<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Endive (<italic>Cichorium endivia</italic> L.) is a leaf vegetable with high vitamin and nutritional values. Therefore, an increase of its cultivation in Poland and other European countries has been observed in recent years. The aim of this research was to study the effect of different growth media on the quality and photosynthetic efficiency of different endive cultivars. The experiment was conducted in controlled greenhouse conditions. Endive was grown in three independent NFT cultivation systems: a standard culture medium (control, A1), a culture medium concentrated three-fold (A2) and a medium concentrated five-fold (A3). Four cultivars were used: ‘Kethel’, ‘Barundi’, ‘Galanti’ and ‘Perceval’. The plants were examined for the number and weight of fully-grown leaves and the weight of roots, dry matter content and chemical quality attributes of endive such as ascorbic acid (AA), total soluble solids (TSS), chlorophyll and proline. In addition, several physiological traits such as modulated chlorophyll <italic>a</italic> fluorescence were measured.</p><p>Both three-fold and five-fold increases of ion concentration in the nutrient solution induced stress in the endive plants. Our results showed that the photosynthetic efficiency of the tested endive plants was affected by the cultivar factor and only the highest (five-fold) ion concentration in the nutrient solution. Growth under a medium of three-fold ion concentration did not affect the photosynthetic efficiency, despite observed changes in the growth and quality parameters of the endive plants. This study suggests that the type of fluorescence measurements used in this experiment (modulated) cannot be recommended as a sufficient bioindicator during endive production.</p></abstract>

Endive (Cichorium endivia L.) is a leaf vegetable with high vitamin and nutritional values. Therefore, an increase of its cultivation in Poland and other European countries has been observed in recent years. The aim of this research was to study the effect of different growth media on the quality and photosynthetic efficiency of different endive cultivars. The experiment was conducted in controlled greenhouse conditions. Endive was grown in three independent NFT cultivation systems: a standard culture medium (control, A1), a culture medium concentrated three-fold (A2) and a medium concentrated five-fold (A3). Four cultivars were used: ‘Kethel’, ‘Barundi’, ‘Galanti’ and ‘Perceval’. The plants were examined for the number and weight of fully-grown leaves and the weight of roots, dry matter content and chemical quality attributes of endive such as ascorbic acid (AA), total soluble solids (TSS), chlorophyll and proline. In addition, several physiological traits such as modulated chlorophyll a fluorescence were measured.Both three-fold and five-fold increases of ion concentration in the nutrient solution induced stress in the endive plants. Our results showed that the photosynthetic efficiency of the tested endive plants was affected by the cultivar factor and only the highest (five-fold) ion concentration in the nutrient solution. Growth under a medium of three-fold ion concentration did not affect the photosynthetic efficiency, despite observed changes in the growth and quality parameters of the endive plants. This study suggests that the type of fluorescence measurements used in this experiment (modulated) cannot be recommended as a sufficient bioindicator during endive production.

Response of growth, quality parameters and photosynthetic apparatus of endive plant to different culture media

Department of Vegetable and Medicinal Plants, Faculty of Agriculture and Biology

Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture and Biology

Folia Horticulturae

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Endive (Cichorium endivia L.) is a leaf vegetable with high vitamin and nutritional values. Therefore, an increase of its cultivation in Poland and other...

Response of growth, quality parameters and photosynthetic apparatus of endive plant to different culture media

Published Online: Jun 29, 2016

Page range: 25 - 30

Received: Jul 13, 2015

Accepted: Jan 04, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/fhort-2016-0004

Keywords
chlorophyll fluorescence, concentration of ions, nutrient film technique, nutrient solution, hydroponics

© 2016 Katarzyna Kowalczyk et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Response of growth, quality parameters and photosynthetic apparatus of endive plant to different culture media

Published Online: Jun 29, 2016

Page range: 25 - 30

Received: Jul 13, 2015

Accepted: Jan 04, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/fhort-2016-0004

Keywordschlorophyll fluorescence, concentration of ions, nutrient film technique, nutrient solution, hydroponics

© 2016 Katarzyna Kowalczyk et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
chlorophyll fluorescence, concentration of ions, nutrient film technique, nutrient solution, hydroponics