Developing sustainable strategies for natural resource management and conservation under shifting climatic scenarios is increasingly necessary due to exacerbated abiotic stresses, such as salinity. Under salt stress, several negative effects are observed in plants, particularly in leafy vegetables such as lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). To mitigate the effects of saline stress from brackish water, several strategies have been adopted, including hydroponic cultivation. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects of variations in nutrient solution concentration and volume per lettuce plant cultivated in a nutrient film technique (NFT) hydroponic system using brackish water. The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial scheme, combining two levels of water electrical conductivity (ECw of 0.3 and 5.0 dS m−1), two nutrient solution concentrations (NSC of 50 and 100%), and two nutrient solution volumes (NSV of 1 and 2 L plant−1), with four replications. Growth, production, and water productivity variables were evaluated at 20 and 25 days following the imposition of treatments. The responses of the variables to saline stress varied according to the evaluation period (20 and 25 days), depending on the NSC and NSV levels. At the end of the 25-day cycle, it can be concluded that for lettuce cultivation using brackish water, the NSC can be reduced to 50% and provide an NSV of 2 L plant−1. Under these growing conditions, leaf fresh matter production loss was approximately 40% lower than under cultivation without saline stress, which yielded 144.11 g plant−1 under 100% NSC and an NSV of 2 L plant−1. In contrast, water productivity of fresh matter was similar, at 78.68 and 76.55 g L−1, respectively.
Silva et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: