Quality Improvement of Netted Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. reticulatus) through Precise Nitrogen and Potassium Management in a Hydroponic System
The quality-oriented fruit production in well-controlled enclosed hydroponic systems has been greatly enhanced by the technology of precision agriculture. Over-fertilisation has been commonly applied to the traditional hydroponic culture of fruit crops, without considering different nutrient demands...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/6/816 |
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| author | Rita S.W. Yam Yen-Tzu Fan Jing-Tian Lin Chihhao Fan Hsiao-Feng Lo |
| author_facet | Rita S.W. Yam Yen-Tzu Fan Jing-Tian Lin Chihhao Fan Hsiao-Feng Lo |
| author_sort | Rita S.W. Yam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The quality-oriented fruit production in well-controlled enclosed hydroponic systems has been greatly enhanced by the technology of precision agriculture. Over-fertilisation has been commonly applied to the traditional hydroponic culture of fruit crops, without considering different nutrient demands during development. Adjusting the nutrient formulations depending on crop developmental stages could enable efficient fertilisation to increase yield quality. In this study, N-reduced and K-modified nutrient solutions were applied for a two-step nutrient manipulation experiment, to improve the fruit quality (Experiment I) and optimise the fertilisation schemes (Experiment II) of hydroponic netted melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. reticulatus). The N-reduced and K-modified treatments, before fruiting stage in Experiment I, obtained higher fruit quality with increased fruit weight, dry matter ratio, flesh thickness, and total soluble solids. In Experiment II, fruits cultured under treatment II-3 (applied with 100-75-100% N and 100-125-75% K during VG-PYF-FEM) had the highest overall preferences, with ‘rich’ aroma, ‘dense’ texture, and ‘perfect’ sweetness, compared to all other experimental treatments. Our study successfully improved the fertilisation schemes for a hydroponic netted melon with precise N- and K-nutrient formulations specific to different developmental stages. Our study promotes the future advancement of precise fertilisation to improve fruit quality and reduce environmental pollution from farming activities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:17:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cccc5d46b231430fab11a88adcd9068f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:17:19Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-cccc5d46b231430fab11a88adcd9068f2023-11-20T03:16:14ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952020-06-0110681610.3390/agronomy10060816Quality Improvement of Netted Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. reticulatus) through Precise Nitrogen and Potassium Management in a Hydroponic SystemRita S.W. Yam0Yen-Tzu Fan1Jing-Tian Lin2Chihhao Fan3Hsiao-Feng Lo4Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, TaiwanDepartment of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, TaiwanDepartment of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, TaiwanDepartment of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, TaiwanDepartment of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, TaiwanThe quality-oriented fruit production in well-controlled enclosed hydroponic systems has been greatly enhanced by the technology of precision agriculture. Over-fertilisation has been commonly applied to the traditional hydroponic culture of fruit crops, without considering different nutrient demands during development. Adjusting the nutrient formulations depending on crop developmental stages could enable efficient fertilisation to increase yield quality. In this study, N-reduced and K-modified nutrient solutions were applied for a two-step nutrient manipulation experiment, to improve the fruit quality (Experiment I) and optimise the fertilisation schemes (Experiment II) of hydroponic netted melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. reticulatus). The N-reduced and K-modified treatments, before fruiting stage in Experiment I, obtained higher fruit quality with increased fruit weight, dry matter ratio, flesh thickness, and total soluble solids. In Experiment II, fruits cultured under treatment II-3 (applied with 100-75-100% N and 100-125-75% K during VG-PYF-FEM) had the highest overall preferences, with ‘rich’ aroma, ‘dense’ texture, and ‘perfect’ sweetness, compared to all other experimental treatments. Our study successfully improved the fertilisation schemes for a hydroponic netted melon with precise N- and K-nutrient formulations specific to different developmental stages. Our study promotes the future advancement of precise fertilisation to improve fruit quality and reduce environmental pollution from farming activities.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/6/816precise fertilisationmuskmelonsoilless cultivationnitrogen and potassium manipulationnutrition |
| spellingShingle | Rita S.W. Yam Yen-Tzu Fan Jing-Tian Lin Chihhao Fan Hsiao-Feng Lo Quality Improvement of Netted Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. reticulatus) through Precise Nitrogen and Potassium Management in a Hydroponic System Agronomy precise fertilisation muskmelon soilless cultivation nitrogen and potassium manipulation nutrition |
| title | Quality Improvement of Netted Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. reticulatus) through Precise Nitrogen and Potassium Management in a Hydroponic System |
| title_full | Quality Improvement of Netted Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. reticulatus) through Precise Nitrogen and Potassium Management in a Hydroponic System |
| title_fullStr | Quality Improvement of Netted Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. reticulatus) through Precise Nitrogen and Potassium Management in a Hydroponic System |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quality Improvement of Netted Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. reticulatus) through Precise Nitrogen and Potassium Management in a Hydroponic System |
| title_short | Quality Improvement of Netted Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. reticulatus) through Precise Nitrogen and Potassium Management in a Hydroponic System |
| title_sort | quality improvement of netted melon i cucumis melo i l var reticulatus through precise nitrogen and potassium management in a hydroponic system |
| topic | precise fertilisation muskmelon soilless cultivation nitrogen and potassium manipulation nutrition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/6/816 |
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