Avaliação agronômica de variedades de alface em cultivo hidropônico em sistema NFT (Nutrient Film Technique)

Abstract

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the most widely consumed leafy vegetables in Brazil, with significant commercial acceptance and nutritional value. The increasing demand for more efficient, sustainable, and urban-adapted agricultural systems has encouraged the adoption of hydroponics, with the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) being a promising method due to its efficient water and nutrient use, environmental control, and intensive production. However, many commercial cultivars has not been specifically developed for soilless systems, highlighting the need to identify genotypes with superior performance under protected conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance of seven experimental crisphead lettuce lines developed by the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), compared to the commercial cultivar Vanda, grown in a hydroponic NFT system. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, using a completely randomized design with three replications and three plants per plot. Nine morpho-agronomic traits were analyzed: shoot and root fresh weight, shoot and root dry weight, number of leaves, stem length and diameter, root length, and plant diameter. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Scott-Knott’s multiple comparison test at a 5% significance level. The lines 226-1-3-3, F10 206-2, and 184-5-3-1 demonstrated superior performance in fresh and dry biomass accumulation and plant diameter, outperforming the commercial cultivar Vanda. These results indicated the potential of these lines for future cultivar recommendations in hydroponic production systems, contributing to genetic diversification and improved efficiency in controlled environments.