ISHS Acta Horticulturae 396: Hydroponics and Transplant Production
FEASIBLE METHOD FOR MEASURING WATER UPTAKE RATES OF VEGETABLES IN ROCKWOOL AND NFT CULTURE |
| Authors: | T. Maruo, T. Ito, Y. Shinohara |
| Keywords: | Water uptake rate, Hydroponic culture, Nutrient Film Technique, Rockwool culture, Lettuce, Cucumber |
| Abstract:
Simple but precise method was developed for measuring water uptake rates of vegetables in rockwool and NFT culture. This apparatus consists of an automatic solution supply equipment with a small floating switch. Water uptake rates were estimated by the frequency of nutrient supply per unit time, or from the times of each nutrient supply. More accurate results were obtained by installing the spacer in the nutrient storage tank in order to decrease the effective water surface area. The diurnal course of water uptake rates was measured in cucumber plants cultivated in rockwool system, and in lettuce plants cultivated in NFT system under greenhouse conditions. Significant correlation was found between the water uptake rates of the plants and the amount of solar radiation one hour before the measurement. The amount of water uptake during the night was estimated to be 15% of the total daily uptake. This newly developed method could be applied for measuring water uptake rates of hydroponically grown vegetables in rockwool and NFT culture under greenhouse condition. | |
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