| During the last several decades, the primary objective of research work in soilless culture has been the composition of nutrient solutions and optimization of nutrition for commercial hydroponics. It is necessary that the nutrient solution provided for plants in hydroponic systems must be specific for a particular crop, the growth stage, the climatic conditions, and the substrate and hydroponic system used. Therefore, the objective of our study was to evaluate different one and two bag systems for fertilizers for the production of different types of vegetable crops (lettuce, basil, Swiss chard, sweet pepper, and eggplant). Crops are able to uptake nutrients from the nutrient solution only in a specific pH range (5.5-6.5). Therefore, various pH buffers are used to maintain nutrient solution pH in a specified range. The objective of one of our experiments was to evaluate the effect of alternative pH buffers (pH down, lime juice, and vinegar) on pH maintenance of the nutrient solution and growth and development of lettuce, basil, and Swiss chard. Results indicated that hydroponic producers should select lettuce and basil cultivars based on fertilizer used, while Swiss chard cultivars can be selected based on yield. Hydroponic producers should select fertilizer for sweet pepper cultivation in hydroponics based on yield, while for eggplant more cultivars and fertilizers need to be evaluated for yield differences. For alternative pH buffers, growers can use lime juice as an alternative for pH down for lettuce production but not for basil and Swiss chard. |
