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Article

Zero Discharge of Nutrient Solution to the Environment in a Soilless Greenhouse Cucumber Production System

1
Shanghai Key Lab of Protected Horticultural Technology, Horticultural Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201403, China
2
Shanghai Institute of Technology, College of Ecological Technology and Engineering, Shanghai 201418, China
3
Shanghai Institute of Technology, College of Sciences, Shanghai 201418, China
4
Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USA
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2022, 11(17), 2252; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172252
Submission received: 7 August 2022 / Revised: 25 August 2022 / Accepted: 26 August 2022 / Published: 30 August 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil-Plant-Water System and Interactions)

Abstract

With the development of the economy and society, more attention is being paid to energy costs and the potential environmental pollution caused by vegetable cultivation. The aim of this study was to investigate the impacts of zero discharge of nutrient solutions on cucumber growth, leaf photosynthesis, and the yield and quality of cucumber under greenhouse conditions. The results show that zero discharge treatment did not change plant height, stem diameter, internode length, leaf area, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), transpiration rate (Tr), and leaf relative chlorophyll content on the most measurement days. Only Pn and relative chlorophyll content were significantly reduced after 16 days of treatment but soon recovered over time. Cucumber plants can adapt to treatment circumstances over the course of days. Leaf mineral element contents showed significant differences on some treatment days compared to the control, and trace elements of Fe, Mn, Cu, and Mo can be appropriately supplied during the treatment days. The cucumber yield and fruit quality in the zero discharge treatment did not change during the whole experimental period. This study confirmed that the irrigation method of a nutrient solution with zero discharge can be applied in cucumber cultivation practices. The strict management of irrigation strategy, plant growth, and greenhouse climate are very important for zero discharge cultivation. The cultivation method with zero discharge of nutrient solution can reduce the energy costs of disinfection, save water and fertilizers, and reduce the environmental pollution in cucumber cultivation.
Keywords: cucumber; zero discharge; growth; fruit quality; yield; greenhouse cucumber; zero discharge; growth; fruit quality; yield; greenhouse

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Ding, X.; He, L.; Li, R.; Qian, T.; Zhang, H.; Jin, H.; Cui, J.; Wang, H.; Zhou, Q.; Zou, J.; et al. Zero Discharge of Nutrient Solution to the Environment in a Soilless Greenhouse Cucumber Production System. Plants 2022, 11, 2252. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172252

AMA Style

Ding X, He L, Li R, Qian T, Zhang H, Jin H, Cui J, Wang H, Zhou Q, Zou J, et al. Zero Discharge of Nutrient Solution to the Environment in a Soilless Greenhouse Cucumber Production System. Plants. 2022; 11(17):2252. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172252

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ding, Xiaotao, Lizhong He, Rongguang Li, Tingting Qian, Hongmei Zhang, Haijun Jin, Jiawei Cui, Hong Wang, Qiang Zhou, Jun Zou, and et al. 2022. "Zero Discharge of Nutrient Solution to the Environment in a Soilless Greenhouse Cucumber Production System" Plants 11, no. 17: 2252. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172252

APA Style

Ding, X., He, L., Li, R., Qian, T., Zhang, H., Jin, H., Cui, J., Wang, H., Zhou, Q., Zou, J., Hui, D., Jiang, Y., He, K., & Yu, J. (2022). Zero Discharge of Nutrient Solution to the Environment in a Soilless Greenhouse Cucumber Production System. Plants, 11(17), 2252. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172252

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