Nutritional deficiency in crisphead lettuce grown in hydroponics

Abstract

The identification of nutrient deficiency symptoms in lettuce helps both producers and technical staff to keep the plant nutritional balance in their producing areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate production and describe and record the visual symptoms caused by the isolated or combined shortage of K, Ca, B and Zn in crisphead lettuce grown in hydroponics. The experimental design was completely randomized blocks with four replications and eight treatments, representing the single (K, Ca, B, Zn) and combined (Ca and B, K and Zn, B and Zn) omission of nutrients, with a control treatment containing a complete nutrient solution. We used the crisphead lettuce cultivar Rider Plus. Under Ca shortage, plant growth was reduced and chlorosis appeared in the borders of young leaves. K shortage was the most detrimental to production of shoot fresh and dry matter and root dry matter. Where B was absent, plant growth was limited, the apical dominance was lost and leaves became wrinkled. Plants without Zn showed mild chlorosis in the blade of young leaves, elongation and bending of petioles and reduction in root density. The combined omission of Ca and B slowed down plant growth and induced necrosis at the borders of young leaves, while the combined omission of K and Zn initially induced K deficiency symptoms with reduced growth. When B and Zn were simultaneously subtracted, plants first showed B deficiency symptoms: reduction in plant size as compared to the control treatment and death of the apical bud.