Low-volume and thin-layer panoponics in intensive artificial-light culture of cucumber: basics and results of application

Relevance. The year-round provision of the population of our country with fresh vegetable products remainsis relevant. The creation and widespread implementation of high-tech automated phytotechnological complexes based on innovative technologies for growing plants in intensive light culture, including the development of new-generation root-dwelling environments, low-volume and thin-layer analogs of soil and systems for providing plants with water and mineral nutrition elements, is one of the promising ways to solve this problem.

The purpose. Assessment of the influence of root environment conditions on the production process of cucumber plants in intensive light culture is the aim of our work.

Methods. The research was carried out under controlled conditions of intensive artificial-light culture, when growing a hybrid of cucumber Tristan F1 by using of low-volume and thin-layer analogs of soil with the supply of a nutrient solution to the plant roots through a slit capillary and by drip irrigation with the use of plant growing light equipment developed at Agrophysical Institute.

Results. Evaluation of the influence of the conditions of the root environment - alow-volume analogue of the soil based on high-moor peat – agrophyte and a thin-layer analog of the soil based on a clay suspension with a feed of nutrient solution through a slit capillary, on the production process of cucumber plants showed that in comparison with the control – a low-volume analog of the soil-agrophyte with a feed of nutrient solution by drip irrigation, there is growth acceleration of the cucumber hybrid Tristan F1 in the form of a positive trend and reliable values; as well as a significant increase in the number of fruits by 38-43%, the weight of fruits by 52-53% from the plant; an increase in the accumulation of raw by 38-40% and dry weight by 27-32% by cucumber leaves; an increase in the leaf surface area by 38-40%, leaf water content by 7.3- 9.6%; a significant or positive trend increase in the content of calcium in cucumber fruits by 18-29%, magnesium by 20-29%, iron by 5-16%, vitamin C by 17-23%, while the content of heavy metals and nitrates does not exceed exceeded the MPC in all variants. Methods of growing plants on low-volume and thin - layer analogs of soil with the supply of a nutrient solution to the roots through a slit capillary can be recommended for any cultivation facilities in conditions of intensive light culture.

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