Growth Performance of Brassica sp. Using Hydroponic Technique

Pak Choy (Brassica rapa chinesis) is a green leafy vegetable that most popular vegetables in Asia, including in Malaysia. However, since the local production is insufficient, it must be imported. This demand can be met by using hydroponic technique. This research was conducted to assess the growth performance of Pak Choy (Brassica rapa C.) plants under different nutrient concentrations in the hydroponic system. The Pak Choy species were subjected to three levels of nutrient concentrations which were (T1) 35ml fertilizer A + 35 ml fertilizer B, (T2) 25ml fertilizer A + 25ml fertilizer B, (T3) 15ml fertilizer A + 15ml fertilizer B) with 8 replications for each treatment. Each replicate consists of 3 plants making a total 24 plants for each treatment. The parameters observed were plant height, number of leaves, leaf chlorophyll content and plant above ground biomass. Data were analyzed by using a one-way ANOVA. Research results after 39 days from sowing showed that in hydroponic system, T2 proved significantly more productive than other treatment. Plants grown under T2 produced the highest plant height (11.6 cm), a greater number of leaves (7.3 leaves/plant), higher chlorophyll content (34.64 SPAD value) and lastly have the highest above ground biomass (0.075 g/plant). Although T1 have the highest concentration nutrients, however the yield production is similar with T2. This showed that the T2 concentration of 25 ml fertilizer A + 25 ml of fertilizer B can be use to obtain the optimum yield of Pak Choy and can save more budget to produce it. These findings will facilitate leafy vegetable growers in decision making on financial management, i.e. to determine the minimum cost of hydroponic nutrients while at the same time retaining optimum crop yield