Water use efficiency of greenhouse summer squash in relation to the method of culture: soil vs. soilless.

摘要

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the yield, water requirements and water use efficiency (WUE) of zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo) cv. Afrodite in relation to the method of culture: soil culture versus closed soilless systems using different growing media (coir, perlite and pumice). The increment rate was higher in the soilless culture compared to the soil culture. During the growing cycle, water use in the soil culture (256 litre/m2) was higher compared to the water requirements of plants grown in coir, perlite and pumice (221, 200 and 185 litres/m2, respectively). Marketable fresh fruit weight per unit of transpired water was more pronounced in the closed soilless culture compared to the soil culture as indicated by the slope values of the regression equations in pumice, perlite, coir and soil culture (32.6, 28.3, 25.5 and 21.2 g/litre2, respectively). The yield WUE calculated on a fresh weight basis ranged from 4.3 to 28.5 g/kg for pumice, 13.0 to 26.4 g/kg for coir, 3.9 to 23.4 g/kg for perlite and 1.0 to 13.1 g/kg for soil culture. The results demonstrated that the growers may improve, yield, water requirements and water use efficiency by switching from soil culture to closed soilless culture..