Abstract:
Hydroponic cultivation is gaining popularity due to efficient resources management and
quality food production. In general, different inorganic media are being used in
hydroponic cultivation. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of organic
media for hydroponic cultivation. Leafy vegetables such as Amaranthus cruentus and
Lactuca sativa were selected for this study and planted in four different growing media
namely coir dust, pine cones, ground nut shell and combination of pine cone and ground
nut shell. Further, Albert solution and vermi wash were used as nutrient solutions. The
different treatments were designed by combining nutrient media and growing media
(Treatment 1-Albert+ coir dust, T2-Albert+ pinecone, T3-Albert+ groundnut shell, T4-
Albert+ 50% pinecone +50% groundnut shell, T5-Vermiwash+ coir dust, T6-
Vermiwash+ pinecone, T7-Vermiwash+ groundnut shell and T8-Vermiwash+ 50%
pinecone +50% groundnut shell). The experiment was laid out in a completely
randomized design with eight treatments and each treatment had three replicates. The
plant height, number of leaves, chlorophyll content and fresh weight were measured and
the data were analyzed using Minitab. The study revealed that the plant height, number
of leaves and fresh weight are higher for the combination of pine cones and Albert
solution in both plants. In contrast, the combination of coir dust and vermi wash had the
lowest values for all the measured parameters. On the other hand, the chlorophyll
content was higher in the combination of vermi wash and pine cone while the lowest
value was observed for the combination of Albert solution and coir dust. With all such
analysis, it is possible to conclude that the pine cones and Albert solution combination
as the best medium for hydroponics cultivation.
