Amaranth microgreens cultivation under different seeding densities and electrical conductivity of the nutrient solutions

Abstract

With the increasing demand for healthy foods, microgreens have gained popularity due to their various nutritional benefits. In this cultivation, harvesting is performed in the seedling stage (ranging from one to three weeks); therefore, smaller amounts of water and chemical fertilizers in the production are used. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the cultivation of amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) microgreens under different seeding densities and electrical conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solutions. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design in a split-plot arrangement, with four replicates. The microgreens were irrigated under three EC levels (only with water – ECw of 0.3 dS m^-1 and with nutrient solutions – ECsol of 1.0 and 2.0 dS m^-1) in the main plots. Four seeding densities (25, 50, 75, and 100 g m^-2) were used as a subplot. Amaranth microgreens were exposed to such growing conditions for eight days in a greenhouse, when the following variables were evaluated: seedling height (SH), seedling fresh matter (SFM), seedling dry matter (SDM), water content in seedlings (WCS), and seed mass to produce 1 kg of SFM. The lowest yields of amaranth were recorded under irrigation with water; therefore, it is necessary to use nutrient solutions for its cultivation. SFM yields were maximized at estimated seeding densities of 78 and 72 g m^-2 (1218.92 and 1130.53 g m^-2) under ECsol of 1.0 and 2.0 dS m^-1, respectively. Therefore, it is concluded that, amaranth can be irrigated with nutrient solution of EC of 1.0 dS m^-1.