Nutrient requirements for lettuce transplants using a floatation irrigation system II. Potassium

Abstract

Although floatation irrigation has numerous advantages for vegetable transplant production, including improved seedling health, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) transplants grown with floatation (ebb and flow) irrigation can have poor root systems. Floatation fertigation of 'South Bay' transplants with K at 15, 30, 45, or 60 mg·L-1 K applied every 2 to 4 days, increased fresh and dry root weight at 28 days. Higher K (24 mg·kg-1) in the medium did not affect root weight. Fresh and dry shoot weight, leaf area, relative shoot ratio (RSR), relative growth rate (RGR), leaf weight ratio (LMR), and root weight ratio (RMR) were unaffected by applied K, regardless of the initial K concentration in the medium. Available K in a vermiculite-containing medium may have supplied all the K required. When 60 was compared with 100 mg·L-1 N at various levels of K, the applied K again did not influence dry root weight; however, at 100 mg·L-1 N, root weight was reduced as compared with 60 mg·L-1 N, regardless of the level of applied K. In a field experiment, pretransplant K had no effect on growth. Transplants grown with no added K in a peat + vermiculite mix with at least 24 mg·L-1 water-extractable K produced yields equivalent to transplants supplied with 15, 30, 45, or 60 mg·L-1 K Via floatation irrigation.