Abstract
This study investigated which nutrient solution is suitable for growth and secondary metabolite contents when three different vegetable plants are grown simultaneously in one hydroponic cultivation bed. Seeds of pak choi (Brassica compestris L. ssp chinsensis), red mustard (Brassica juncea L.), and arugula (Eruca sativa Mill.) were sown in the shape of a triangle in three places on rockwool cubes. The rockwool cubes were placed in semi deep-flow technique (semi-DFT) hydroponic systems in a rooftop greenhouse after three weeks of growth as seedlings then cultivated with four different nutrient solutions, Korea Horticultural Experiment Station (KHE), Hoagland, Otsuka-A, and Yamazaki, at the rooftop greenhouse for two weeks. The leaf area of pak choi cultivated in Otsuka-A was the largest but SPAD values, leaf area, and fresh weight of arugula were highest with KHE treatment. The total glucosinolate (GSL) content of pak choi was 151.7% higher in KHE than in Hoagland, and there was no significant difference in Yamazaki and Otsuka-A treatments. The total GSL content of red mustard was 34.6 μmol·g-1in Hoagland, and it was 32.6% higher in Hoagland than in Yamazaki. Total GSL content of arugula was 57.5% higher in Yamazaki and Hoagland nutrients than in KHE and Otsuka-A nutrients solutions. The total GSL content of three plants grown with KHE was 40.7% higher than with Yamazaki, and the other nutrient solutions did not show significant differences. Therefore, KHE nutrient solution is considered suitable for nutrient solution composition for the cultivation of three different Brassicaceae crops in a single hydroponic cultivation system.
Figures & Tables
Fig. 1. Drawing of the cube and cultivation bed used in the experiment (A). The seedlings of pak choi, Red Frill and arugula seeded on a rock wool cube after 2 weeks from sowing (B). Pak choi, Red Frill and arugula 3 weeks after transplanting (C).
