Growth, production and water consumption of coriander in hydroponic system using brackish waters

Crescimento, produção e consumo hídrico do coentro em hidroponia com o uso de águas salobras

ABSTRACT

An experiment was carried out in an adapted DFT (deep film technique) hydroponic system in PVC pipes to evaluate the growth, production and water consumption of coriander cv. ‘Verdão’, during June-July 2014. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design with five replicates, in a 2 x 4 factorial scheme, totaling 40 plots. Two intervals of nutrient solution recirculation (0.25 and 2 h) and four levels of water electrical conductivity (ECw 0.26, 2.47, 4.91 and 7.0 dS m^-1) were evaluated. At 25 days after transplanting (DAT), the reductions in plant height and in the shoot fresh and dry matter of the bunch were 2.95, 6.08 and 3.32% per unit increase of ECw (in dS m^-1). Despite the reductions in growth and production, saline stress did not cause any damage to the visual aspect of coriander. The accumulated water consumption for the periods of 1-20 and 1-24 DAT significantly decreased by 5.26 and 5.85% per unit increase of ECw. It was concluded that it is viable to use a nutrient solution recirculation interval of 2 h, without production losses, and this represents a reduction of approximately 64% in electricity consumption.

Key words:
Coriandrum sativum L.; soilless cultivation; nutrient solution recirculation; salinity