor de nitrato em alface produzida em sistema hidropônico vertical com substrato e NFT

Abstract

The content of accumulated nitrate by lettuce is influenced by factors such as cultivation system and genetic character. Thus, the objective of this research was to evaluate the performance and accumulated nitrate content in three lettuce cultivars grown in hydroponic system with the vertical presence of substrate, and the influence of vertical hydroponic systems with substrate (VS) and Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) in the accumulated nitrate content. Therefore, the experiment was carried out in two phases, in which the cultivar tended to accumulate lower nitrate contents, and in the second the influence of the systems on this accumulation was evaluated. The sowing was done in phenolic foam, and then the seedlings were taken to the nursery and later to the systems VS and NFT, where they completed 45 days of cultivation. At the end of the experiment, the fresh matter (FMF) and dry matter (DMF) of the leaves were analyzed, and the nitrate content in the leaves, where it was observed that the cultivar “Crespa Itapuã” presented better performance for the cultivation in VS, and tended to accumulate less nitrate. It was also observed that the nitrate content accumulated in leaves grown in VS was higher than that found in NFT crops. Thus, it was concluded that the cultivar “Crespa Itapuã” presented better performance for VS cultivation, and that plants grown in VS accumulate more nitrate than those grown in NFT system.