Evaluación del efecto de tres diferentes soluciones nutritivas en cultivo flotante de lechuga (Lactuca sativa) en la costa del Ecuador.

Abstract

The main objective of the study is to determine the best nutrient concentration in the nutrient solution for the performance of lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. seda) cultivation in a floating cultivation system developed the School of Technical Education for Development of the Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil. In this experiment, an aleatory design with three treatments and four repetitions of each treatment was carried out (16 plants per treatments). The treatments used are the Hoagland and Arnon (1938) nutritive solutions (SN) applied at 100 %, 75 %, and 50 % during the cultivation cycle. The variables evaluated are the fresh weight, dry weight of the leaf and the flower, as well as pH values and concentrations of CE, oxygen dispersed in water, nitrates, potassium, and calcium in the soil solution. The data will be analysed using least significant difference (LSD) tests and variance analysis (ANOVA) in Statgraphic Plus for Windows (version 5.1). The results showed that the pH, CE, and oxygen levels that were reduced during the development of the crop were maintained within optimal ranges. The control treatment was the most heavily frosty of the present treatments. The levels of nitrates in the leaves of the various nutritional solutions are higher than those permitted by the European Commission (4 500 mg kg-1 peso fresco).