Avaliação agronômica de linhagens de alface em cultivo hidropônico no sistema NFT (Nutrient Film Technique)

Abstract

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is the most important leafy vegetable in the world and the most commercialized in Brazil, being consumed mainly fresh, in the form of salads. This work aimed to evaluate the agronomic characteristics of lettuce lines from the UFSCar – Araras Genetic Improvement Program, cultivated in an NFT hydroponic system. To carry out this work, seven lines were selected from the UFSCar Lettuce Germopalsma Bank, in addition to the commercial cultivar Vanda. The experimental design was completely randomized, with eight treatments and three replications. The lettuce was harvested thirty days after transplanting. Three plants from each replicate were evaluated for agronomic characteristics. Plant diameter, number of leaves, stem length, stem diameter, root length, leaf fresh mass, root fresh mass, leaf dry mass and root dry mass were evaluated. The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance. To compare cultivar means, the Scott Knott test was used at 5% probability. According to analysis of variance and Scott-Knot test at 5% probability, plant diameter, number of leaves, stem length, stem diameter, length of largest root, leaf fresh mass and root fresh mass obtained statistical difference, for dry mass of the leaf and dry mass of the root were statistically equal. For the hydroponic system, it is recommended to use strains 281-3-2-2, 184-5-3-1 and 226-1-3-3, as there are few statistical differences between them. These strains stood out significantly in the hydroponic environment, exhibiting highly favorable characteristics to meet the demands of the consumer market, especially in greater biomass.