In an experiment carried out between September and November 1997 at Fazenda Água Limpa, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, growth and yield of lettuce cultivar Verônica were evaluated on three different substrates in a hydroponic system. The experimental design was a complete randomized block with three treatments: rice husk, gravel and pebble, with 25 replicates. After 62 days, plants were collected and plant and root weight, number of leaves and head diameter were evaluated. The younger leaves from plants from all treatments were also collected for macro and micronutrients analyses. Plants grown on rice husk showed significantly higher plant and root weight compared to those grown on gravel and pebble. No statistically significant difference was observed for plant and root weight in gravel and pebble treatments. Statistically significant differences between all treatments were observed on the basis of number of leaves and head diameter. Both parameters were higher in plants grown on rice husks, followed by gravel and pebble. No differences were observed in the absorption of macronutrients among treatments. However, plants grown on rice husk absorbed less zinc and copper than plants grown on gravel and pebble.
Lactuca sativa L.; hydropony; gravel; pebble; rice husk
