ISHS Acta Horticulturae 644: International Symposium on Growing Media and Hydroponics
INFLUENCE OF FERTIGATION FREQUENCY ON THE YIELD OF SOME VEGETABLES CULTIVATED IN SAND CULTURE |
| Authors: | S.A. Al-Ghawas, A.K. Al-Mazidi |
| Keywords: | Capsicum annuum, Solanum lycopersicum, Solanum melongena |
| Abstract:
Due to the harsh Kuwaiti environmental conditions most vegetables are cultivated in greenhouses, where drip or subsurface irrigation is administered on sand substrate as a growth medium. This system, however, raises difficulties in maintenance of adequate nutrient supply throughout the growth period. In this two years study, fertigation of a compound fertilizer at a fixed rate of 0.75 g L-1 was applied in the cultivation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) var. Carmello, chili (Capsicum annuum) var. Anahium, and aubergine (Solanum melongena) var. Rima. Experiments were conducted in glasshouse, utilizing R.C.B.D. with three replications. Irrigation water was equally applied to all treatment plots on the base of 125% of the calculated water consumptive use. Fertigation treatments (fertilizer solution mixed with irrigation water) were applied 1, 2, 3 or 4 times a week, or at changing rates. Initially 2 times a week in seedling establishment, followed by 3 times a week during plant development stage, and 4 times a week in the fruiting stage until the end of the growth season. The highest yields for the three cultivated crops were achieved with the fertigation frequency of 2 times a week during the whole growing period. The yield improvement was highly significant in the case of chili, significant for tomato and not significant for aubergine at 5% probability level. This treatment was also superior with regard to the efficiency of fertilizer use, giving highly significant differences in yields per fertilizer unit for the three tested crops. | |
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