مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - Mycorrhiza Application in Lettuce Growing at Subirrigated Systems

Abstract :

Subirrigation, where water is applied from bottom of the plant root zone and risen with capillary forces through substrate profile is one of the promising applications of soilless culture because of its important advantages such as it is closed system, saves water and fertilizer, causes no-runoff and not required any disinfection. However, the system has salinity risk in root zone. In order to be able to use nutrients in the nutrient solution and to tolerate salt stress in subirrigation system, roots should be well-grown. Hence, endo-mycorrhiza (vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza, VAM) was used in this research and the effects of mycorrhiza (with mycorrhiza: M(+), 250 kg/ha, and without mycorrhiza: M(-), Control) inoculation on lettuce (Yedikule: cv. Velvet and Iceberg: cv. Bombola) growing in different substrates (perlite, cocopeat and klinoptilolite) was aimed. Subirrigation system which is commercially registered as Autopot was used as the growing system. The effects of treatments on plant growth, yield and quality were determined. Results obtained showed that mycorrhiza inoculation increased root colonization which varied by different substrates and promoted plant growth and yield; reduced leaf nitrate content. Although there were no significant differences among cultivars, cocopeat showed better performance in all measured parameters among tested substrates. It was concluded that lettuce can be grown successfully in subirrigated systems if as growing media cocopeat inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi.