ISHS Acta Horticulturae 396: Hydroponics and Transplant Production
PRODUCTION OF VEGETABLE TRANSPLANTS FOR NFT IN PURE HYDROGEL |
| Authors: | P.J. Paschold, J. Kleber |
| Keywords: | Vegetable transplant, Hydrogel, Polyacrylamide, NFT, Rockwool, Peat, Lettuce |
| Abstract:
Trials to produce transplants for NFT-culture of vegetables were conducted with the aim to find alternatives for the use of rockwoll and peat-substrates. Principally hydrophilic copolymers, hydrogels based on synthetic polyacrylamides, were tested. Hydrogel absorbs many times its weight in fertilizer solution. As growing medium it was used pure without any other materials. The pelleted or unpelleted seeds can be sown in the gelfilled trays where the seedlings developed without transplanting. Growth of algae in the hydrogel-medium can be successfully controlled by shading trays with a plastic bicolorfilm especially prepared for this purpose. Evaluations and measurements of the transplants showed that it is possible to produce transplants in hydrogel of the same quality as in rockwoll or peat. After the assessment, plantlets were transplanted in NFT-gutters to produce fruit or leaves. Best transplants by visual evaluation developed highest yields without significantly differing from other propagation media. Lettuce grown in hydrogel could be harvested with roots, being practically free of medium-residues. Lettuce was covered in plastic film and, afterwards put in water to test development of quality. This procedure was to simulate the process between harvest and consumption of lettuce. Such lettuce could be kept fresh for more than ten days without cooling. | |
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