Effect of Nutrient Solution Concentration on the Growth of Hydroponic Sweetpotato

Abstract

Nutrient solution concentration (NSC) is a critical factor affecting plant growth in hydroponics. Here, we investigated the effects of hydroponic NSC on the growth and yield of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) plants. First, sweetpotato cuttings were cultivated hydroponically in three different NSCs with low, medium, or high electrical conductivity (EC; 0.8, 1.4, and 2.6 dS m−1, respectively). Shoot growth and storage root yield increased at 143 days after plantation (DAP), depending on the NSC. Next, we examined the effect of NSC changes at half of the cultivation period on the growth and yield, using high and low NSC conditions. In plants transferred from high to low EC (HL plants), the number of attached leaves increased toward the end of the first half of the cultivation period (73 DAP), compared with plants transferred from low to high EC (LH plants). Additionally, the number of attached leaves decreased in HL plants from 73 DAP to the end of the cultivation period (155 DAP), whereas this value increased in LH plants. These changes occurred due to a high leaf abscission ratio in HL plants. The storage root yield showed no significant difference between HL and LH plants. Our results suggest that the regulation of hydroponic NSC during the cultivation period affects the growth characteristics of sweetpotato.