Endive production under different hydroponic systems and electrical conductivities of the nutrient solution

Abstract

Soilless cultivation can be performed using different hydroponic systems, and each system has its own particularities and adaptation according to the crop and environmental conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the production of endive grown in hydroponic systems and subjected to different electrical conductivities of the nutrient solution. The research was conducted in a greenhouse, adopting a split-plot design, with the plots represented by the hydroponic systems (nutrient film technique (NFT), semi-hydroponic (SH) and deep flow technique (DFT)), and the subplots by electrical conductivities (2.90 and 1.6 dS m-1). The following variables were evaluated: stem diameter, plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, shoot fresh mass, root fresh mass, total fresh mass, shoot dry mass, root dry mass, total dry mass, leaf succulence and specific leaf area. The semi-hydroponic system promotes greater development of endive regardless of the concentration of the nutrient solution. Nutrient solutions with an EC of 1.6 dS m-1 are recommended for the SH and DFT systems, and nutrient solutions with an EC of 2.9 dS m-1 are recommended for the NFT system.