Evaluation of microgreens of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) grown in vertical farming using associative rhizobacteria

To study the effect of associative rhizobacteria on the growth, yield and change in the biochemical composition of young plants (microgreens) of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) cultivated in protected ground conditions, a model vegetation experiment was carried out on an experimental multi-tiered hydroponic installation. The experiment included three options for using a nutrient substrate: a nutrient solution based on mineral salts; 1.0% suspension of Azospirillum spp. and the combined use of chemistry with an inoculant. The control is the option of growing plants on distilled water without other additives. After 14 days, the highest values in terms of yield and plant height were noted in the variant with the use of mineral liquid. The increase in biometric indicators of plant weight was 7.7% in comparison with the control. Also, in this variant, the plants gained faster in height (+4.4%), during the assessment of the entire cycle of their growth dynamics. The lowest values for biomass and height were noted for the variant using pure inoculant. This result was also reflected in the analysis of plant biochemistry. A decrease in the concentration of total chlorophyll and ascorbic acid in green biomass by 15.0 and 20.0%, respectively, was recorded. The highest values for the content of vitamin C were obtained in the variant of the combined use of mineral salts and bacteria. The increase in control here was 23.5%. On the mineral solution, this figure also increased, but the increase was only 5.8%. An interesting fact is that the total accumulation of essential macroelements in the shoots decreased by an average of 12.0% for all variants, compared to the control. In addition, in all variants, an increase in the proportion of sodium was noted, with a decrease in the concentration of potassium. This may be due to the redistribution of nutrients in favor of the development of the root system at an early stage of vegetation, since the absorption and transport of these elements through ion channels in plants occurs with the participation of the same proteins.