Effect of nitrogen levels on yield and quality of leafy vegetables grown in a non-circulating hydroponic system.

• Main Author: Mahlangu, Rebecca Irene Sindisiwe.
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Nitrogen fertilizers.; Plant nutrients > South Africa.; Edible greens > Breeding > South Africa.; Hydroponics > South Africa.
• Online Access: http://encore.tut.ac.za/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1001871

M. Tech. Agriculture === Leafy vegetables, Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla), lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and mustard spinach (Brassica juncea), are widely grown in South Africa. These leafy vegetables are popular owing to their availability and nutritional properties. Optimisation of crop nutrition is essential to maximize yield and quality of vegetables. Therefore, a study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of nitrogen application on growth and quality parameters of leafy vegetables when grown in a non-circulating hydroponic system. The objective of this study is two-fold: primarily, to determine the influence of nitrogen on growth, yield and overall quality of Swiss chard, lettuce and mustard spinach grown in a non-circulating hydroponic system, and secondly, to determine the effect of nitrogen applications on bioactive compounds and antioxidants, such as antioxidant scavenging activities, ascorbic acid, total phenolics and flavonoids.