The Comparative Performance of Nutrient-Film Technique and Deep-Water Culture Method of Hydroponics for GREENBOX Technology
The Comparative Performance of Nutrient-Film Technique and Deep-Water Culture Method of Hydroponics for GREENBOX Technology作者机构:Department of Ecology and Environmental Studies The Water School Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers FL USA Department of Marine and Earth Sciences The Water School Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers FL USA Department of Natural Resources University of Connecticut Storrs CT USA Department of Mathematics Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers FL USA Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering Mercer University Macon GA USA Independent Researcher Alexandria VA USA
出 版 物:《Agricultural Sciences》 (农业科学(英文))
年 卷 期:2023年第14卷第8期
页 面:1108-1120页
学科分类:0817[工学-化学工程与技术] 08[工学]
主 题:Controlled Environment Agriculture Food Insecurity GREENBOX Hydroponics Lettuce
摘 要:With the rising pressures on food security, GREENBOX technology was developed as an avenue for fresh leafy vegetable crop production in urban settings. GREENBOX units were designed to be thermally insulated and climate controlled, with an artificial lighting source that utilized soilless cultivation techniques. Previous studies conducted on GREENBOX technology used the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT);however, various hydroponic methods exist, such as the Deep-Water Culture (DWC) method being the most used. The APS Laboratory for Sustainable Food at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) compared the crop growth performance between DWC and NFT systems using GREENBOX technology. The following study monitored environmental conditions and compared productivity and biomass data of Rex Butterhead Lettuce crops between DWC and NFT systems. We assembled two GREENBOX units using commercially available materials and the standard nutrient solution for fertigation. The crops grown in DWC and NFT were in a 4 × 6 configuration. The DWC and NFT systems were used to grow Lettuce Lactuca sativa “Rex Butterhead over 30 days to full bloom from prepared plugs grown for 14 days. We collected environmental data including Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD, μmol/m2∙s), Daily Light Integral (DLI, mol/ m2∙d), temperature (˚C), relative humidity (%), and Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD, kPa). We collected lettuce crop growth data, which included wet weight (g), dry weight (g), leaf area (cm2), and chlorophyll concentration (μmol/m2). We derived data, including the Specific Leaf Area (SLA, cm2/g) and biomass productivity (kg/m2), from previously collected data. We used descriptive statistics to present the collected data. A paired t-test was performed to understand the differences in biomass and productivity parameters between the DWC and NFT-grown lettuce crops. Both the DWC and NFT-grown crops could grow lettuce crops to harve