Effect of different growing media on growth and yield of leafy vegetables in nutrient film technique hydroponics system

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of growing media on the growth and yield of leafy vegetables in the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) of Hydroponic cultivation. This research was carried out for two months (Nov to Dec 2020) in the research house of Wind Power Nepal Pvt. Ltd, located at an altitude of 1310 meters above sea level. The experimental design used in this study was a factorial randomized block design (RBD) with two factors. The first factor was growing media; namely cocopeat, sponge, and perlite. The second factor was crop types namely lettuce and pakchoi that were harvested in 30 days. The data were subjected to the ANOVA technique in R-studio software version 4.0.0 and Fisher’s protected LSD test was used to separate the means. The highest plant yield (12.55 g) was obtained from plants grown in cocopeat in the NFT hydroponics system. The longest plant shoot height (9.69 cm) was obtained from plants grown in the sponge, while the lowest plant shoot height (8.85 cm) was observed in plants grown in perlite. The broadest plant leaf width (5.54 cm) was observed in plants grown in the cocopeat when compared to the sponge (4.93 cm) and perlite (4.32 cm) growing media. The results of this study showed that growing media cocopeat followed by sponge performed better as compared to perlite. The combination of the two factors showed an insignificant result in growth and yield parameters. For the hydroponics cultivation of lettuce and pakchoi, cocopeat followed by sponges should be used as a growing medium for better growth and yield