The effect of mineral nutrition schemes on cucumber yield with low-volume cultivation technology

Nutrient solutions in low-volume cultivation technology should ensure the need of greenhouse crops for elements at all stages of the growing season, which is an effective agrotechnical technique for obtaining high productivity. The research was carried out in the winter greenhouse with a controlled microclimate when growing cucumber Bjorn F1. According to the research program, in the winter-spring turns of 2019-2022, mineral nutrition schemes differing in nitrogen, potassium and calcium content were tested on mineral wool and coconut substrates. The effectiveness of experimental nutrition schemes was noted with an increase in the content of macronutrients in cucumber plants: the nitrogen content in the leaves exceeded the control by 0.42-0.7, phosphorus - by 0.07-0.1, potassium - by 0.09-0.46% of dry matter. The change in the number and ratio of elements in the mineral nutrition system of the culture affected their synergistic interaction with each other and the course of physiological processes in plants. In the experiment, cucumber products were analyzed according to safety standards - for the content of nitrates, the amount of which in the fruits of the studied variants was lower than the MPC by 32-41%. The composition of nutrient solutions influenced growth and development of vegetative and generative organs of the cucumber. The leaf area in the experimental nutrition schemes was significantly larger than in the control, on average, according to the analyzed data, by 0.1-0.16 m2/plant. The change in the composition of nutrition schemes contributed to a decrease in the degree of "dying off" of the kukes relative to the standard scheme by an average of 0.5-2.1% and a significant increase in yield by 1.3-2.4 kg/m2 with the greatest advantage in the Experimental scheme 2. When comparing two substrates by leaf area, the highest values were on mineral wool, taking into account formed kukes and yields - on a coconut substrate.